Page 13

Police cars burn at anti-austerity protest in Germany

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

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015

16 Pages Number 667th year

e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

Price: Rp 3.000,-

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

DPs 23 - 32WEATHER FORECAsT

Netanyahu’s Likud surges to stunning Israeli election winPage 6 Page 8

Arsenal out after failing to cope with pressure

LOS ANGELES — “Fashion Police” is taking a break after losing co-hosts Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin and plans to slip into some-thing new for fall, the E! cable TV channel said. Co-hosts Giuliana Ran-cic and Brad Goreski and executive producer Melissa Rivers will be back in September with the series, which will “evolve” into its next chapter, E!

said in a statement Tuesday.Previously, E! said the celebrity

critique fest would air as sched-uled March 30 despite the exits of Osbourne and Griffin. The hiatus announcement came a day after Griffin went on “The View” and dis-cussed why she chose to quit March 12 after just seven episodes. The comedian, who replaced the late

Joan Rivers, her friend and mentor, already had tweeted about leaving because she was uneasy being part of the show.

Griffin told “The View” talk show on Monday that the E! series didn’t suit her improvisational style and that she felt forced to “comment about pictures of beautiful women in perfect dresses and say kind of bad things.”

As a feminist and a comic, she said, it didn’t feel right.

Osbourne left the show in late February, after complaining about Rancic’s red-carpet criticism of African-American singer-actress Zendaya’s dreadlocks. Rancic said they suggested the smell of marijuana.

Zendaya went online to slam the

remarks as “outrageously offensive” and Rancic later apologized, saying the experience taught her not to per-petuate cliches and stereotypes.

E! did not detail how “Fashion Police” would change or who its new co-hosts will be. The show has faltered since losing the wily, tart-tongued Joan Rivers, Melissa’s mother. (ap)

“It affects your ability to feel like you’re not actually disappearing,” said Winslet, 39. “I just didn’t feel very together at all, physically or mentally. I don’t have those great, strong, glowing pregnancies.”

“It was really wonderful to be in a position where I did have my brain back,” she said. Shailene Woodley noted that she was afraid to be too physical with Winslet during “Divergent,” but that the gloves came off this time.

In their work, Woodley and Winslet have de-veloped a bond that goes beyond a co-star con-nection. Both got their first significant burst of fame at age 21, Winslet with “Titanic,” and Woodley with her role in “Divergent.”

Though Woodley credits Winslet with offering her helpful advice about the temporality of celebrity, Winslet said that Woodley’s steadfast goals are what will see her through trying times, even in an environment of height-ened scrutiny and access.

“She has values that are very, very important to her and she lives by them 100 percent. That is very unusual. I don’t think I possessed to that extent,” said Winslet, who still avoids media, social and otherwise,

as a rule.“It’s how I’ve stayed sane. I don’t read reviews. I

don’t read magazine articles that I’ve been in. I don’t allow magazines into the home. I just don’t,” she said.

Ultimately, Winslet’s work in the “Divergent” films is for her three kids, ages 14, 11 and 15 months.

“My children can’t see most of the films I’ve been in because I either die or take my clothes

off,” said Winslet, laughing.“At a certain point in one’s career,

it’s really wonderful when your child turns around and goes ‘oh my god, mommy, you have to be in that film. My friends are going to die,’” she said animatedly.

She’s always surprised at just how opinionated her kids are about her career, sometimes cautioning her to avoid something that they feel

she’s “done before.” Speaking of a secretive cameo that she was recently offered, Winslet said that when she told her 11-year-old son, his world came to a stop.

“I actually had to video his reaction because it was so pro-

found,” she said. (ap)

AUSTIN — Mary J. Blige per-formed for a feverish crowd Tuesday night at the Samsung Supper Club in an event not sponsored by South by Southwest, another sign of unofficial concerts rivaling the festival when it comes to pulling big-name acts.

Blige is no dancer, but the per-former moved energetically at the show, even imitating Michael Jack-son’s dance moves during her funky hit, “Just Fine.”

She kicked off her set with “Enough Cryin’” — which features her rapping as her alter ego Brook-Lynn — and she continued with the up-tempo anthem, “The One.”

She moved like a pro, though there was water dripping from the covered ceiling on the venue’s rooftop. She managed to maneuver in heels and an ab-revealing crop top.

“Go Mary. Go Mary,” the crowd, who attended a seated dinner prior to the performance, yelled loudly. Blige’s husband, Kendu Isaacs, filmed her performance with his phone while “Orange Is the New Black” actress Danielle Brooks, music manager Kev-in Liles and track and field Olympian

Sanya Richards-Ross — along with her pro football player husband Aaron Ross — sang and danced along.

“Where the ‘My Life’ fans at?” the 44-year-old Blige asked, referring to her classic 1994 sophomore album. She followed with songs from that album, including “Be Happy” and “You Bring Me Joy.”

She also performed other hits from the past, including “Real Love” and “You Remind Me” from her debut album, 1992’s “What’s the 411?”

Before singing her latest song, “Doubt,” Blige offered her usual words of encouragement.

“Where are all those amazingly strong, good women that nobody can’t keep down out there? ... I mean, make some noise!” she said. “The voice of doubt is going to be conquered by you all the time.”

Blige asked the audience to stand up for her rendition of U2’s “One,” which she covered a decade ago, and they danced happily when she closed with her pop hit, “Family Affair.”

Iggy Azalea, D’Angelo and Nick Jonas are some of the other top acts at events unrelated to the festival. (ap)

IBP/Net

Mary J. Blige shines at unofficial SXSW show

‘Fashion Police’ taking a break to slip into something new

Winslet on the perks of not being pregnant

in ‘Insurgent’LOS ANGELES — For Kate Winslet, one of the more exciting things about returning to

play the coldblooded Jeanine in the second installment of the “Divergent” series is the fact that she wasn’t pregnant this time.

“No comment, too many people have been talking about it. Regard-less I want to introspect during Nyepi first anyway,” said Adi.

Previously, legislator of the Bali House, Wayan Diesel Astawa, said that the and his colleagues were not there to accept or reject the reclama-tion project. Astawa, who is also the Secretary of Commission III, which is in charge of environmental af-fairs, expressed this position during the Amdal Consultation with the PT

TWBI last week.Responding to the attitude of

the Bali House, Secretary General of the National Coordinator for Reject Benoa Bay Reclamation (KNTRTB), Gede Bangun Nu-santara, said this was the attitude of a sissy. The people of Bali are said to have been ‘orphaned’ since the reclamation case was revealed two years ago. The House which is supposed to represent Balinese people has not even responded to

the ongoing waves of rejection of the reclamation project.

“The Chairman of the House’s promise that he made yesterday, to form a special committee to look into the matter of the reclamation project, is a form of deception. Such an attitude is very dangerous and has the potential to kindle horizontal conflicts among the people of Bali. Is the House waiting for a conflict to arise, in order to then respond to the conflict rather than respond to

the issue?” asked Bangun.According to Bangun, the people

of Bali should be suspicious of what lurks behind the sissy attitude that the House is expressing. The house should be explaining their lack of stance on the project, because be-sides dealing with matters related to legislation, budgeting, or mak-ing laws, it is important that the House listen to the aspirations of the people. “However, the House seems to be blind and deaf to state-ments made by the people,” said Bangun.

In the meantime, Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Intellectu-als Association (ICPI) Bali, I Putu Anom, argues that Balinese people need to be assured by the execu-

tive and the legislative branches of the House so that they can know whether their ‘father’ and ‘mother’ will accept or reject the reclama-tion project. Studies by Udayana University have declared that the project is unfeasible, both in terms of environmental and economic aspects, especially because the eco-nomic aspects are not aligned with the needs of the community, local entrepreneurs, as well as cultural and social impacts.

IBP/File Photo

People rallied against the Benoa Bay reclamation plan recently in Denpasar, Bali. Polemics on the Benoa Bay reclamation plan are ongoing. The majority of the people who express their refusal to support the project, describe themselves as orphans. The implication being that their representatives in the Bali House will not hear their pleas to refuse this project.

Benoa Bay reclamation plan

Chairman of Bali House still gives no commentDENPASAR - Polemics on the Benoa Bay reclamation plan are ongoing. The majority of the

people who express their refusal to support the project, describe themselves as orphans. The implication being that their representatives in the Bali House will not hear their pleas to refuse this project. It would seem that the scathing satire expressed by people, regarding the project does not touch their hearts at all. Chairman of the Bali House, Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, keeps dodging questions and has not given any comments related to this issue.

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.listen2my-

radio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http://ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

International2 Thursday, March 19, 2015 15International Activities

Bali News

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

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is con-sidered 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, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

Balinese Temple Ceremony

Thursday, March 19, 2015

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

(0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Kick back on the beach for lunch and enjoy Finn’s resident DJ (spinning tunes from 1-5PM). Finns’ re-cently launched new menu provides an array of options that will satisfy all tastes from Asian cuisine to salads, sides, pizza, pasta, BBQ and more – everyone has been catered for. Indulge in Finn’s Signatures such as the Cliff Edge Burger, Steak Sandwich and Guinness Bat-ter Onion Rings. Or for healthier options you can’t go past the Yellow Fin Tuna Rice Paper Rolls, Tri Colour Barramundi Tacos and Grilled Calamari. Gluten free guests haven’t been forgotten with a number of options where one must mention - all pizzas and pastas are available gluten free!

From 5PM Australia’s favourite acoustic artist, Athron McCann is back and playing live until 9PM. Which is also the perfect time to take full advantage of Finn’s Beat the Clock Happy Hour which kicks off from 4PM. Enjoy savings of up to 50% OFF all cocktails,

A responsibility is a very important thing in any profession. It will be positively correlated to the qual-ity of individual and team work. “Responsibility and sense of belonging in the company where we work is a commitment that must be upheld. Without it, we will never get comfortable atmosphere in our workplace,” said Ketut Wirya Negara, a hotelier.

Wirya, the man born in 1965 and husband to Nyo-man Sri Wahyuningsih, has been getting involved in tourism industry since 1985 after graduating from high school in 1984. He started his career as a bar waiter in a state-owned hotel named Inna Putri Bali when it was still under the name of Bali Nusa Dua Ho-tel. Due to his discipline and outstanding performance, the management appreciated him by giving awards to enhance his skills and abilities. For that purpose, he was given the opportunity to attend school by taking Diploma 1 majoring in Food and Beverage Service in Bali Tourism Institute (BPLP) in 1985.

Along with the performance he showed, Wirya was entrusted to fill in some important positions such as Sales Executive for 5 years, Sales Manager for 3 years, Marketing Manager, Food and Beverage Manager until 2006 at the Inna Putri Bali.

“Inna Hotel under PT HIN has owned some properties in Bali and outside Bali. It gives me the opportunity to improve the ability to fill in the position such as EAM and Resident Manager for 2 years until 2008 at the Inna Kuta Beach. In early 2009, I returned to the Inna Putri Bali entrusted as Resident Manager and Management Team Leader (KTM) for a year,” said the father of one son and one daughter.

Before being entrusted as General Manager at Inna Kuta Beach, Wirya had also filled in the position of General Manager at the Inna Sindhu Sanur for two years until 2011 and Inna Sim-pang Surabaya for a year until May 2012.

Responding to the competitive conditions existing today, Wirya had a great confidence of being able to face it. (kmb)

IBP/Courtesy of Semara Resort

IBP/kmb

Profile

Ketut Wirya Negara:Responsibility and confidence to compete

Easter Sunday festivities on Finn’s Beach Club

UNGASAN - Finn’s Beach Club is hold-ing their annual Easter Sunday festivities on April 5. Catering for families, couples and friends, there truly is something for everyone. beers and wines (by the glass) until 9PM. The beach bonfires will also be

fired up from sunset.Bringing the kids? Head over early and they can enjoy a special kids buffet

at Selatan Cliff Top Restaurant (no entrance fee) from 11AM-5PM. They will also be able to enjoy Easter Egg Painting, Easter Bunny Face Painting, a Bouncing Castle, Kids Party Games and a Mini Zoo.

Attendant for the Masceti temple and beach area, I Ketut Sugata, did not dismiss the increasing amount of rubbish left behind from offerings made during the melasti rituals. The problem is that the rubbish created from the offerings is sometimes left unnoticed by those participating in the ritual “Every day the rubbish collected reaches up to six cubic meters,” he said.

He is assisted by six janitors specifically paid for cleaning up the beach after the ritual activities. Funds are obtained from operating cost provided by each customary village that will perform a melasti procession on Masceti Beach. “The rubbish levy collected depends in the number of participants in the melasti procession,” he explained.

Each customary village provides a levy amounting to IDR 100,000 as a sanitation fee. Nevertheless, the awareness of each pilgrim regard-ing their own rubbish becomes the main issue. “Even though there has been a sincere donation for sanita-tion, it is more important that each participant be aware of their own rubbish, which is rather difficult to develop” he said.

Approximately three to four customary villages perform melasti activities on Masceti Beach ev-ery day. They come and go. To maintain sanitary conditions on Masceti Beach, six people perform a cleanup after each village has completed its procession.

The rubbish is collected from the beach and temporarily stored

away from the location of the ceremony. At times some of the rubbish is processed into compost, while other portions are dumped into the landfill at Temesi Gianyar. “We first pill it up in the east and then we will transport it to the landfill after the melasti procession is done,” he explained.

Hindus from Gianyar often choose to perform their melasti ritual on Masceti Beach because it has a spacious parking lot and the space of worship is also relatively wide, though in fact not quite big enough. “Eventually we will re-arrange the space to make it more suitable, including more parking, providing some shelter as a place to relax before and after the ritual,” he said. (kmb16)

AMLAPURA - Before Nyepi, trucks are queuing up at Padangbai Harbour, because of the increased number of trucks and the insufficient crossing services available. Sukanto, a representative of transport companies at Padangbai Harbor, revealed that before Nyepi many companies try to have their fleets operate earlier be-cause on Nyepi (Saturday) the harbor will be closed, so freight will not be able to be delivered to Bali.

Since the Padangbai Harbor only operates one dock, the surge of trucks cannot all be ferried across. Accord-ing to Sukanto, in early March, the number of trucks crossing increases compared to the number of trucks crossing during the first three months of the year. “The number of trucks transporting goods through Padangbai, will continue to increase until the end of March, as it has in previous years,” he explained.

Without proper mitigation, the queue of trucks could possibly remain there on Nyepi. For this reason, the ASDP Indonesia Ferry Padangbai,

must find a way to optimize the cross-ing services, chiefly for those that will depart to Lembar because freight trucks from Lembar to Padangbai will increase dramatically before Nyepi. “In anticipation of Nyepi, goods are transported early. The day before Nyepi, there will be no crossing over to Bali except for private cars,” he said.

Unfortunately repairs to Dock 1 have only reached the stage of install-ing rebar on the dock floor, so it will remain unusable until after Nyepi. “After the installation of grating, they still have to install the ramp door and check the hydraulic machine,” explained Supeno, a seasoned worker who is working on repairs to the dock.

According to him, frequent rain has caused the dock welding process to be hampered because electric currents needed for welding could have endan-gered workers. “The rain has been an obstacle for completing the welding process, all we can do is wait for the rain to stop,” he lamented. (dwa)

IBP/Gung Dar

The rubbish from Melasti Ritual is seen on Lebih Beach

Rubbish from Melasti Rituals reaches about six cubic meters each day

GIANyAr - Melasti processions, occurring before Nyepi, Çaka New year 1937, that started on March 14, 2015, are apparently leaving behind problematic amounts of waste materials related to the ritual. Melasti rituals in the area of Masceti Beach, Medahan vil-lage, Blahbatuh, for example have left behind six cubic meters of trash per day.

IBP/Dewa Farend

The queue of trucks is still very long in Padangbai Harbor

Before Nyepi Trucks still queuing

at Padangbai

3Thursday, March 19, 2015 14 InternationalInternational Bali NewsHealth Thursday, March 19, 2015

LOS ANGELES - A common practice that involves using a syringe to remove a patient’s blood clots during treatment for a heart attack has been found to increase the risk of stroke, researchers said Monday.

The study led by McMaster Univer-sity and the University of Toronto is the largest of its kind to date.

It was presented at the American College of Cardiology annual con-ference in San Diego and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

More than 10,000 patients in 20 countries were part of the randomized controlled trial.

Some heart attack patients had just an angioplasty, or percutaneous coronary intervention, which opens a blocked artery in the heart using a balloon.

Others had an angioplasty plus a manual thrombectomy, in which a cardiologist uses a syringe attached to a tube to create suction to remove the clot

from the artery, the researchers said.The result found “no benefit from

the routine use of thrombectomy, or blood clot removal, and that heart at-tack patients receiving this were more likely to have a stroke,” according to the study.

Since current guidelines leave it up to individual doctors to decide whether or not to do the syringe procedure, study authors said they hope their study will lead to changes in practice.

“The message from this study is that thrombectomy should not be used as a routine strategy,” said lead author Sanjit Jolly, an associate professor of medicine of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

“This is still an important therapy, but given the downsides we observed in our trial, its use should be quite selective and as a measure when an initial balloon angioplasty attempt fails to open up the artery, rather than as a routine strategy.” (afp)

In February, several of the experts wrote online posts for American Heart Month, with each including a mini-can of Coke or soda as a snack idea. The pieces — which appeared on nutrition blogs and other sites including those of major newspapers — offer a window into the many ways food companies work behind the scenes to cast their products in a positive light, often with the help of third parties who are seen as trusted authorities.

Ben Sheidler, a Coca-Cola spokes-man, compared the February posts to product placement deals a company might have with TV shows.

“We have a network of dieti-tians we work with,” said Sheidler, who declined to say how much the company pays experts. “Every big brand works with bloggers or has paid talent.”

Other companies including Kel-logg and General Mills have used strategies like providing continuing education classes for dietitians, funding studies that burnish the nutritional images of their products and offering newsletters for health experts. PepsiCo Inc. has also worked with dietitians who suggest its Frito-

Lay and Tostito chips in local TV segments on healthy eating. Others use nutrition experts in sponsored content; the American Pistachio Growers has quoted a dietitian for the New England Patriots in a piece on healthy snacks and recipes and Nestle has quoted its own executive in a post about infant nutrition.

For Coca-Cola Co., the public relations strategy with health experts in February focused on the theme of “Heart Health & Black History Month.” The effort yielded a radio segment and multiple online pieces.

One post refers to a “refreshing beverage option such as a mini can of Coca-Cola.” Another suggests “portion-controlled versions of your favorites, like Coca-Cola mini cans, packs of almonds or pre-portioned desserts for a meal.”

The focus on the smaller cans isn’t surprising. Sugary drinks have come under fire for fueling obesity rates and related ills, and the last time Coke’s annual U.S. soda volume increased was in 2002, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest. More recently, the company is pushing its mini-cans as a guilt-free way to enjoy cola. The

cans also fetch higher prices on a per ounce basis, so even if people are drinking less soda, Coke says it can grow sales.

In a statement, Coca-Cola said it wants to “help people make decisions that are right for them” and that like others in the industry, it works with health experts “to help bring context to the latest facts and science around our products and ingredients.” It said any communications by the experts it works with contain the appropriate disclosures.

Most of the pieces suggesting mini-Cokes say in the bios that the author is a “consultant” for food companies, including Coca-Cola. Some add that the ideas expressed are their own.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a professional group for di-etitians, says in its code of ethics that practitioners promote and endorse products “only in a manner that is not false and misleading.” A spokesman for the academy, Ryan O’Malley, said he couldn’t say whether the posts on mini-Cokes meet those guidelines because there is a formal process for submitting and reviewing such cases. (ap)

PARIS - People breastfed as infants have higher intelligence scores in adult-hood, and higher earnings, according to a study published Wednesday that tracked the development of 3,500 new-borns over 30 years.

And, critically, the socioeconomic status of mothers appeared to have little impact on breastfeeding results, accord-ing to a paper published by The Lancet medical journal.

“The effect of breastfeeding on brain development and child intelligence is well established,” lead author Bernardo Lessa Horta of the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil said in a statement.

What has been less clear, is whether the effects persist into adulthood, and whether a mother’s socioeconomic status or education level played a bigger role in the outcome of previous studies than her choice to breastfeed or not.

“Our study provides the first evi-dence that prolonged breastfeeding not only increases intelligence until at least the age of 30 years but also has an impact both at an individual and societal level by improving educational attain-ment and earning ability,” said Horta.

“What is unique about this study is the fact that, in the population we studied, breastfeeding was not more common among highly educated, high-income women, but was evenly distributed by social class.”

Horta and a team analysed data from another study of children born in Pelotas in 1982.

Information on breastfeeding was compared to IQ test results at the av-erage age of 30 years, as well as the educational achievement and income of 3,493 participants.

“The researchers divided these sub-jects into five groups based on the length of time they were breastfed as infants, controlling for 10 social and biological variables that might contribute to the IQ increase including family income at birth, parental schooling, genomic ancestry, maternal smoking during preg-nancy, maternal age, birthweight, and delivery type,” said the statement.

“While the study showed increased adult intelligence, longer schooling, and higher adult earnings at all duration lev-els of breastfeeding, the longer a child was breastfed for (up to 12 months), the greater the magnitude of the benefits.”

An individual breastfed for at least a year as a baby gained a full four IQ points, had 0.9 years more schooling, and an income of 341 Brazilian Re-als (98 euros, $104) higher per month at the age of 30, compared to those breastfed for less than one month, the study found.

“The likely mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of breast milk on intelligence is the presence of long-chain saturated fatty acids (DHAs) found in breast milk, which are essential for brain development,” said Horta.

“Our finding that predominant breast-feeding is positively related to IQ in adulthood also suggests that the amount of milk consumed plays a role.”

In a comment also carried by The Lancet, Erik Mortensen of the Univer-sity of Copenhagen said the findings had important public health implications.

“However, these findings need to be corroborated by future studies designed to focus on long-term effects and im-portant life outcomes associated with breastfeeding.” (afp)

Breastfeeding leads to higher IQ, earnings later

Blood clot removal boosts stroke risk in heart attack patients

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

This March 7, 2015 photo shows 8.5 ounce bottles of Coca-Cola at the Cadillac Champion-ship golf tournament in Doral, Fla. Coca-cola, which struggles with declining soda consumption in the U.S., is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its cola as a healthy treat.

Coke a good snack? Health experts who work with Coke say so

NEW YORK — Coca-Cola is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its soda as a treat at a time when the world’s biggest beverage maker is being blamed for help-ing to fuel obesity rates.

Their success is expected to in-spire other entrepreneurs, students, and the public, in general, so that they could become entrepreneurs on their own.

Since the launch of the Na-tional Entrepreneurship Movement (GKN) in 2011, the nation has been able to produce successful entrepreneurs.

“Many of them have become successful, and we hope that they can share their knowledge with en-trepreneur candidates,” he stated.

The ministry will promote entre-preneurship in universities across Indonesia and hopes that entrepre-neurship will help to reduce the unemployment rate.

In the meantime, more than one thousand people joined a series of activities organized to mark the National Entrepreneurship Move-ment (GKN) aimed at boosting the culture of entrepreneurship in the community.

“The GKN in Makassar is or-ganized at the Celebes Convention Center, Makassar, and has the par-ticipation of young entrepreneurs, and those interested in becoming

entrepreneurs,” Prakoso Budi Suse-tyo, the deputy-in-charge of human resource development of the Co-operatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry, stated during a telephonic conversation on Tuesday.

Cooperatives and SMEs Minis-ter A.A.G.N. Puspayoga officially flagged off the GKN activities in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The GKN activities included an integrated training on Coopera-tives Public Campaign attended by 450 people, a teleconference of entrepreneurship training attended by 400 participants, and a training on “Understanding Cooperatives for Apparatus” attended by 30 people.

The minister stated that trainings are important to improve the capac-ity of human resources engaged in SMEs, so that they can upgrade their businesses from micro to small-scale businesses and later to medium-scale businesses.

He also urged entrepreneurs to join cooperatives in order to estab-lish cooperation and develop their businesses. (ant)

DENPASAR — An American woman standing trial in Indonesia on a charge of murdering her mother gave birth to a girl Tuesday at a hospital on the resort island of Bali.

Heather Mack was admitted to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar about 1 p.m. and gave birth about six hours later, Kerobokan prison chief Sud-jonggo said.

One of her attorneys, Anthony Scifo, said Mack gave birth by cesar-ean and that she and the baby, named Stella, are healthy.

Mack, 19, and her boyfriend Tom-my Schaefer, 21, are being tried on charges of murdering Sheila von Wiese-Mack whose body was found in a suitcase on a taxi at a hotel last August. They face possible death by firing squad if found guilty.

According to Sudjonggo, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, prison rules would allow Mack to keep her baby with her at the prison until she is 2 years old. Mack has said she wants the baby to stay in Bali so she can visit her while in jail.

The hearings for the separate trials will be rescheduled pending Mack’s condition, said Hasoloan Sianturi, spokesman of the Denpasar District Court. Their trials are to resume March 24, when prosecutors would submit their sentencing demands.

Schaefer testified at Mack’s trial last week that he got angry at von Wiese-Mack because she used a racial slur against him and threatened the unborn baby. He also said the victim strangled him briefly and he struck her with a metal fruit bowl but didn’t remember how many times.

Mack testified that they panicked afterward and that she did not want her mother dead.

According to the indictment, Schaefer battered von Wiese-Mack following an argument over the hotel bill and Mack helped stuff her moth-er’s body into the suitcase by sitting on it to enable Schaefer to close it.

Prosecutors said Mack had sug-gested to Schaefer while they were in America that he hire someone for $50,000 to kill her mother. (ap)

ANTARA FOTO/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang

Cooperatives and SMEs Minister A.A.G.N. Puspayoga officially flagged off the GKN activities in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Min-istry will organize the Entrepreneurship Expo 2015 in Denpasar, Bali, on April 9-13, 2015.

Bali to host entrepreneurship expo in April

DENPASAR - The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry will organize the Entrepreneurship Expo 2015 in Denpasar, Bali, on April 9-13, 2015. “The expo will display products of successful entrepreneurs who have been able to enhance their capabilities, and it is expected to inspire other entrepreneurs,” the ministry’s deputy-in-charge of human resources, Prakoso Budi Susetyo, noted recently.

AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati, File

In this Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, Heather Mack of Chicago, Ill., sits in a courtroom during her trial hearing at the district court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. A prison official on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 that Mack has given birth to a girl at a Bali hospital.

Arrested US woman in Bali’s suitcase murder gives birth to a girl

International4 Thursday, March 19, 2015 Thursday, March 19, 2015 13InternationalBali News

Several thousand riot officers pursued what they said was a mi-nority of violence-minded activ-ists using the protest as cover. The bulk of demonstrators conducted themselves peacefully, marching in groups, drumming and singing ahead of a rally in the city’s main square. Some blocked bridges across the Main River or streets.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that “everyone has the right to criticize institutions like the ECB. But pure rioting goes beyond all limits in the battle for political opinion.” Hundreds of officers ringed the ECB. The inauguration ceremony took place as planned, with ECB President Mario Draghi thanking guests “for being here de-spite the difficult situation outside.” He said the new headquarters for the euro currency union’s central bank “is a symbol of what Europe

can achieve together.”Police said one officer was

injured by stones thrown near the city’s Alte Oper opera house, sev-eral private vehicles were burned overnight, and several police cars were set on fire at a police station in the city center. Another police vehicle smoldered a block from the ECB. The Blockupy alliance says activists sought to blockade the new headquarters and to disrupt what they term capitalist business as usual.

Some 10,000 people were ex-pected on Frankfurt’s main square, the Roemerberg. Participants were to include trade unions and Ger-many’s Left Party.

The ECB, along with the Eu-ropean Commission and Interna-tional Monetary Fund, is part of the so-called “troika” that monitors compliance with the conditions of

bailout loans for Greece and other financially troubled countries in Europe. Those conditions include spending cuts and reducing deficits, moves that are aimed at reducing debt but have also been blamed for high unemployment and slow growth.

Anti-austerity activists received a political boost when Greece’s left-wing Syriza party won elections there in January by campaigning against the bailout deal and its conditions, which they say has led to a “humanitarian crisis.” Refusal of the conditions, however, has led to the withholding of further aid and the possibility of a chaotic debt default by the government.

Draghi has called for more spending by governments that are in good financial shape, such as Ger-many — a call that has been mostly ignored by elected officials. (ap)

YANGON — The knock at the door of her family’s home came without warning in the dead of night, just as it always did during Myanmar’s long era of military rule. Outside, a group of govern-ment officials announced they had come to verify who was living there, citing a law that empowers the state to enter private homes any time they wish. When the woman opened the door, they hauled her son away.

Such intrusions, known here as “midnight inspections,” have declined dramatically since Myan-mar’s army ceded some power in 2011 and opened the country as never before. But the law that fa-cilitates them is still on the books and being employed to suppress dissent. It’s just one facet of the massive power the military con-tinues to wield here despite the country’s much-touted transition from junta rule.

“They knocked on the door saying they needed to conduct a midnight inspection, but when we opened it, they took my son,” the distraught mother said of the 1 a.m. visit last week. The woman spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared both for her safety and that of her son.

Several of those detained recent-ly had been deemed sympathetic to students whose protests against a new education law were brutally crushed by police this month. The night the woman’s son was taken into custody, The Associated Press documented three other inspections that ended with student activists being detained.

The legislation allowing “mid-night inspections,” known as the “Ward or Village Tract Adminis-tration Law,” has been on Myan-mar’s books for nearly a century, since British colonial times. It was adopted by successive military

juntas, which used it to monitor political opponents and restricting their movements, helping smother pro-democracy uprisings in 1988 and 2007.

The law requires families to obtain permission from the state to host guests in their own homes, in some cases every three days, regardless of how long the visitors are staying. People who rent their homes are also considered “guests,” as are squatters who have built dwellings on land they don’t own.

In the impoverished Yangon neighborhood of Dala, residents say administrators drive around on rickshaws equipped with speakers reminding people to register guests or “face charges according to the law.” Violations are punishable by seven-day jail terms and fines of about $50.

The law gives administrators the right to examine “the places needed” to ensure compliance, paving the way for “midnight inspections.” This grants local of-ficials “almost boundless authority” over their subjects, according to the Bangkok-based advocacy group Fortify Rights, which is releasing a report called “Midnight Intrusions” Thursday urging the government to dismantle the law.

The group says the law “repre-sents a systematic and nationwide breach of privacy” that has been used to obstruct public gatherings and stymie political activists, some of whom have sometimes been refused permission to host guests for training workshops.

“It’s a remnant of authoritarian rule that’s still being used to control the population,” Fortify’s executive director Matthew Smith told The Associated Press. He said he fears that as Myanmar moves toward elections expected later this year, “we’re going to see this imple-mented more and more.” (ap)

AP Photo/dpa, Andreas Arnold

A demonstrator stands on a toppled trash bin in front of the European Central Bank next to a burning barrier in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

Police cars burn at anti-austerity

protest in GermanyFRANKFURT — At least four police cars were set alight and two officers injured Wednesday

as authorities confronted anti-austerity protesters trying to blockade the inauguration ceremony for the European Central Bank’s new headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Police said 350 people were detained. Protesters are targeting the central bank because of the its role in supervising efforts to restrain spending and reduce debt in financially troubled countries such as Greece.

Myanmar ‘midnight inspections’ show

military still powerful

AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe

In this Monday, March 16, 2015 photo, Myo Myo Lwin, left, sits while her mother Htwe Yi stands by a door at their home in Dala, suburbs of Yangon, Myanmar.

One incense maker from Jehem Kelod, Tem-buku, Bangli, named Jro Mangku Eko Astana, said that on average the demand for his incense has risen by 20 percent. “Before Nyepi, sales of incense increases by an average of 20 percent compared to non-holydays,” he said.

Astana who has been in this business for 12 years, said that the increase in the demand for incense has been going on for about a month. His orders even come from outside of the region of the Bangli.

He said that currently his incense has wide va-riety of scents based on consumer demands. There include aromatherapy scents like sandalwood, cinnamon, and spices. The type of incense most sought-after is the herbal type of incense because it is considered very safe for health compared to perfumed incense. “The demand for herbal incense has increased because the smell is softer and safer for health,” he said.

His sales have also shown an increase but Astana claims that it has not been huge, because the majority of people from the Hindu commu-nity in Bangli tend to purchase incense every two weeks or even once a month, for their daily ritual needs. Nevertheless, Astama revealed that his marketing is focused on working through agents. “The increase is not too high and I market it through agents,” he said.

Despite the increase in demand, he has not increased the price of his incense. The selling price varies depending on the scent and size. Each bundle of incense is sold for between IDR 55,000 and IDR 90,000. “The price depends on the type and size” he explained.

Some incense merchants at the Kidul Market Bangli noted that the demand for fragrant incense has increased over the last few days. But the increase is not so significant, at about 25 percent more than the week before. “The demand for incens started to rise last week because of the upcoming Nyepi celebrations,” said Nengah Supadmi, an incense seller.

Though the demand has increased, the price of incense has not increased. The average price for his incense is set at between IDR 35,000 and IDR 90,000 per bundle. In addition to selling incense in bundles, he also sells incense by the kilogram. “The price varies depending on the type and size,” he said. (kmb45)

MANGUPURA - The Badung Industry and Trade Agency con-ducted site inspections on Mon-day (Mar. 16), meant to provide guidance for and control of the circulation of alcohol, by dissemi-nating the ministerial regulation regarding the trading of alcohol in minimarkets in Badung.

The Head of the Badung In-dustry and Trade Agency, I Ketut Karpiana, accompanied by the Division Head of Business and Company Registration, I Nyoman Bagiarta -during the coaching and information dissemination ses-sions, explained that the prohibi-

tion of selling liquor in minimar-kets and other retailers, according to amendments to the the regula-tions, would allow the trading of alcohol to go on no later than April 16, 2015 after which time they would be required to withdraw category “A” liquor products from shops in Badung.

Category “A” liquor products, as defined in the regulation are beverages with alcoholic content below 5 percent such as beer, which will only be sold at locations associated with tourism such as hotels, bars and restaurants. Other than tourist places, the supermar-

kets that will be allowed to sell cat-egory “A” liquor are hypermarkets -not mini market.

“In this case, the classifica-tion of ‘hypermarket’ is assigned to those who have obtained a Certificate of Alcohol Retailers (SKPA) for category “A” liquor and that meet the applicable requirements, otherwise the sale of category “A” liquor is prohib-ited” he said.

Apparently, Karpiana’s party also came down with a team con-sisting of members of the Tourism Office and Economic Section. With the issuance of the Minister of

Trade regulation No. 06/M-DAG/PER/I/2015 on the Control and Supervision against Procurement, Distribution and Sales of Liquor, the government of Badung made the oversight. This regulation re-vised the previous one No. 20/M-DAG/PER/4/2014.

Previously minimarkets were allowed to sell alcoholic beverages with alcoholic content below five percent, but after the issuance of the regulation by the Minister of Trade on liquor, even these bever-ages are now prohibited. “If there are any shop owners or sellers of liquor that are still selling it with-

out regards for the regulation, their business license will be revoked,” he said.

The Badung Industry and Trade Agency itself provided guidance and supervision on liquor and dis-seminated a circular to minimar-kets, shops and retailers about the prohibition.

On the occasion of the crack-down, the team targeted minimar-kets at Padang Luwih including In-domaret, Alfamart and Jaya Kerti, while at Kerobokan it targeted the Pepito, Mini Mart, Circle K and Warung Pepe on Jalan Dewi Sri Kuta. (kmb27)

IBP/Sosiawan

The incense makers are working to fulfil the orders from customers.

Incense makers get blessed by Nyepi

Badung Trade Agency inspects circulation of alcohol

BANGLI - The Holy day of Nyepi, cel-ebrated by Hindus on March 21, has been a blessing for incense producers and traders. Over the past few weeks, the demand for incense- used in rituals, has increased.

Bali News Thursday, March 19, 2015 5InternationalThursday, March 19, 201512 International

BUSINESS

PeoPle commonly knows about the meaning and values behind brata

penyepian (Nyepi fasting) as a part of Hindu’s teach-

ing and one Balinese unique tradition. In its development there is suggestion to make

that tradition as part of tour-ism attraction. Now, people want it as the method to be applied and seen as some-

thing important in the global environment.

There were some psychologi-cal problems surrounding Nyepi celebration. Supports did not come from those who did not involve in these priorities. Fortunately, it came at last after the positive appreciation spread, having its approach added or changed so global priorities.

These global priorities are part of the ongoing aspects that introduc-

ing and socializing the meaning of Nyepi with new approaches will let others acknowledge the use of having it in preserving the envi-ronment.

Nyepi was introduced to the na-tion and international not for Bali’s tourism priorities but for wider im-portance, global itself, for ongoing development. Nyepi from global perspective can still be assessed such as environmental pollution.

In this context, the Head of Indonesia Delegation for Climate Change Summit Conference year 2007 in Nusa Dua, Emil Salim, revealed that Nyepi has a great contribution in decreasing CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emission not only in Bali and not only for a day and night but its positive affect spreads and for that it is understand-able if other conference attendees were amazed with the film about Nyepi in Bali. They were amazed remembering this conference was

about the reflection of the world’s complaint against global warming as the earth’s surface temperature kept going up with carbon dioxide and other gasses or green house gasses kept covering earth, keep-ing heat.

This approach should be devel-oped and has a wider appreciation regarding brata penyepian which is not only in order to appreciate cer-tain religion and for Bali’s tourism, but it’s for everyone, a universal pri-ority and for the future. Bali is rich with universal characteristic spirits, so to introduce Nyepi doesn’t need a religious approach such as spirit in agriculture or subak (irrigation) system, tumpek kandang ceremony for environment preservation which is part of traditional spirit which amazed others as it has universal meaning. Other than that would be Nyepi itself, kawitan (ances-tors), banjar, desa pakraman (tra-ditional villages), sekaa (groups)

and more.Those spirits are not only devel-

op and unite to make the dreamed Bali, Bali Dwipajaya, but also to actualize in finding balance and in developing the diversity in the island. For example Bali traditional spirit teach us to build a building not just for owner’s need but also for the environment. Yet its height parameter is not “not allowed to be higher than a coconut tree” but it’s “not more than 15 meters”.

These spirits couldn’t be applied if the are facing globalization which is now surrounding the world. Agri-culture sector with its subak system seems no longer seen its role when the international world hit by food crisis. On the other hand, the affect of higher commodity agriculture price in international market is not affected the local farmers. Also when soya beans price and others are being played by overseas trad-ers, the local entrepreneurs couldn’t

fight back. This shows that all this time we haven’t fully actualize these spirits that is developing be-neath the people and so the balance point in diversity hasn’t been found. Moreover those universal meaning-ful spirits starts to go away.

The analogue with Nyepi is the Tri Hita Karana (three human harmonic connection with God, human and environment). Tri Hita Karana has universal values in the concept and implementation of not separating races, generations and religions. For that reason, in the process to approach and socialize it to national and international, Tri Hita Karana not only should be a philosophy that comes from certain religion but also to be understood as a concept with universal values. So, in explaining Tri Hita Karana academically based on ratio and general logic, as started all this time it needs to be sharpen and developed further. (kmb)

Such condition is felt by one of the famous craftsmen at Kamasan village, Made Sugandi. When met at his factory recently, the demand for metal and silver products like perforated coin and other perforated-coin-based crafts remains high. This condition triggers the development of similar business for the people of Kamasan village. Sugandi him-self admitted to be overwhelmed to accept the orders by employing 12 workers. Actually he has added some workers from Java, but this owner of Bali Koin Antik business at Kamasan is still overwhelmed.

He produces some kinds of perforated coins such as the pan-cadatu with lotus and lotus script motif, kuci or the so-called female money, coin with puppet characters and many other types. “Among the existing types, the most sought-after type is the pancadatu because Bali-nese community needs it for Hindu religious ceremony,” said Sugandi. For perforated coin industry, an-other problem also comes from Java. Competition against similar industry in Java becomes more se-vere. Admittedly, the perforated coin produced in Java is commonly sold at very cheap price in Bali.

Perforated coin produced in Java is sold for IDR 300,000 per thousand

pieces. Meanwhile, local perforated coin of Kamasan is sold at least for IDR 450,000 per thousand pieces. “The price offered at Kamasan has been very low in terms of the mate-rials we use because the perforated coin industry does not only talk about business, but also about holy sacrifice,” said Sugandi.

Every day he admitted to pro-duce thousands of coins. Ideally, he needs 40 workers. Unfortunately, the local labor at Kamasan village is rarely willing to get involved in the business. Labor need of that amount is also following the new craft product business whose order starts flooding.

Other than perforated coin, the Bali Antik Koin itself also devel-ops some other products such as decorative lighting, carved furniture as well as craft for hotel and villa component. These new products have been flooded with orders from hotels in Indonesia having chain overseas. “Now, these products re-ceive the largest number of orders. Unfortunately, we have trouble in obtaining workers,” said the son of Sugandi, I Made Hendra Prasetya who continues his father’s business. Now, he is working to find additional local workers to meet the labor needs of his business. (kmb31)

Nyepi, part of global environment priorities

IBP/Bagiartha

Blacksmith and silversmith at Kamasan village have continued to evolve lately. They persis-tently innovate to create new products that can compete against local craftsmen and those from outside Bali. However, when the orders start to increase, they even face a shortage of labor to fulfill the orders of customers.

Many orders, craftsmen at Kamasan lack workers

SeMARAPURA - Blacksmith and silversmith at Kamasan village have continued to evolve lately. They persistently in-novate to create new products that can compete against local craftsmen and those from outside Bali. However, when the orders start to increase, they even face a shortage of labor to fulfill the orders of customers.

Housing, manufacturing and consumer spending — the U.S. economy’s main driver — have been tepid of late. The pace of home building plunged in Febru-ary. Factory output is slowing as a rising dollar makes U.S. goods

costlier overseas and weakens exports. And retail sales remain sluggish, with Americans spend-ing less at stores and restaurants last month.

The main engine of strength has been the U.S. job market. Employ-

ers have added more than 200,000 jobs for 12 straight months, and unemployment has reached a sev-en-year low of 5.5 percent, a rate typical of a healthy job market.

Yet annual wage growth remains stuck at 2 percent, a level that can’t

support robust gains in consumer spending and home purchases. Recently announced pay increases by Wal-Mart, the Gap and other retailers have been modest and have yet to circulate through the economy. It’s hardly surprising, then, that critical pieces of the economy remain troubled almost six years into the recovery from the worst financial catastrophe since the Great Depression.

“We’re not in an economy that is fully firing on all cylinders,” said Gregory Daco, an analyst at Oxford Economics. “Wage growth is still hesitant, and that has been the key element holding back the recovery.”

Many economists blame, in part, snowstorms and freezing temperatures for the economy’s lackluster winter. Their theory will be tested as spring arrives. If the economy fails to pick up, it may lack the vigor that Fed officials want to see before raising their key short-term rate from a record low near zero, where it’s remained since 2008.

On Wednesday, after the Fed ends a policy meeting, it’s ex-pected to drop the word “patient” from a statement describing its outlook for a rate increase. That would signal its intent to link an eventual rate increase solely to the most recent economic data and not to a preset timetable.

Many investors expect a rate hike as early as June. But an in-crease that soon might require the economy to accelerate in the next few months — and possibly for un-usually low inflation to rise closer to the Fed’s 2 percent target rate.

“The picture is a little muddied right now,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan Chase. “The more data we get, the more

we will know.”Recent economic reports have

led some analysts to downgrade their outlook for growth in the first three months of 2015. The forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers projects growth an an-nualized rate of just 1.6 percent in the first quarter, down sharply from 2.2 percent in the final three months of 2014 and from a gallop-ing 4.8 percent rate over the spring and summer.

Weather has previously derailed the economy. In January 2014, the “polar vortex” was enough to cause the economy to shrink during that year’s first quarter. This time, winter storms struck mainly in February, blanketing much of the Atlantic seaboard in snow drifts and ice.

On Tuesday, the government said the pace of housing starts plum-meted 17 percent in February from January’s rate. Home construction slid 56.5 percent in the Northeast and 37 percent in the Midwest, the two regions that endured the brunt of the winter storms.

But sales also fell 18.2 percent in the West and 2.5 percent in the South, evidence that steady job growth, cheaper energy and rela-tively low mortgage rates have yet to spur much construction.

Lower gasoline prices have yet to spark more consumer spending. Instead, many Americans appear to be repaying debt and pocketing their gains, with the savings rate reaching its highest level in nearly two years.

Auto production has also slowed and is holding down overall fac-tory output. Economists say ad-ditional consumer spending would be needed for factories to ramp up production. (ap)

SINGAPoRe - Oil prices ex-tended their losses in Asia Wednes-day to new six-year lows on expec-tations US crude stockpiles will rise further, in a market already awash with supplies, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas In-termediate for April delivery eased 83 cents to $42.63 in afternoon trade, the lowest level since March

2009.Brent crude for May fell 14 cents

to $53.37 a barrel.“We expect the US stockpiles

to increase further and this will exacerbate the market’s supply concerns,” said David Lennox, a resource analyst with Fat Prophets in Sydney.

A Bloomberg News survey

showed US crude stockpiles are expected to have increased by 3.3 million barrels to another record 452.2 million in the week ending March 13.

The US Energy Information Administration will release the final figure later Wednesday.

US stockpiles have risen for nine weeks in a row, each time touching

a record, helping push prices lower in a market already weighed down by a supply glut after the OPEC oil cartel decided in November to maintain elevated output levels.

World oil prices have collapsed by about 60 percent since June as supply outpaces demand.

Lennox said the gloomy market outlook will only shift if the Orga-

nization of the Petroleum Export-ing Countries (OPEC) -- which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries -- decides to slash production.

“At the moment we are keeping our eyes on OPEC,” he said, add-ing: “They have a meeting in June and we are hopeful they will decide to cut production.” (afp)

Oil prices extend losses in Asia

AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

In this Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, a television screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows the decision of the Federal Reserve. The prospect of the first hike in almost a decade is shaking up financial markets. Fed policy makers will meet this week and investors will be watching for clues whether they are considering lifting their rates.

As Fed weighs a rate hike, US economy is looking a bit paler

WASHINGToN — Just as the Federal Reserve seems to be inching toward an interest rate hike because of the strengthening U.S. job market, its task is getting more complicated: Several key sectors of the economy are flashing some signs of weakness.

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Thursday, March 19, 2015 6 11International International

From page 1

INDONESIAW RLD

Flight QZ8501 went down in stormy weather during what was supposed to be a short trip from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore on December 28, killing all 162 people on board.

The crash of the Airbus A320-200 into the Java Sea sparked a huge international hunt, with ships and aircraft from several nations scouring the sea for the plane wreckage and the victims.

The search was scaled back dra-matically in recent weeks, with foreign vessels withdrawing as well as the In-donesian military, which had provided the bulk of personnel and equipment.

Indonesia’s civilian search and rescue agency had continued the hunt, but on a smaller scale and their teams were only occasionally finding more bodies and wreckage.

S.B. Supriyadi, the search agency official coordinating the effort, told AFP that the search would “end completely”

on Tuesday and that the vessels still involved would pull out.

“All four ships will return to Jakarta tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” he said.

The total number of victims found stood at 106, he said. Search teams last found more bodies on Saturday, when three were discovered under some wreckage, he added.

The last major part of the fuselage that could be recovered was pulled from the sea last month.

The decision to end the hunt came after AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes sig-nalled last week that operations were drawing to a close.

The chief of the Malaysian low-cost airline said that the operation had been “successful” but added that it could not “go on indefinitely”.

“There is a time period and we’ve agreed with the families that this is obviously not something that can go on

indefinitely,” he said.“But it’s important for us that the

families agreed on this and that’s why I give them credit that they didn’t keep insisting that we go on forever.”

The Indonesian National Transporta-tion Safety Committee has so far shed little light on what caused the flight to crash, or what occurred in the moments before the tragedy.

It has reported that the plane climbed rapidly in an area of towering storm clouds before crashing, and that the co-pilot was at the controls, rather than the more experienced pilot, in the moments before the accident.

The plane’s black box flight data recorders have been recovered, which will provide vital clues as investiga-tors seek to figure out what caused the crash.

Indonesia will release the final report into the crash by August, the transport minister told AFP last month. (afp)

JAKARTA - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Molucca Sea on Wednesday, the US Geologi-cal Survey said, but no tsunami alert was issued and there were no reports of damage.

The quake struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles), 134 kilometres northwest of Kota Ternate at 2212 GMT Tuesday, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.

Hendra Rahman, an official from Indonesia’s meteorol-ogy, climatology and geophysics agency, said the quake was felt moderately in Manado, on Sulawesi island, and on the island of Ternate.

But he added there had been no reports of damage. Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where

continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

A huge undersea quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, on western Sumatra island, and tens of thousands more in other countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean. (afp)

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s central bank (BI) held its key interest rate steady on Tuesday as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy seeks to support the rapidly weakening rupiah, following an unexpected cut in February.

Bank Indonesia’s board of governors kept the rate at 7.50 percent, as expected.

Last month the bank surprised markets with a 25-basis-point cut, the first reduction in the rate for three years, as policymakers sought to boost the slowing economy.

But after the move helped to drive the rupiah to a 17-year low, Indonesia’s central bank decided to stand pat Tuesday, bucking the trend among other Asian countries that have recently slashed their borrowing costs.

Following the decision, the rupiah strengthened 0.6 percent to 13,165 against the dollar -- the biggest gain in almost eight weeks, according to Bloomberg News.

Bank Indonesia spokesman Tirta Segara told reporters the decision was also in line with the bank’s efforts to keep inflation in check and rein in a stubborn current-account deficit.

Inflation has been easing in recent months, and slowed to 6.29 percent year-on-year in February, but remains above the bank’s target range.

However, economists indicated that further cuts may be on the horizon to spur economic growth, which sank to a five-year low in 2014.

“Looking ahead, it is unlikely to be long before BI (Bank Indonesia) follows up February’s cut by loosen-ing monetary policy again,” said Gareth Leather, Asia economist from Capital Economics.

“There are indications that the central bank is becom-ing more concerned about the outlook for growth.”

President Joko Widodo has set a growth target for this year of 5.7 percent. (afp)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside/Files

A section of the tail of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passenger plane is seen on the deck of the rescue ship Crest Onyx, a day after it was lifted from the seabed, as crew try to lift it off the ship in Kumai Port, near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan in this January 11, 2015 file photo.

6.6 earthquake hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert

BI holds interest rate at 7.5% to support rupiahSAR calls off

AirAsia searchJAKARTA - Indonesian search and rescue (SAR) teams were Tuesday ending the hunt for victims from

last year’s AirAsia plane crash, an official said, with 56 people still unaccounted for.

“There is no certainty that the President of Indonesia will revoke Presidential Regulation No.51/2014. In other words, the people of Bali are orphaned be-cause their “parents”, that is, the legislative and executive branches of the Bali House of representa-tives, as decision makers and those who speak from the local level to the central government, are not providing any certainty one way or another,” he said.

Anom added that people should

be getting certain answers regarding the simplest of questions such as: will the reclamation project result in floods such as those that have occurred on the reclaimed beaches in Jakarta? “Moreover, the carrying capacity of South Bali has already exceeded the threshold of sustain-ability and unfair competition is occurring in the business sector, especially in the accommodation business, not to mention many other issues that have yet to be resolved,” he concluded. (kmb32)

Chairman...

With nearly all votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 out of parliament’s 120 seats and was in a position to build with relative ease a coalition govern-ment with its nationalist, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies. Such a government would likely put Israel at odds with the interna-tional community over settlement construction and its opposition to Palestinian statehood, and continue clashing with the White House over hard-line policies.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has governed the country for the past six years. Recent opinion polls indicated he was in trouble, giv-ing chief rival Isaac Herzog of the opposition Zionist Union a slight lead. Exit polls Tuesday showed the two sides deadlocked but once the actual results came pouring in early Wednesday, Likud soared forward. Zionist Union wound up with just 24 seats.

Given the final results, it is all but assured that Israel’s largely cer-

emonial President Reuven Rivlin will task Netanyahu with forming a new government. Netanyahu says he hopes to do so quickly, within two to three weeks.

“Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud,” Netan-yahu told supporters at his election night headquarters, declaring vic-tory even before final results were known. “I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish be-tween what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important.”

Netanyahu focused his cam-paign primarily on security is-sues, while his opponents instead pledged to address the country’s high cost of living and accused the leader of being out of touch with everyday people. Netanyahu will likely look to battle that image now by adding to his government Moshe Kahlon, whose upstart Ku-lanu party captured 10 seats with a campaign focused almost entirely on bread-and-butter economic

issues. Kahlon is expected to be-come the country’s next finance minister.

A union of four largely Arab-backed factions became Israel’s third largest party — with 14 seats — and gave Israel’s Arab minority significant leverage in parliament for the first time. Ten parties in all made it into parliament.

Herzog, who appeared poised only days ago to stage a coup, conceded defeat, saying he called Netanyahu and offered him con-gratulations. He signaled that he would not join forces with Netan-yahu and would rather head to the opposition.

“I think that at this moment what Israel needs most of all is another voice, a voice that offers an alternative and a voice that tells it the truth,” he said outside his Tel Aviv home.

Netanyahu’s return to power for a fourth term likely spells trouble for Mideast peace efforts and could further escalate tensions with the United States. (ap)

TAIPEI — Youth groups in Tai-wan are marking the anniversary of a movement that occupied the island’s parliament and scuttled the ratification of a trade pact with China, Taiwan’s biggest trading partner and erstwhile political foe. A rally outside parliament Wednesday evening followed by an overnight event Sunday will draw new attention to what has become known as the Sunflower Movement, which handed Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou his toughest crisis since taking office in 2008.

Stung by the occupy movement and tens of thousands of sympathy protesters, Ma’s Nationalist Party lost nine local elections in November, prompting him to resign as party head.

Protests last year also dealt a blow to Taiwan’s relations with China, which have improved during Ma’s term but remain tense because of Beijing’s desire to have the island unify with the mainland. Beijing has claimed Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, but Taiwanese prize their democratic self-rule.

Relations between Taipei and Beijing have changed little since last year’s protests, with no new deals reached between the two sides, chill-

ing Taiwan’s economic expansion. Ma’s government has kept quiet on China since the local election losses as the party gears up for the January 2016 presidential election, which may be decided in part by voters who want more distance from China.

“The government people are cau-tious because there’s so much that could go wrong when it comes to China,” said Ross Feingold, senior adviser with U.S.-based consultancy firm D.C. International Advisory. “If an agreement is on the table, some-body is going to criticize it.”

The Nationalists’ chief opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party, advocates more restraint in negotiating with China, playing to the ideals of the Sunflower Movement protesters.

On the night of March 17, 2014, several hundred people, apparently led by university students, entered the parliament’s normally guarded assembly hall in central Taipei to stop a proposed fast-track ratification of a Taiwan-China service trade liber-alization pact. The pact was signed in 2013 and would open markets to 144 sectors, including finance. Parliament has not ratified the trade deal, irking China as well as Ma’s government. (ap)

AP Photo/Dan Balilty

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets supporters at the party’s election headquar-ters In Tel Aviv. Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Exit polls from Israel’s national elections showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party nearly deadlocked with Isaac Herzog’s center-left Zionist Union.

Netanyahu’s Likud surges to stunning Israeli election win

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party scored a resounding victory in the country’s election, final results showed Wednesday, a stunning turnaround after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy.

AP Photo/Wally Santana, File

FIE - In this April 7, 2014 file photo, students occupying the Parliament floor line up in protest against a trade pact with China in Taipei, Taiwan.

Taiwan youth mark anniversary of occupy parliament movement

Thursday, March 19, 2015 7SportsThursday, March 19, 201510 InternationalInternationalDestination

**New Italian Dinning RestUrg.Req:CDP,Cook,Jun.Sous Chef

Captain,Runner,BartenderGreat Salary!! Drop CV to:

Warisan-Illido Latest 23Mar 15Jl.Raya Kerobokan No.38

A.BP.001.03.15.0002895

Chef Wanted Brawa Cafe,WesternFood: info@aquartersbali.com

A.BP.153.03.15.0002857

Looking for Female AssistantOffice manager for Int’l

Property agency in Seminyak.Good English Spoken&Written isa must,computer skill.Send CV&

Recent Photo to ebenyamin@exotiq.com or Call 081916643345

A.BP.001.03.15.0002854

AMLAPURA - On the road from Padang Bay to Amedin Karan-gasem regency, any travelers would be amazed by the natural setting of the Northeast of Bali made of series

of coastal landscapes crisscrossed with rows of palm trees and rice paddies. But do they know that 15min North of Candidasa, when Mount Agung starts revealing itsshapesstands Jasri, a communi-ty-based tourism village eager to introduce its natural beauty and its home industries?

Jasri is a great example of how community-driven tourism can bring long-term benefits to rural

economiesremote from Bali tour-ism hotspots.The story started in 2011, when a group of villagers, confident into Jasri tourism poten-tial createdJasri Tourism Village committee. Today,WayanParusa, one of itsfervent member is proud of the progress. As an evidence, Jasri was rewarded Indonesia’s best tourism villagein 2013 due in part to a wide range of quality activities operated in line with the community

based tourism principle. The lucky guests may enjoyrice fieldstrek-king, cycling tours, introduction to the village culture and visit of local industries (chocolate factory, black-smith, pottery). Jasri also offers great deals for surfing and fishing. All above activities are eco-friendly and available individually or in 8 differentpackagesincluding one or two nights in a localhomestay.

Enjoying a freshly-cooked

breakfast in the morning, helping for cooking the lunch or prepar-ing the offerings in the Bale, this is without doubt the best option for people eager to learn about Balinesecultureand unique tradi-tions of Jasri like the fire fight(or Terteran). If you feel as a family member leaving one the seven comfortable homestays, Jasri tourism village’s wish will come true. (kmb)

IBP/File Photo

Jasri

So I think the answer to whether Red Bull’s threat is serious prob-ably depends more on the ultimate marketing value of Formula 1 to the parent company than how well its racing team does on the circuit. The more popular the sport, the greater the value.

But it has made a massive invest-ment in its race team, plus a huge financial commitment to revive the Austrian Grand Prix (one of the most popular events on the calendar last season), so it would be throwing away a lot if it pulled out now.

Remember that Red Bull en-dured a poor pre-season last year, but recovered to win three races. There are another 19 to go (if Ger-many happens) this year, so plenty of time to sort things out. Honestly, this sounds more like the Ferrari-style politicking of early 2014: ‘change the rules or we’ll quit’. Unlikely I feel...

EDD STRAW (@eddstrawF1): To a point, it should be taken seri-ously. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s any need for the sport to respond to it.

After all, talk is cheap and F1 does currently work for Red Bull commercially, especially with the FOM money and sponsorship deals the team has ensuring that the par-ent company is only bankrolling part of the operation. Red Bull’s real problem is Renault. That and the fact it has produced a car that, right now, is barely faster than a Toro Rosso.

The implementation of equiva-lency measures is not going to change the fact that driveability is poor and reliability question-able.

A political game is being played, and Red Bull does wield significant power given it currently owns 20 per cent of the grid. But there will always be at least one grandee team struggling. It would be a slippery slope to acquiesce even though the quit threat cannot be dismissed out of hand.

If F1 works for Red Bull com-mercially, then the quit threat is largely empty. But if Dietrich Mate-schtiz feels he can pull the plug and spend the money elsewhere without

compromising the brand, that is when things become more serious.

LAWRENCE BARRETTO (@lawrobarretto): Red Bull is not the first team to threaten to quit Formula 1 - and it won’t be the last. In 2009, then Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the sport’s most famous team would leave if a proposed budget cap was imposed.

And before that Enzo Ferrari often issued a threat when things didn’t go his team’s way. But guess what? The Scuderia is still here. There’s no doubt Formula 1 would be worse off without Red Bull because it’s such a big brand and has been one of the sport’s leading teams in recent years. But if it does follow through with its threat, the sport will survive.

Big manufacturers like Toyota and BMW have come and gone while Honda returned as an engine supplier this year after quitting the sport at the end of 2008 after a dire stint as a works team. Teams need Formula 1 more than Formula 1 needs them. (net)

NEW YORK — Alexey Shved scored 21 points and made the key defensive play in overtime as the last-place New York Knicks beat the defending champion San An-tonio Spurs 104-100 in the NBA on Tuesday. Rookie Langston Gal-loway had a career-high 22 points for the Knicks, who held the Spurs to just one basket in overtime. Lou Amundson finished with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds while playing tough against Tim Duncan.

Tony Parker scored 21 points for the Spurs and made their only basket in OT, 16 seconds into the period. They managed just two free throws from there to lose for the second time in nine games. “We didn’t respect the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We didn’t respect our opponent. It was a pathetic performance, and I hope every player is embarrassed. Not because we’re supposed to win the game, quote unquote, but it’s about how you play the game.”

Elsewhere, New Orleans pulled

even with Oklahoma City in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with an 85-84 win over Milwaukee.

Anthony Davis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans. He hit only 6 of 18 shots, but hit a clutch 15-footer that gave New Orleans an 85-82 lead with 1:07 left. Quincy Pondexter hit five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for New Orleans, while Omer Asik had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Clippers and Rockets also kept pace in the competitive West-ern Conference with victories on Tuesday. Los Angeles withstood a late Charlotte rally to beat the Hor-nets 99-92. J.J. Redick scored 23 points and Chris Paul had 20 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who led 63-41 in the third quarter before Charlotte rallied within a point in the final period. Blake Grif-fin had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who were coming off back-to-back losses to Dallas and Houston. (ap)

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

New York Knicks’ Alexey Shved (1) drives past San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) and Tim Duncan (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in New York.

Last-place Knicks surprise defending

champion Spurs 104-100

REUTERS/Jason Reed

Red Bull Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia drives during the Australian F1 Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne March 15, 2015.

Should Red Bull’s threat to quit be taken seriously?

ShOULd Red Bull’s threat to quit Formula 1 be taken seriously, or is it just spitting the dummy out after a poor first race? BEN ANDERSON (@BenAndersonAuto): If Red Bull feels Formula 1 is a busted flush as far as popular interest is concerned then it will undoubtedly pull the plug.

Place Your Add HereIt is for Job Vacancy, Property, Selling or Buying

Please contact Gugiek : 08123840500Eka : 081338519538

CLASSIFIELDS

98 InternationalThursday, March 19, 2015 International Thursday, March 19, 2015

Sp rt

Their former striker Charlie Nicho-las, had no doubt why they lost a tie most people thought they were going to win easily. “When they have noth-ing to lose, they can go for it,” said Nicholas, who spent four years at Arsenal in the 1980s.

“But they need to start turning up when the pressure is on them. That’s why they don’t win big football matches domestically. That’s why they have been put out against Mo-naco. “They have all the class and their ability is as good as anyone else. They are probably second only to Barcelona playing fluent football, but they only play when the pressure is off,” he told Sky Sports.

The odds were stacked against Arsenal going into the game. The last team to overturn a two-goal deficit from a first leg home defeat and advance in UEFA’s top competition was Ajax Amsterdam who overcame Benfica in 1969.

No team have done it in the Cham-pions League era but Arsenal came close as goals from Olivier Giroud and substitute Aaron Ramsey took them close. They out-played Monaco for long periods and although they ended as the moral victors it was a familiar tale of them falling just short again.

Angry Arsenal fans called a radio phone-in afterwards and blamed man-ager Arsene Wenger for the failure and

many said the team would never win the Champions League or a major honour while he was in charge. But the reality is somewhat different.

Arsenal are currently third in the Premier League after winning eight of their last nine league matches, and are favourites to retain the FA Cup with a semi-final next month against Championship side Reading.

Skipper Per Mertesacker attempted to keep things in perspective, saying: “We have a lot of confidence for the FA Cup and the League because we have done well in recent weeks. “We were outstanding today and if we go on like that we have a great chance of qualifying again next season.” (rtr)

BARCELONA - Atletico Madrid showed their typical battling spirit to edge out Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday but last year’s Champions League finalists will be mighty relieved to have advanced to the last eight after once more failing to sparkle in attack. The joy of Atletico’s first penalty shootout triumph in Europe will diminish once the dust settles on a narrow victory that did little to suggest they had rediscovered a cutting edge up front.

Midfielder Mario Suarez’s first half effort was the only goal either team could muster at the Calderon, his goal levelling up the tie after Diego Simeone’s side had lost 1-0 away in Germany. It was a scrappy match in which Leverkusen failed to take several chances of their own before Suarez’s decisive interven-tion.

Atletico improved as they game progressed but only managed to put the visitors under any sustained pressure towards the end of normal time. Mario Mandzukic was re-stored to the starting lineup, having been relegated to the bench for two games as well as missing the 0-0 draw with Espanyol in La Liga last weekend through suspension.

However, he failed to provide

the solution for a faltering Atletico attack that has now scored just two goals in the last five games in all competitions. The run has also seen the La Liga champions drop down to fourth place in the domestic standings.

Fernando Torres replaced Mand-zukic after 82 minutes as Simeone’s side looked for a winning goal but the Spanish striker was unable to prevent the tie from going to penalties.

“In the Champions League it is very difficult and the Last 16 is not as easy as people think,” Torres told reporters. “We controlled the game but we did not find it easy to score. Then in the penalties, it is down to the team with the most luck.”

Torres scored Atletico’s fifth penalty and it was a special night for the homegrown talent. After spells at Liverpool and Chelsea, he moved to AC Milan and is currently on-loan at his boyhood club from the Italian outfit. “I was looking forward to experience matches like this at the Calderon,” he said.

“It was incredible and I only have words of thanks to the fans who backed us right to the end. There is no doubt that I made the right decision to come back here.” (rtr)

LONDON — The English Football Association has warned clubs about their players’ on-field behavior after what it calls a “scary” rise in the number of cases of referees being surrounded. Such incidents in the top five divisions have already led to 16 FA charges against clubs, which results in a sliding scale of fines, compared with six cases in each of the pre-vious two seasons. A further 29 warnings have also been issued to clubs this season.

“We have seen a pretty scary increase this season in the number of clubs charged with their players surrounding referees,” FA chairman

Greg Dyke said. “As a result we have written to the clubs in the top five divisions reminding them of the rules and their responsibilities.

“I believe it is particularly important for professional clubs to set an example so that this kind of conduct is not replicated at grassroots and youth level. The whole game needs to ensure it is addressing this issue.”

Dyke was speaking after the conduct of Chelsea players in a Champions League game came under scrutiny last week. Chelsea players were criticized for sur-rounding the referee following an incident that saw Paris Saint-Ger-

main striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off.

That game fell under UEFA jurisdiction, but the English gov-erning body will charge a club if “three or more players of one club approach a match official in a confrontational manner.”

Chelsea and Everton earlier this month were both fined the 30,000 pounds ($44,000) for failing to control their players in a Premier League game, the standard FA penalty for topflight clubs. The FA is considering increasing the level of fines to provide a greater deterrent, particularly for repeat offenders. (ap)

KUALA LUMPUR - English Premier League club Liverpool have added a fixture against a Malaysian XI after the club’s pre-season tour to Australia in July.

The 18-times English champi-ons last played in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and are arguably the best supported Premier League side in the soccer-obsessed Southeast Asian region.

“The national football governing body is truly honoured to host Liv-erpool once again and are excited by the upcoming fixture,” Football Association of Malaysia general-secretary Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin told reporters on Wednesday after announcing the July 24 fixture.

“It’s not that we often get to see English Premier League stars. We watch them in awe on our television

sets as they take on their opponents, mesmerizing them with their gifted football skills.

“Watching our Malaysian XI play Liverpool is going to be an en-thralling experience for all fans.”

Liverpool will play Australian A-League sides Brisbane Roar on July 17 in Queensland and Adelaide United in South Australia on July 20. (rtr)

ROME — Crisis-hit Serie A club Parma has suffered another blow with the arrest of its new owner and president, Giampietro Manenti.

Italy’s financial police said Manenti was accused of investing illicit money. Police say he was one of 22 people arrested in a sweep Wednesday.

Manenti took over as Parma’s new owner and president last month, agreeing to pay off the club’s debts, which are estimated at nearly 100 million euros ($110 million).

Players haven’t been paid in months, and a bankruptcy hear-ing has been set for Thursday.

Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli says “I hope sooner or later this all ends because honestly we can’t take any more.” (ap)

Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic

Monaco’s Danijel Subasic saves a shot from Arsenal’s

Olivier Giroud before Giroud scored their first goal

Arsenal out after failing to cope with pressure

Parma owner Manenti arrested in new blow to crisis-hit club

LONDON - Arsenal’s failure to assert themselves and win under pressure led to their exit from the Champions League at the first knockout stage for the fifth successive season. The defensive frailties and overall poor showing in the home leg of their Round of 16 tie against AS Monaco, which they lost 3-1, proved too big a setback for the Gunners who played well and deserved the 2-0 win in the away fixture on Wednesday.

Liverpool add Malaysian fixture to Asia tour

FA warns clubs over ‘scary’ rise of referee confrontations

AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 11, 2015 file photo Chelsea players remonstrate with referee Bjorn Kuipers just before he showed a red card to PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the Cham-pions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain at Stamford Bridge stadium in London.

REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Atletico Madrid’s Mario Suarez celebrates after scoring a goal against Bayer Leverkusen during their Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match at Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid March 17, 2015.

Atletico joy papers over cracks of misfiring attack

98 InternationalThursday, March 19, 2015 International Thursday, March 19, 2015

Sp rt

Their former striker Charlie Nicho-las, had no doubt why they lost a tie most people thought they were going to win easily. “When they have noth-ing to lose, they can go for it,” said Nicholas, who spent four years at Arsenal in the 1980s.

“But they need to start turning up when the pressure is on them. That’s why they don’t win big football matches domestically. That’s why they have been put out against Mo-naco. “They have all the class and their ability is as good as anyone else. They are probably second only to Barcelona playing fluent football, but they only play when the pressure is off,” he told Sky Sports.

The odds were stacked against Arsenal going into the game. The last team to overturn a two-goal deficit from a first leg home defeat and advance in UEFA’s top competition was Ajax Amsterdam who overcame Benfica in 1969.

No team have done it in the Cham-pions League era but Arsenal came close as goals from Olivier Giroud and substitute Aaron Ramsey took them close. They out-played Monaco for long periods and although they ended as the moral victors it was a familiar tale of them falling just short again.

Angry Arsenal fans called a radio phone-in afterwards and blamed man-ager Arsene Wenger for the failure and

many said the team would never win the Champions League or a major honour while he was in charge. But the reality is somewhat different.

Arsenal are currently third in the Premier League after winning eight of their last nine league matches, and are favourites to retain the FA Cup with a semi-final next month against Championship side Reading.

Skipper Per Mertesacker attempted to keep things in perspective, saying: “We have a lot of confidence for the FA Cup and the League because we have done well in recent weeks. “We were outstanding today and if we go on like that we have a great chance of qualifying again next season.” (rtr)

BARCELONA - Atletico Madrid showed their typical battling spirit to edge out Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday but last year’s Champions League finalists will be mighty relieved to have advanced to the last eight after once more failing to sparkle in attack. The joy of Atletico’s first penalty shootout triumph in Europe will diminish once the dust settles on a narrow victory that did little to suggest they had rediscovered a cutting edge up front.

Midfielder Mario Suarez’s first half effort was the only goal either team could muster at the Calderon, his goal levelling up the tie after Diego Simeone’s side had lost 1-0 away in Germany. It was a scrappy match in which Leverkusen failed to take several chances of their own before Suarez’s decisive interven-tion.

Atletico improved as they game progressed but only managed to put the visitors under any sustained pressure towards the end of normal time. Mario Mandzukic was re-stored to the starting lineup, having been relegated to the bench for two games as well as missing the 0-0 draw with Espanyol in La Liga last weekend through suspension.

However, he failed to provide

the solution for a faltering Atletico attack that has now scored just two goals in the last five games in all competitions. The run has also seen the La Liga champions drop down to fourth place in the domestic standings.

Fernando Torres replaced Mand-zukic after 82 minutes as Simeone’s side looked for a winning goal but the Spanish striker was unable to prevent the tie from going to penalties.

“In the Champions League it is very difficult and the Last 16 is not as easy as people think,” Torres told reporters. “We controlled the game but we did not find it easy to score. Then in the penalties, it is down to the team with the most luck.”

Torres scored Atletico’s fifth penalty and it was a special night for the homegrown talent. After spells at Liverpool and Chelsea, he moved to AC Milan and is currently on-loan at his boyhood club from the Italian outfit. “I was looking forward to experience matches like this at the Calderon,” he said.

“It was incredible and I only have words of thanks to the fans who backed us right to the end. There is no doubt that I made the right decision to come back here.” (rtr)

LONDON — The English Football Association has warned clubs about their players’ on-field behavior after what it calls a “scary” rise in the number of cases of referees being surrounded. Such incidents in the top five divisions have already led to 16 FA charges against clubs, which results in a sliding scale of fines, compared with six cases in each of the pre-vious two seasons. A further 29 warnings have also been issued to clubs this season.

“We have seen a pretty scary increase this season in the number of clubs charged with their players surrounding referees,” FA chairman

Greg Dyke said. “As a result we have written to the clubs in the top five divisions reminding them of the rules and their responsibilities.

“I believe it is particularly important for professional clubs to set an example so that this kind of conduct is not replicated at grassroots and youth level. The whole game needs to ensure it is addressing this issue.”

Dyke was speaking after the conduct of Chelsea players in a Champions League game came under scrutiny last week. Chelsea players were criticized for sur-rounding the referee following an incident that saw Paris Saint-Ger-

main striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off.

That game fell under UEFA jurisdiction, but the English gov-erning body will charge a club if “three or more players of one club approach a match official in a confrontational manner.”

Chelsea and Everton earlier this month were both fined the 30,000 pounds ($44,000) for failing to control their players in a Premier League game, the standard FA penalty for topflight clubs. The FA is considering increasing the level of fines to provide a greater deterrent, particularly for repeat offenders. (ap)

KUALA LUMPUR - English Premier League club Liverpool have added a fixture against a Malaysian XI after the club’s pre-season tour to Australia in July.

The 18-times English champi-ons last played in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and are arguably the best supported Premier League side in the soccer-obsessed Southeast Asian region.

“The national football governing body is truly honoured to host Liv-erpool once again and are excited by the upcoming fixture,” Football Association of Malaysia general-secretary Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin told reporters on Wednesday after announcing the July 24 fixture.

“It’s not that we often get to see English Premier League stars. We watch them in awe on our television

sets as they take on their opponents, mesmerizing them with their gifted football skills.

“Watching our Malaysian XI play Liverpool is going to be an en-thralling experience for all fans.”

Liverpool will play Australian A-League sides Brisbane Roar on July 17 in Queensland and Adelaide United in South Australia on July 20. (rtr)

ROME — Crisis-hit Serie A club Parma has suffered another blow with the arrest of its new owner and president, Giampietro Manenti.

Italy’s financial police said Manenti was accused of investing illicit money. Police say he was one of 22 people arrested in a sweep Wednesday.

Manenti took over as Parma’s new owner and president last month, agreeing to pay off the club’s debts, which are estimated at nearly 100 million euros ($110 million).

Players haven’t been paid in months, and a bankruptcy hear-ing has been set for Thursday.

Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli says “I hope sooner or later this all ends because honestly we can’t take any more.” (ap)

Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic

Monaco’s Danijel Subasic saves a shot from Arsenal’s

Olivier Giroud before Giroud scored their first goal

Arsenal out after failing to cope with pressure

Parma owner Manenti arrested in new blow to crisis-hit club

LONDON - Arsenal’s failure to assert themselves and win under pressure led to their exit from the Champions League at the first knockout stage for the fifth successive season. The defensive frailties and overall poor showing in the home leg of their Round of 16 tie against AS Monaco, which they lost 3-1, proved too big a setback for the Gunners who played well and deserved the 2-0 win in the away fixture on Wednesday.

Liverpool add Malaysian fixture to Asia tour

FA warns clubs over ‘scary’ rise of referee confrontations

AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 11, 2015 file photo Chelsea players remonstrate with referee Bjorn Kuipers just before he showed a red card to PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the Cham-pions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain at Stamford Bridge stadium in London.

REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Atletico Madrid’s Mario Suarez celebrates after scoring a goal against Bayer Leverkusen during their Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match at Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid March 17, 2015.

Atletico joy papers over cracks of misfiring attack

Thursday, March 19, 2015 7SportsThursday, March 19, 201510 InternationalInternationalDestination

**New Italian Dinning RestUrg.Req:CDP,Cook,Jun.Sous Chef

Captain,Runner,BartenderGreat Salary!! Drop CV to:

Warisan-Illido Latest 23Mar 15Jl.Raya Kerobokan No.38

A.BP.001.03.15.0002895

Chef Wanted Brawa Cafe,WesternFood: info@aquartersbali.com

A.BP.153.03.15.0002857

Looking for Female AssistantOffice manager for Int’l

Property agency in Seminyak.Good English Spoken&Written isa must,computer skill.Send CV&

Recent Photo to ebenyamin@exotiq.com or Call 081916643345

A.BP.001.03.15.0002854

AMLAPURA - On the road from Padang Bay to Amedin Karan-gasem regency, any travelers would be amazed by the natural setting of the Northeast of Bali made of series

of coastal landscapes crisscrossed with rows of palm trees and rice paddies. But do they know that 15min North of Candidasa, when Mount Agung starts revealing itsshapesstands Jasri, a communi-ty-based tourism village eager to introduce its natural beauty and its home industries?

Jasri is a great example of how community-driven tourism can bring long-term benefits to rural

economiesremote from Bali tour-ism hotspots.The story started in 2011, when a group of villagers, confident into Jasri tourism poten-tial createdJasri Tourism Village committee. Today,WayanParusa, one of itsfervent member is proud of the progress. As an evidence, Jasri was rewarded Indonesia’s best tourism villagein 2013 due in part to a wide range of quality activities operated in line with the community

based tourism principle. The lucky guests may enjoyrice fieldstrek-king, cycling tours, introduction to the village culture and visit of local industries (chocolate factory, black-smith, pottery). Jasri also offers great deals for surfing and fishing. All above activities are eco-friendly and available individually or in 8 differentpackagesincluding one or two nights in a localhomestay.

Enjoying a freshly-cooked

breakfast in the morning, helping for cooking the lunch or prepar-ing the offerings in the Bale, this is without doubt the best option for people eager to learn about Balinesecultureand unique tradi-tions of Jasri like the fire fight(or Terteran). If you feel as a family member leaving one the seven comfortable homestays, Jasri tourism village’s wish will come true. (kmb)

IBP/File Photo

Jasri

So I think the answer to whether Red Bull’s threat is serious prob-ably depends more on the ultimate marketing value of Formula 1 to the parent company than how well its racing team does on the circuit. The more popular the sport, the greater the value.

But it has made a massive invest-ment in its race team, plus a huge financial commitment to revive the Austrian Grand Prix (one of the most popular events on the calendar last season), so it would be throwing away a lot if it pulled out now.

Remember that Red Bull en-dured a poor pre-season last year, but recovered to win three races. There are another 19 to go (if Ger-many happens) this year, so plenty of time to sort things out. Honestly, this sounds more like the Ferrari-style politicking of early 2014: ‘change the rules or we’ll quit’. Unlikely I feel...

EDD STRAW (@eddstrawF1): To a point, it should be taken seri-ously. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s any need for the sport to respond to it.

After all, talk is cheap and F1 does currently work for Red Bull commercially, especially with the FOM money and sponsorship deals the team has ensuring that the par-ent company is only bankrolling part of the operation. Red Bull’s real problem is Renault. That and the fact it has produced a car that, right now, is barely faster than a Toro Rosso.

The implementation of equiva-lency measures is not going to change the fact that driveability is poor and reliability question-able.

A political game is being played, and Red Bull does wield significant power given it currently owns 20 per cent of the grid. But there will always be at least one grandee team struggling. It would be a slippery slope to acquiesce even though the quit threat cannot be dismissed out of hand.

If F1 works for Red Bull com-mercially, then the quit threat is largely empty. But if Dietrich Mate-schtiz feels he can pull the plug and spend the money elsewhere without

compromising the brand, that is when things become more serious.

LAWRENCE BARRETTO (@lawrobarretto): Red Bull is not the first team to threaten to quit Formula 1 - and it won’t be the last. In 2009, then Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the sport’s most famous team would leave if a proposed budget cap was imposed.

And before that Enzo Ferrari often issued a threat when things didn’t go his team’s way. But guess what? The Scuderia is still here. There’s no doubt Formula 1 would be worse off without Red Bull because it’s such a big brand and has been one of the sport’s leading teams in recent years. But if it does follow through with its threat, the sport will survive.

Big manufacturers like Toyota and BMW have come and gone while Honda returned as an engine supplier this year after quitting the sport at the end of 2008 after a dire stint as a works team. Teams need Formula 1 more than Formula 1 needs them. (net)

NEW YORK — Alexey Shved scored 21 points and made the key defensive play in overtime as the last-place New York Knicks beat the defending champion San An-tonio Spurs 104-100 in the NBA on Tuesday. Rookie Langston Gal-loway had a career-high 22 points for the Knicks, who held the Spurs to just one basket in overtime. Lou Amundson finished with 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds while playing tough against Tim Duncan.

Tony Parker scored 21 points for the Spurs and made their only basket in OT, 16 seconds into the period. They managed just two free throws from there to lose for the second time in nine games. “We didn’t respect the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We didn’t respect our opponent. It was a pathetic performance, and I hope every player is embarrassed. Not because we’re supposed to win the game, quote unquote, but it’s about how you play the game.”

Elsewhere, New Orleans pulled

even with Oklahoma City in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with an 85-84 win over Milwaukee.

Anthony Davis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Pelicans. He hit only 6 of 18 shots, but hit a clutch 15-footer that gave New Orleans an 85-82 lead with 1:07 left. Quincy Pondexter hit five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for New Orleans, while Omer Asik had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Clippers and Rockets also kept pace in the competitive West-ern Conference with victories on Tuesday. Los Angeles withstood a late Charlotte rally to beat the Hor-nets 99-92. J.J. Redick scored 23 points and Chris Paul had 20 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who led 63-41 in the third quarter before Charlotte rallied within a point in the final period. Blake Grif-fin had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who were coming off back-to-back losses to Dallas and Houston. (ap)

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

New York Knicks’ Alexey Shved (1) drives past San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) and Tim Duncan (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in New York.

Last-place Knicks surprise defending

champion Spurs 104-100

REUTERS/Jason Reed

Red Bull Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia drives during the Australian F1 Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne March 15, 2015.

Should Red Bull’s threat to quit be taken seriously?

ShOULd Red Bull’s threat to quit Formula 1 be taken seriously, or is it just spitting the dummy out after a poor first race? BEN ANDERSON (@BenAndersonAuto): If Red Bull feels Formula 1 is a busted flush as far as popular interest is concerned then it will undoubtedly pull the plug.

Place Your Add HereIt is for Job Vacancy, Property, Selling or Buying

Please contact Gugiek : 08123840500Eka : 081338519538

CLASSIFIELDS

Thursday, March 19, 2015 Thursday, March 19, 2015 6 11International International

From page 1

INDONESIAW RLD

Flight QZ8501 went down in stormy weather during what was supposed to be a short trip from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore on December 28, killing all 162 people on board.

The crash of the Airbus A320-200 into the Java Sea sparked a huge international hunt, with ships and aircraft from several nations scouring the sea for the plane wreckage and the victims.

The search was scaled back dra-matically in recent weeks, with foreign vessels withdrawing as well as the In-donesian military, which had provided the bulk of personnel and equipment.

Indonesia’s civilian search and rescue agency had continued the hunt, but on a smaller scale and their teams were only occasionally finding more bodies and wreckage.

S.B. Supriyadi, the search agency official coordinating the effort, told AFP that the search would “end completely”

on Tuesday and that the vessels still involved would pull out.

“All four ships will return to Jakarta tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” he said.

The total number of victims found stood at 106, he said. Search teams last found more bodies on Saturday, when three were discovered under some wreckage, he added.

The last major part of the fuselage that could be recovered was pulled from the sea last month.

The decision to end the hunt came after AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes sig-nalled last week that operations were drawing to a close.

The chief of the Malaysian low-cost airline said that the operation had been “successful” but added that it could not “go on indefinitely”.

“There is a time period and we’ve agreed with the families that this is obviously not something that can go on

indefinitely,” he said.“But it’s important for us that the

families agreed on this and that’s why I give them credit that they didn’t keep insisting that we go on forever.”

The Indonesian National Transporta-tion Safety Committee has so far shed little light on what caused the flight to crash, or what occurred in the moments before the tragedy.

It has reported that the plane climbed rapidly in an area of towering storm clouds before crashing, and that the co-pilot was at the controls, rather than the more experienced pilot, in the moments before the accident.

The plane’s black box flight data recorders have been recovered, which will provide vital clues as investiga-tors seek to figure out what caused the crash.

Indonesia will release the final report into the crash by August, the transport minister told AFP last month. (afp)

JAKARTA - A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s Molucca Sea on Wednesday, the US Geologi-cal Survey said, but no tsunami alert was issued and there were no reports of damage.

The quake struck at a depth of 41 kilometres (25 miles), 134 kilometres northwest of Kota Ternate at 2212 GMT Tuesday, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat.

Hendra Rahman, an official from Indonesia’s meteorol-ogy, climatology and geophysics agency, said the quake was felt moderately in Manado, on Sulawesi island, and on the island of Ternate.

But he added there had been no reports of damage. Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where

continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

A huge undersea quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, on western Sumatra island, and tens of thousands more in other countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean. (afp)

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s central bank (BI) held its key interest rate steady on Tuesday as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy seeks to support the rapidly weakening rupiah, following an unexpected cut in February.

Bank Indonesia’s board of governors kept the rate at 7.50 percent, as expected.

Last month the bank surprised markets with a 25-basis-point cut, the first reduction in the rate for three years, as policymakers sought to boost the slowing economy.

But after the move helped to drive the rupiah to a 17-year low, Indonesia’s central bank decided to stand pat Tuesday, bucking the trend among other Asian countries that have recently slashed their borrowing costs.

Following the decision, the rupiah strengthened 0.6 percent to 13,165 against the dollar -- the biggest gain in almost eight weeks, according to Bloomberg News.

Bank Indonesia spokesman Tirta Segara told reporters the decision was also in line with the bank’s efforts to keep inflation in check and rein in a stubborn current-account deficit.

Inflation has been easing in recent months, and slowed to 6.29 percent year-on-year in February, but remains above the bank’s target range.

However, economists indicated that further cuts may be on the horizon to spur economic growth, which sank to a five-year low in 2014.

“Looking ahead, it is unlikely to be long before BI (Bank Indonesia) follows up February’s cut by loosen-ing monetary policy again,” said Gareth Leather, Asia economist from Capital Economics.

“There are indications that the central bank is becom-ing more concerned about the outlook for growth.”

President Joko Widodo has set a growth target for this year of 5.7 percent. (afp)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside/Files

A section of the tail of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 passenger plane is seen on the deck of the rescue ship Crest Onyx, a day after it was lifted from the seabed, as crew try to lift it off the ship in Kumai Port, near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan in this January 11, 2015 file photo.

6.6 earthquake hits Indonesia, no tsunami alert

BI holds interest rate at 7.5% to support rupiahSAR calls off

AirAsia searchJAKARTA - Indonesian search and rescue (SAR) teams were Tuesday ending the hunt for victims from

last year’s AirAsia plane crash, an official said, with 56 people still unaccounted for.

“There is no certainty that the President of Indonesia will revoke Presidential Regulation No.51/2014. In other words, the people of Bali are orphaned be-cause their “parents”, that is, the legislative and executive branches of the Bali House of representa-tives, as decision makers and those who speak from the local level to the central government, are not providing any certainty one way or another,” he said.

Anom added that people should

be getting certain answers regarding the simplest of questions such as: will the reclamation project result in floods such as those that have occurred on the reclaimed beaches in Jakarta? “Moreover, the carrying capacity of South Bali has already exceeded the threshold of sustain-ability and unfair competition is occurring in the business sector, especially in the accommodation business, not to mention many other issues that have yet to be resolved,” he concluded. (kmb32)

Chairman...

With nearly all votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 out of parliament’s 120 seats and was in a position to build with relative ease a coalition govern-ment with its nationalist, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies. Such a government would likely put Israel at odds with the interna-tional community over settlement construction and its opposition to Palestinian statehood, and continue clashing with the White House over hard-line policies.

The election was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has governed the country for the past six years. Recent opinion polls indicated he was in trouble, giv-ing chief rival Isaac Herzog of the opposition Zionist Union a slight lead. Exit polls Tuesday showed the two sides deadlocked but once the actual results came pouring in early Wednesday, Likud soared forward. Zionist Union wound up with just 24 seats.

Given the final results, it is all but assured that Israel’s largely cer-

emonial President Reuven Rivlin will task Netanyahu with forming a new government. Netanyahu says he hopes to do so quickly, within two to three weeks.

“Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud,” Netan-yahu told supporters at his election night headquarters, declaring vic-tory even before final results were known. “I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish be-tween what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important.”

Netanyahu focused his cam-paign primarily on security is-sues, while his opponents instead pledged to address the country’s high cost of living and accused the leader of being out of touch with everyday people. Netanyahu will likely look to battle that image now by adding to his government Moshe Kahlon, whose upstart Ku-lanu party captured 10 seats with a campaign focused almost entirely on bread-and-butter economic

issues. Kahlon is expected to be-come the country’s next finance minister.

A union of four largely Arab-backed factions became Israel’s third largest party — with 14 seats — and gave Israel’s Arab minority significant leverage in parliament for the first time. Ten parties in all made it into parliament.

Herzog, who appeared poised only days ago to stage a coup, conceded defeat, saying he called Netanyahu and offered him con-gratulations. He signaled that he would not join forces with Netan-yahu and would rather head to the opposition.

“I think that at this moment what Israel needs most of all is another voice, a voice that offers an alternative and a voice that tells it the truth,” he said outside his Tel Aviv home.

Netanyahu’s return to power for a fourth term likely spells trouble for Mideast peace efforts and could further escalate tensions with the United States. (ap)

TAIPEI — Youth groups in Tai-wan are marking the anniversary of a movement that occupied the island’s parliament and scuttled the ratification of a trade pact with China, Taiwan’s biggest trading partner and erstwhile political foe. A rally outside parliament Wednesday evening followed by an overnight event Sunday will draw new attention to what has become known as the Sunflower Movement, which handed Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou his toughest crisis since taking office in 2008.

Stung by the occupy movement and tens of thousands of sympathy protesters, Ma’s Nationalist Party lost nine local elections in November, prompting him to resign as party head.

Protests last year also dealt a blow to Taiwan’s relations with China, which have improved during Ma’s term but remain tense because of Beijing’s desire to have the island unify with the mainland. Beijing has claimed Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, but Taiwanese prize their democratic self-rule.

Relations between Taipei and Beijing have changed little since last year’s protests, with no new deals reached between the two sides, chill-

ing Taiwan’s economic expansion. Ma’s government has kept quiet on China since the local election losses as the party gears up for the January 2016 presidential election, which may be decided in part by voters who want more distance from China.

“The government people are cau-tious because there’s so much that could go wrong when it comes to China,” said Ross Feingold, senior adviser with U.S.-based consultancy firm D.C. International Advisory. “If an agreement is on the table, some-body is going to criticize it.”

The Nationalists’ chief opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party, advocates more restraint in negotiating with China, playing to the ideals of the Sunflower Movement protesters.

On the night of March 17, 2014, several hundred people, apparently led by university students, entered the parliament’s normally guarded assembly hall in central Taipei to stop a proposed fast-track ratification of a Taiwan-China service trade liber-alization pact. The pact was signed in 2013 and would open markets to 144 sectors, including finance. Parliament has not ratified the trade deal, irking China as well as Ma’s government. (ap)

AP Photo/Dan Balilty

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets supporters at the party’s election headquar-ters In Tel Aviv. Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Exit polls from Israel’s national elections showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party nearly deadlocked with Isaac Herzog’s center-left Zionist Union.

Netanyahu’s Likud surges to stunning Israeli election win

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party scored a resounding victory in the country’s election, final results showed Wednesday, a stunning turnaround after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy.

AP Photo/Wally Santana, File

FIE - In this April 7, 2014 file photo, students occupying the Parliament floor line up in protest against a trade pact with China in Taipei, Taiwan.

Taiwan youth mark anniversary of occupy parliament movement

Bali News Thursday, March 19, 2015 5InternationalThursday, March 19, 201512 International

BUSINESS

PeoPle commonly knows about the meaning and values behind brata

penyepian (Nyepi fasting) as a part of Hindu’s teach-

ing and one Balinese unique tradition. In its development there is suggestion to make

that tradition as part of tour-ism attraction. Now, people want it as the method to be applied and seen as some-

thing important in the global environment.

There were some psychologi-cal problems surrounding Nyepi celebration. Supports did not come from those who did not involve in these priorities. Fortunately, it came at last after the positive appreciation spread, having its approach added or changed so global priorities.

These global priorities are part of the ongoing aspects that introduc-

ing and socializing the meaning of Nyepi with new approaches will let others acknowledge the use of having it in preserving the envi-ronment.

Nyepi was introduced to the na-tion and international not for Bali’s tourism priorities but for wider im-portance, global itself, for ongoing development. Nyepi from global perspective can still be assessed such as environmental pollution.

In this context, the Head of Indonesia Delegation for Climate Change Summit Conference year 2007 in Nusa Dua, Emil Salim, revealed that Nyepi has a great contribution in decreasing CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emission not only in Bali and not only for a day and night but its positive affect spreads and for that it is understand-able if other conference attendees were amazed with the film about Nyepi in Bali. They were amazed remembering this conference was

about the reflection of the world’s complaint against global warming as the earth’s surface temperature kept going up with carbon dioxide and other gasses or green house gasses kept covering earth, keep-ing heat.

This approach should be devel-oped and has a wider appreciation regarding brata penyepian which is not only in order to appreciate cer-tain religion and for Bali’s tourism, but it’s for everyone, a universal pri-ority and for the future. Bali is rich with universal characteristic spirits, so to introduce Nyepi doesn’t need a religious approach such as spirit in agriculture or subak (irrigation) system, tumpek kandang ceremony for environment preservation which is part of traditional spirit which amazed others as it has universal meaning. Other than that would be Nyepi itself, kawitan (ances-tors), banjar, desa pakraman (tra-ditional villages), sekaa (groups)

and more.Those spirits are not only devel-

op and unite to make the dreamed Bali, Bali Dwipajaya, but also to actualize in finding balance and in developing the diversity in the island. For example Bali traditional spirit teach us to build a building not just for owner’s need but also for the environment. Yet its height parameter is not “not allowed to be higher than a coconut tree” but it’s “not more than 15 meters”.

These spirits couldn’t be applied if the are facing globalization which is now surrounding the world. Agri-culture sector with its subak system seems no longer seen its role when the international world hit by food crisis. On the other hand, the affect of higher commodity agriculture price in international market is not affected the local farmers. Also when soya beans price and others are being played by overseas trad-ers, the local entrepreneurs couldn’t

fight back. This shows that all this time we haven’t fully actualize these spirits that is developing be-neath the people and so the balance point in diversity hasn’t been found. Moreover those universal meaning-ful spirits starts to go away.

The analogue with Nyepi is the Tri Hita Karana (three human harmonic connection with God, human and environment). Tri Hita Karana has universal values in the concept and implementation of not separating races, generations and religions. For that reason, in the process to approach and socialize it to national and international, Tri Hita Karana not only should be a philosophy that comes from certain religion but also to be understood as a concept with universal values. So, in explaining Tri Hita Karana academically based on ratio and general logic, as started all this time it needs to be sharpen and developed further. (kmb)

Such condition is felt by one of the famous craftsmen at Kamasan village, Made Sugandi. When met at his factory recently, the demand for metal and silver products like perforated coin and other perforated-coin-based crafts remains high. This condition triggers the development of similar business for the people of Kamasan village. Sugandi him-self admitted to be overwhelmed to accept the orders by employing 12 workers. Actually he has added some workers from Java, but this owner of Bali Koin Antik business at Kamasan is still overwhelmed.

He produces some kinds of perforated coins such as the pan-cadatu with lotus and lotus script motif, kuci or the so-called female money, coin with puppet characters and many other types. “Among the existing types, the most sought-after type is the pancadatu because Bali-nese community needs it for Hindu religious ceremony,” said Sugandi. For perforated coin industry, an-other problem also comes from Java. Competition against similar industry in Java becomes more se-vere. Admittedly, the perforated coin produced in Java is commonly sold at very cheap price in Bali.

Perforated coin produced in Java is sold for IDR 300,000 per thousand

pieces. Meanwhile, local perforated coin of Kamasan is sold at least for IDR 450,000 per thousand pieces. “The price offered at Kamasan has been very low in terms of the mate-rials we use because the perforated coin industry does not only talk about business, but also about holy sacrifice,” said Sugandi.

Every day he admitted to pro-duce thousands of coins. Ideally, he needs 40 workers. Unfortunately, the local labor at Kamasan village is rarely willing to get involved in the business. Labor need of that amount is also following the new craft product business whose order starts flooding.

Other than perforated coin, the Bali Antik Koin itself also devel-ops some other products such as decorative lighting, carved furniture as well as craft for hotel and villa component. These new products have been flooded with orders from hotels in Indonesia having chain overseas. “Now, these products re-ceive the largest number of orders. Unfortunately, we have trouble in obtaining workers,” said the son of Sugandi, I Made Hendra Prasetya who continues his father’s business. Now, he is working to find additional local workers to meet the labor needs of his business. (kmb31)

Nyepi, part of global environment priorities

IBP/Bagiartha

Blacksmith and silversmith at Kamasan village have continued to evolve lately. They persis-tently innovate to create new products that can compete against local craftsmen and those from outside Bali. However, when the orders start to increase, they even face a shortage of labor to fulfill the orders of customers.

Many orders, craftsmen at Kamasan lack workers

SeMARAPURA - Blacksmith and silversmith at Kamasan village have continued to evolve lately. They persistently in-novate to create new products that can compete against local craftsmen and those from outside Bali. However, when the orders start to increase, they even face a shortage of labor to fulfill the orders of customers.

Housing, manufacturing and consumer spending — the U.S. economy’s main driver — have been tepid of late. The pace of home building plunged in Febru-ary. Factory output is slowing as a rising dollar makes U.S. goods

costlier overseas and weakens exports. And retail sales remain sluggish, with Americans spend-ing less at stores and restaurants last month.

The main engine of strength has been the U.S. job market. Employ-

ers have added more than 200,000 jobs for 12 straight months, and unemployment has reached a sev-en-year low of 5.5 percent, a rate typical of a healthy job market.

Yet annual wage growth remains stuck at 2 percent, a level that can’t

support robust gains in consumer spending and home purchases. Recently announced pay increases by Wal-Mart, the Gap and other retailers have been modest and have yet to circulate through the economy. It’s hardly surprising, then, that critical pieces of the economy remain troubled almost six years into the recovery from the worst financial catastrophe since the Great Depression.

“We’re not in an economy that is fully firing on all cylinders,” said Gregory Daco, an analyst at Oxford Economics. “Wage growth is still hesitant, and that has been the key element holding back the recovery.”

Many economists blame, in part, snowstorms and freezing temperatures for the economy’s lackluster winter. Their theory will be tested as spring arrives. If the economy fails to pick up, it may lack the vigor that Fed officials want to see before raising their key short-term rate from a record low near zero, where it’s remained since 2008.

On Wednesday, after the Fed ends a policy meeting, it’s ex-pected to drop the word “patient” from a statement describing its outlook for a rate increase. That would signal its intent to link an eventual rate increase solely to the most recent economic data and not to a preset timetable.

Many investors expect a rate hike as early as June. But an in-crease that soon might require the economy to accelerate in the next few months — and possibly for un-usually low inflation to rise closer to the Fed’s 2 percent target rate.

“The picture is a little muddied right now,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan Chase. “The more data we get, the more

we will know.”Recent economic reports have

led some analysts to downgrade their outlook for growth in the first three months of 2015. The forecasting firm Macroeconomic Advisers projects growth an an-nualized rate of just 1.6 percent in the first quarter, down sharply from 2.2 percent in the final three months of 2014 and from a gallop-ing 4.8 percent rate over the spring and summer.

Weather has previously derailed the economy. In January 2014, the “polar vortex” was enough to cause the economy to shrink during that year’s first quarter. This time, winter storms struck mainly in February, blanketing much of the Atlantic seaboard in snow drifts and ice.

On Tuesday, the government said the pace of housing starts plum-meted 17 percent in February from January’s rate. Home construction slid 56.5 percent in the Northeast and 37 percent in the Midwest, the two regions that endured the brunt of the winter storms.

But sales also fell 18.2 percent in the West and 2.5 percent in the South, evidence that steady job growth, cheaper energy and rela-tively low mortgage rates have yet to spur much construction.

Lower gasoline prices have yet to spark more consumer spending. Instead, many Americans appear to be repaying debt and pocketing their gains, with the savings rate reaching its highest level in nearly two years.

Auto production has also slowed and is holding down overall fac-tory output. Economists say ad-ditional consumer spending would be needed for factories to ramp up production. (ap)

SINGAPoRe - Oil prices ex-tended their losses in Asia Wednes-day to new six-year lows on expec-tations US crude stockpiles will rise further, in a market already awash with supplies, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas In-termediate for April delivery eased 83 cents to $42.63 in afternoon trade, the lowest level since March

2009.Brent crude for May fell 14 cents

to $53.37 a barrel.“We expect the US stockpiles

to increase further and this will exacerbate the market’s supply concerns,” said David Lennox, a resource analyst with Fat Prophets in Sydney.

A Bloomberg News survey

showed US crude stockpiles are expected to have increased by 3.3 million barrels to another record 452.2 million in the week ending March 13.

The US Energy Information Administration will release the final figure later Wednesday.

US stockpiles have risen for nine weeks in a row, each time touching

a record, helping push prices lower in a market already weighed down by a supply glut after the OPEC oil cartel decided in November to maintain elevated output levels.

World oil prices have collapsed by about 60 percent since June as supply outpaces demand.

Lennox said the gloomy market outlook will only shift if the Orga-

nization of the Petroleum Export-ing Countries (OPEC) -- which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries -- decides to slash production.

“At the moment we are keeping our eyes on OPEC,” he said, add-ing: “They have a meeting in June and we are hopeful they will decide to cut production.” (afp)

Oil prices extend losses in Asia

AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

In this Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, a television screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows the decision of the Federal Reserve. The prospect of the first hike in almost a decade is shaking up financial markets. Fed policy makers will meet this week and investors will be watching for clues whether they are considering lifting their rates.

As Fed weighs a rate hike, US economy is looking a bit paler

WASHINGToN — Just as the Federal Reserve seems to be inching toward an interest rate hike because of the strengthening U.S. job market, its task is getting more complicated: Several key sectors of the economy are flashing some signs of weakness.

International4 Thursday, March 19, 2015 Thursday, March 19, 2015 13InternationalBali News

Several thousand riot officers pursued what they said was a mi-nority of violence-minded activ-ists using the protest as cover. The bulk of demonstrators conducted themselves peacefully, marching in groups, drumming and singing ahead of a rally in the city’s main square. Some blocked bridges across the Main River or streets.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that “everyone has the right to criticize institutions like the ECB. But pure rioting goes beyond all limits in the battle for political opinion.” Hundreds of officers ringed the ECB. The inauguration ceremony took place as planned, with ECB President Mario Draghi thanking guests “for being here de-spite the difficult situation outside.” He said the new headquarters for the euro currency union’s central bank “is a symbol of what Europe

can achieve together.”Police said one officer was

injured by stones thrown near the city’s Alte Oper opera house, sev-eral private vehicles were burned overnight, and several police cars were set on fire at a police station in the city center. Another police vehicle smoldered a block from the ECB. The Blockupy alliance says activists sought to blockade the new headquarters and to disrupt what they term capitalist business as usual.

Some 10,000 people were ex-pected on Frankfurt’s main square, the Roemerberg. Participants were to include trade unions and Ger-many’s Left Party.

The ECB, along with the Eu-ropean Commission and Interna-tional Monetary Fund, is part of the so-called “troika” that monitors compliance with the conditions of

bailout loans for Greece and other financially troubled countries in Europe. Those conditions include spending cuts and reducing deficits, moves that are aimed at reducing debt but have also been blamed for high unemployment and slow growth.

Anti-austerity activists received a political boost when Greece’s left-wing Syriza party won elections there in January by campaigning against the bailout deal and its conditions, which they say has led to a “humanitarian crisis.” Refusal of the conditions, however, has led to the withholding of further aid and the possibility of a chaotic debt default by the government.

Draghi has called for more spending by governments that are in good financial shape, such as Ger-many — a call that has been mostly ignored by elected officials. (ap)

YANGON — The knock at the door of her family’s home came without warning in the dead of night, just as it always did during Myanmar’s long era of military rule. Outside, a group of govern-ment officials announced they had come to verify who was living there, citing a law that empowers the state to enter private homes any time they wish. When the woman opened the door, they hauled her son away.

Such intrusions, known here as “midnight inspections,” have declined dramatically since Myan-mar’s army ceded some power in 2011 and opened the country as never before. But the law that fa-cilitates them is still on the books and being employed to suppress dissent. It’s just one facet of the massive power the military con-tinues to wield here despite the country’s much-touted transition from junta rule.

“They knocked on the door saying they needed to conduct a midnight inspection, but when we opened it, they took my son,” the distraught mother said of the 1 a.m. visit last week. The woman spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared both for her safety and that of her son.

Several of those detained recent-ly had been deemed sympathetic to students whose protests against a new education law were brutally crushed by police this month. The night the woman’s son was taken into custody, The Associated Press documented three other inspections that ended with student activists being detained.

The legislation allowing “mid-night inspections,” known as the “Ward or Village Tract Adminis-tration Law,” has been on Myan-mar’s books for nearly a century, since British colonial times. It was adopted by successive military

juntas, which used it to monitor political opponents and restricting their movements, helping smother pro-democracy uprisings in 1988 and 2007.

The law requires families to obtain permission from the state to host guests in their own homes, in some cases every three days, regardless of how long the visitors are staying. People who rent their homes are also considered “guests,” as are squatters who have built dwellings on land they don’t own.

In the impoverished Yangon neighborhood of Dala, residents say administrators drive around on rickshaws equipped with speakers reminding people to register guests or “face charges according to the law.” Violations are punishable by seven-day jail terms and fines of about $50.

The law gives administrators the right to examine “the places needed” to ensure compliance, paving the way for “midnight inspections.” This grants local of-ficials “almost boundless authority” over their subjects, according to the Bangkok-based advocacy group Fortify Rights, which is releasing a report called “Midnight Intrusions” Thursday urging the government to dismantle the law.

The group says the law “repre-sents a systematic and nationwide breach of privacy” that has been used to obstruct public gatherings and stymie political activists, some of whom have sometimes been refused permission to host guests for training workshops.

“It’s a remnant of authoritarian rule that’s still being used to control the population,” Fortify’s executive director Matthew Smith told The Associated Press. He said he fears that as Myanmar moves toward elections expected later this year, “we’re going to see this imple-mented more and more.” (ap)

AP Photo/dpa, Andreas Arnold

A demonstrator stands on a toppled trash bin in front of the European Central Bank next to a burning barrier in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

Police cars burn at anti-austerity

protest in GermanyFRANKFURT — At least four police cars were set alight and two officers injured Wednesday

as authorities confronted anti-austerity protesters trying to blockade the inauguration ceremony for the European Central Bank’s new headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Police said 350 people were detained. Protesters are targeting the central bank because of the its role in supervising efforts to restrain spending and reduce debt in financially troubled countries such as Greece.

Myanmar ‘midnight inspections’ show

military still powerful

AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe

In this Monday, March 16, 2015 photo, Myo Myo Lwin, left, sits while her mother Htwe Yi stands by a door at their home in Dala, suburbs of Yangon, Myanmar.

One incense maker from Jehem Kelod, Tem-buku, Bangli, named Jro Mangku Eko Astana, said that on average the demand for his incense has risen by 20 percent. “Before Nyepi, sales of incense increases by an average of 20 percent compared to non-holydays,” he said.

Astana who has been in this business for 12 years, said that the increase in the demand for incense has been going on for about a month. His orders even come from outside of the region of the Bangli.

He said that currently his incense has wide va-riety of scents based on consumer demands. There include aromatherapy scents like sandalwood, cinnamon, and spices. The type of incense most sought-after is the herbal type of incense because it is considered very safe for health compared to perfumed incense. “The demand for herbal incense has increased because the smell is softer and safer for health,” he said.

His sales have also shown an increase but Astana claims that it has not been huge, because the majority of people from the Hindu commu-nity in Bangli tend to purchase incense every two weeks or even once a month, for their daily ritual needs. Nevertheless, Astama revealed that his marketing is focused on working through agents. “The increase is not too high and I market it through agents,” he said.

Despite the increase in demand, he has not increased the price of his incense. The selling price varies depending on the scent and size. Each bundle of incense is sold for between IDR 55,000 and IDR 90,000. “The price depends on the type and size” he explained.

Some incense merchants at the Kidul Market Bangli noted that the demand for fragrant incense has increased over the last few days. But the increase is not so significant, at about 25 percent more than the week before. “The demand for incens started to rise last week because of the upcoming Nyepi celebrations,” said Nengah Supadmi, an incense seller.

Though the demand has increased, the price of incense has not increased. The average price for his incense is set at between IDR 35,000 and IDR 90,000 per bundle. In addition to selling incense in bundles, he also sells incense by the kilogram. “The price varies depending on the type and size,” he said. (kmb45)

MANGUPURA - The Badung Industry and Trade Agency con-ducted site inspections on Mon-day (Mar. 16), meant to provide guidance for and control of the circulation of alcohol, by dissemi-nating the ministerial regulation regarding the trading of alcohol in minimarkets in Badung.

The Head of the Badung In-dustry and Trade Agency, I Ketut Karpiana, accompanied by the Division Head of Business and Company Registration, I Nyoman Bagiarta -during the coaching and information dissemination ses-sions, explained that the prohibi-

tion of selling liquor in minimar-kets and other retailers, according to amendments to the the regula-tions, would allow the trading of alcohol to go on no later than April 16, 2015 after which time they would be required to withdraw category “A” liquor products from shops in Badung.

Category “A” liquor products, as defined in the regulation are beverages with alcoholic content below 5 percent such as beer, which will only be sold at locations associated with tourism such as hotels, bars and restaurants. Other than tourist places, the supermar-

kets that will be allowed to sell cat-egory “A” liquor are hypermarkets -not mini market.

“In this case, the classifica-tion of ‘hypermarket’ is assigned to those who have obtained a Certificate of Alcohol Retailers (SKPA) for category “A” liquor and that meet the applicable requirements, otherwise the sale of category “A” liquor is prohib-ited” he said.

Apparently, Karpiana’s party also came down with a team con-sisting of members of the Tourism Office and Economic Section. With the issuance of the Minister of

Trade regulation No. 06/M-DAG/PER/I/2015 on the Control and Supervision against Procurement, Distribution and Sales of Liquor, the government of Badung made the oversight. This regulation re-vised the previous one No. 20/M-DAG/PER/4/2014.

Previously minimarkets were allowed to sell alcoholic beverages with alcoholic content below five percent, but after the issuance of the regulation by the Minister of Trade on liquor, even these bever-ages are now prohibited. “If there are any shop owners or sellers of liquor that are still selling it with-

out regards for the regulation, their business license will be revoked,” he said.

The Badung Industry and Trade Agency itself provided guidance and supervision on liquor and dis-seminated a circular to minimar-kets, shops and retailers about the prohibition.

On the occasion of the crack-down, the team targeted minimar-kets at Padang Luwih including In-domaret, Alfamart and Jaya Kerti, while at Kerobokan it targeted the Pepito, Mini Mart, Circle K and Warung Pepe on Jalan Dewi Sri Kuta. (kmb27)

IBP/Sosiawan

The incense makers are working to fulfil the orders from customers.

Incense makers get blessed by Nyepi

Badung Trade Agency inspects circulation of alcohol

BANGLI - The Holy day of Nyepi, cel-ebrated by Hindus on March 21, has been a blessing for incense producers and traders. Over the past few weeks, the demand for incense- used in rituals, has increased.

3Thursday, March 19, 2015 14 InternationalInternational Bali NewsHealth Thursday, March 19, 2015

LOS ANGELES - A common practice that involves using a syringe to remove a patient’s blood clots during treatment for a heart attack has been found to increase the risk of stroke, researchers said Monday.

The study led by McMaster Univer-sity and the University of Toronto is the largest of its kind to date.

It was presented at the American College of Cardiology annual con-ference in San Diego and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

More than 10,000 patients in 20 countries were part of the randomized controlled trial.

Some heart attack patients had just an angioplasty, or percutaneous coronary intervention, which opens a blocked artery in the heart using a balloon.

Others had an angioplasty plus a manual thrombectomy, in which a cardiologist uses a syringe attached to a tube to create suction to remove the clot

from the artery, the researchers said.The result found “no benefit from

the routine use of thrombectomy, or blood clot removal, and that heart at-tack patients receiving this were more likely to have a stroke,” according to the study.

Since current guidelines leave it up to individual doctors to decide whether or not to do the syringe procedure, study authors said they hope their study will lead to changes in practice.

“The message from this study is that thrombectomy should not be used as a routine strategy,” said lead author Sanjit Jolly, an associate professor of medicine of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

“This is still an important therapy, but given the downsides we observed in our trial, its use should be quite selective and as a measure when an initial balloon angioplasty attempt fails to open up the artery, rather than as a routine strategy.” (afp)

In February, several of the experts wrote online posts for American Heart Month, with each including a mini-can of Coke or soda as a snack idea. The pieces — which appeared on nutrition blogs and other sites including those of major newspapers — offer a window into the many ways food companies work behind the scenes to cast their products in a positive light, often with the help of third parties who are seen as trusted authorities.

Ben Sheidler, a Coca-Cola spokes-man, compared the February posts to product placement deals a company might have with TV shows.

“We have a network of dieti-tians we work with,” said Sheidler, who declined to say how much the company pays experts. “Every big brand works with bloggers or has paid talent.”

Other companies including Kel-logg and General Mills have used strategies like providing continuing education classes for dietitians, funding studies that burnish the nutritional images of their products and offering newsletters for health experts. PepsiCo Inc. has also worked with dietitians who suggest its Frito-

Lay and Tostito chips in local TV segments on healthy eating. Others use nutrition experts in sponsored content; the American Pistachio Growers has quoted a dietitian for the New England Patriots in a piece on healthy snacks and recipes and Nestle has quoted its own executive in a post about infant nutrition.

For Coca-Cola Co., the public relations strategy with health experts in February focused on the theme of “Heart Health & Black History Month.” The effort yielded a radio segment and multiple online pieces.

One post refers to a “refreshing beverage option such as a mini can of Coca-Cola.” Another suggests “portion-controlled versions of your favorites, like Coca-Cola mini cans, packs of almonds or pre-portioned desserts for a meal.”

The focus on the smaller cans isn’t surprising. Sugary drinks have come under fire for fueling obesity rates and related ills, and the last time Coke’s annual U.S. soda volume increased was in 2002, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest. More recently, the company is pushing its mini-cans as a guilt-free way to enjoy cola. The

cans also fetch higher prices on a per ounce basis, so even if people are drinking less soda, Coke says it can grow sales.

In a statement, Coca-Cola said it wants to “help people make decisions that are right for them” and that like others in the industry, it works with health experts “to help bring context to the latest facts and science around our products and ingredients.” It said any communications by the experts it works with contain the appropriate disclosures.

Most of the pieces suggesting mini-Cokes say in the bios that the author is a “consultant” for food companies, including Coca-Cola. Some add that the ideas expressed are their own.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a professional group for di-etitians, says in its code of ethics that practitioners promote and endorse products “only in a manner that is not false and misleading.” A spokesman for the academy, Ryan O’Malley, said he couldn’t say whether the posts on mini-Cokes meet those guidelines because there is a formal process for submitting and reviewing such cases. (ap)

PARIS - People breastfed as infants have higher intelligence scores in adult-hood, and higher earnings, according to a study published Wednesday that tracked the development of 3,500 new-borns over 30 years.

And, critically, the socioeconomic status of mothers appeared to have little impact on breastfeeding results, accord-ing to a paper published by The Lancet medical journal.

“The effect of breastfeeding on brain development and child intelligence is well established,” lead author Bernardo Lessa Horta of the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil said in a statement.

What has been less clear, is whether the effects persist into adulthood, and whether a mother’s socioeconomic status or education level played a bigger role in the outcome of previous studies than her choice to breastfeed or not.

“Our study provides the first evi-dence that prolonged breastfeeding not only increases intelligence until at least the age of 30 years but also has an impact both at an individual and societal level by improving educational attain-ment and earning ability,” said Horta.

“What is unique about this study is the fact that, in the population we studied, breastfeeding was not more common among highly educated, high-income women, but was evenly distributed by social class.”

Horta and a team analysed data from another study of children born in Pelotas in 1982.

Information on breastfeeding was compared to IQ test results at the av-erage age of 30 years, as well as the educational achievement and income of 3,493 participants.

“The researchers divided these sub-jects into five groups based on the length of time they were breastfed as infants, controlling for 10 social and biological variables that might contribute to the IQ increase including family income at birth, parental schooling, genomic ancestry, maternal smoking during preg-nancy, maternal age, birthweight, and delivery type,” said the statement.

“While the study showed increased adult intelligence, longer schooling, and higher adult earnings at all duration lev-els of breastfeeding, the longer a child was breastfed for (up to 12 months), the greater the magnitude of the benefits.”

An individual breastfed for at least a year as a baby gained a full four IQ points, had 0.9 years more schooling, and an income of 341 Brazilian Re-als (98 euros, $104) higher per month at the age of 30, compared to those breastfed for less than one month, the study found.

“The likely mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of breast milk on intelligence is the presence of long-chain saturated fatty acids (DHAs) found in breast milk, which are essential for brain development,” said Horta.

“Our finding that predominant breast-feeding is positively related to IQ in adulthood also suggests that the amount of milk consumed plays a role.”

In a comment also carried by The Lancet, Erik Mortensen of the Univer-sity of Copenhagen said the findings had important public health implications.

“However, these findings need to be corroborated by future studies designed to focus on long-term effects and im-portant life outcomes associated with breastfeeding.” (afp)

Breastfeeding leads to higher IQ, earnings later

Blood clot removal boosts stroke risk in heart attack patients

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

This March 7, 2015 photo shows 8.5 ounce bottles of Coca-Cola at the Cadillac Champion-ship golf tournament in Doral, Fla. Coca-cola, which struggles with declining soda consumption in the U.S., is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its cola as a healthy treat.

Coke a good snack? Health experts who work with Coke say so

NEW YORK — Coca-Cola is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its soda as a treat at a time when the world’s biggest beverage maker is being blamed for help-ing to fuel obesity rates.

Their success is expected to in-spire other entrepreneurs, students, and the public, in general, so that they could become entrepreneurs on their own.

Since the launch of the Na-tional Entrepreneurship Movement (GKN) in 2011, the nation has been able to produce successful entrepreneurs.

“Many of them have become successful, and we hope that they can share their knowledge with en-trepreneur candidates,” he stated.

The ministry will promote entre-preneurship in universities across Indonesia and hopes that entrepre-neurship will help to reduce the unemployment rate.

In the meantime, more than one thousand people joined a series of activities organized to mark the National Entrepreneurship Move-ment (GKN) aimed at boosting the culture of entrepreneurship in the community.

“The GKN in Makassar is or-ganized at the Celebes Convention Center, Makassar, and has the par-ticipation of young entrepreneurs, and those interested in becoming

entrepreneurs,” Prakoso Budi Suse-tyo, the deputy-in-charge of human resource development of the Co-operatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry, stated during a telephonic conversation on Tuesday.

Cooperatives and SMEs Minis-ter A.A.G.N. Puspayoga officially flagged off the GKN activities in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The GKN activities included an integrated training on Coopera-tives Public Campaign attended by 450 people, a teleconference of entrepreneurship training attended by 400 participants, and a training on “Understanding Cooperatives for Apparatus” attended by 30 people.

The minister stated that trainings are important to improve the capac-ity of human resources engaged in SMEs, so that they can upgrade their businesses from micro to small-scale businesses and later to medium-scale businesses.

He also urged entrepreneurs to join cooperatives in order to estab-lish cooperation and develop their businesses. (ant)

DENPASAR — An American woman standing trial in Indonesia on a charge of murdering her mother gave birth to a girl Tuesday at a hospital on the resort island of Bali.

Heather Mack was admitted to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar about 1 p.m. and gave birth about six hours later, Kerobokan prison chief Sud-jonggo said.

One of her attorneys, Anthony Scifo, said Mack gave birth by cesar-ean and that she and the baby, named Stella, are healthy.

Mack, 19, and her boyfriend Tom-my Schaefer, 21, are being tried on charges of murdering Sheila von Wiese-Mack whose body was found in a suitcase on a taxi at a hotel last August. They face possible death by firing squad if found guilty.

According to Sudjonggo, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, prison rules would allow Mack to keep her baby with her at the prison until she is 2 years old. Mack has said she wants the baby to stay in Bali so she can visit her while in jail.

The hearings for the separate trials will be rescheduled pending Mack’s condition, said Hasoloan Sianturi, spokesman of the Denpasar District Court. Their trials are to resume March 24, when prosecutors would submit their sentencing demands.

Schaefer testified at Mack’s trial last week that he got angry at von Wiese-Mack because she used a racial slur against him and threatened the unborn baby. He also said the victim strangled him briefly and he struck her with a metal fruit bowl but didn’t remember how many times.

Mack testified that they panicked afterward and that she did not want her mother dead.

According to the indictment, Schaefer battered von Wiese-Mack following an argument over the hotel bill and Mack helped stuff her moth-er’s body into the suitcase by sitting on it to enable Schaefer to close it.

Prosecutors said Mack had sug-gested to Schaefer while they were in America that he hire someone for $50,000 to kill her mother. (ap)

ANTARA FOTO/Sahrul Manda Tikupadang

Cooperatives and SMEs Minister A.A.G.N. Puspayoga officially flagged off the GKN activities in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Min-istry will organize the Entrepreneurship Expo 2015 in Denpasar, Bali, on April 9-13, 2015.

Bali to host entrepreneurship expo in April

DENPASAR - The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry will organize the Entrepreneurship Expo 2015 in Denpasar, Bali, on April 9-13, 2015. “The expo will display products of successful entrepreneurs who have been able to enhance their capabilities, and it is expected to inspire other entrepreneurs,” the ministry’s deputy-in-charge of human resources, Prakoso Budi Susetyo, noted recently.

AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati, File

In this Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 file photo, Heather Mack of Chicago, Ill., sits in a courtroom during her trial hearing at the district court in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. A prison official on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 that Mack has given birth to a girl at a Bali hospital.

Arrested US woman in Bali’s suitcase murder gives birth to a girl

International2 Thursday, March 19, 2015 15International Activities

Bali News

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

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is con-sidered 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, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

Balinese Temple Ceremony

Thursday, March 19, 2015

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

(0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Kick back on the beach for lunch and enjoy Finn’s resident DJ (spinning tunes from 1-5PM). Finns’ re-cently launched new menu provides an array of options that will satisfy all tastes from Asian cuisine to salads, sides, pizza, pasta, BBQ and more – everyone has been catered for. Indulge in Finn’s Signatures such as the Cliff Edge Burger, Steak Sandwich and Guinness Bat-ter Onion Rings. Or for healthier options you can’t go past the Yellow Fin Tuna Rice Paper Rolls, Tri Colour Barramundi Tacos and Grilled Calamari. Gluten free guests haven’t been forgotten with a number of options where one must mention - all pizzas and pastas are available gluten free!

From 5PM Australia’s favourite acoustic artist, Athron McCann is back and playing live until 9PM. Which is also the perfect time to take full advantage of Finn’s Beat the Clock Happy Hour which kicks off from 4PM. Enjoy savings of up to 50% OFF all cocktails,

A responsibility is a very important thing in any profession. It will be positively correlated to the qual-ity of individual and team work. “Responsibility and sense of belonging in the company where we work is a commitment that must be upheld. Without it, we will never get comfortable atmosphere in our workplace,” said Ketut Wirya Negara, a hotelier.

Wirya, the man born in 1965 and husband to Nyo-man Sri Wahyuningsih, has been getting involved in tourism industry since 1985 after graduating from high school in 1984. He started his career as a bar waiter in a state-owned hotel named Inna Putri Bali when it was still under the name of Bali Nusa Dua Ho-tel. Due to his discipline and outstanding performance, the management appreciated him by giving awards to enhance his skills and abilities. For that purpose, he was given the opportunity to attend school by taking Diploma 1 majoring in Food and Beverage Service in Bali Tourism Institute (BPLP) in 1985.

Along with the performance he showed, Wirya was entrusted to fill in some important positions such as Sales Executive for 5 years, Sales Manager for 3 years, Marketing Manager, Food and Beverage Manager until 2006 at the Inna Putri Bali.

“Inna Hotel under PT HIN has owned some properties in Bali and outside Bali. It gives me the opportunity to improve the ability to fill in the position such as EAM and Resident Manager for 2 years until 2008 at the Inna Kuta Beach. In early 2009, I returned to the Inna Putri Bali entrusted as Resident Manager and Management Team Leader (KTM) for a year,” said the father of one son and one daughter.

Before being entrusted as General Manager at Inna Kuta Beach, Wirya had also filled in the position of General Manager at the Inna Sindhu Sanur for two years until 2011 and Inna Sim-pang Surabaya for a year until May 2012.

Responding to the competitive conditions existing today, Wirya had a great confidence of being able to face it. (kmb)

IBP/Courtesy of Semara Resort

IBP/kmb

Profile

Ketut Wirya Negara:Responsibility and confidence to compete

Easter Sunday festivities on Finn’s Beach Club

UNGASAN - Finn’s Beach Club is hold-ing their annual Easter Sunday festivities on April 5. Catering for families, couples and friends, there truly is something for everyone. beers and wines (by the glass) until 9PM. The beach bonfires will also be

fired up from sunset.Bringing the kids? Head over early and they can enjoy a special kids buffet

at Selatan Cliff Top Restaurant (no entrance fee) from 11AM-5PM. They will also be able to enjoy Easter Egg Painting, Easter Bunny Face Painting, a Bouncing Castle, Kids Party Games and a Mini Zoo.

Attendant for the Masceti temple and beach area, I Ketut Sugata, did not dismiss the increasing amount of rubbish left behind from offerings made during the melasti rituals. The problem is that the rubbish created from the offerings is sometimes left unnoticed by those participating in the ritual “Every day the rubbish collected reaches up to six cubic meters,” he said.

He is assisted by six janitors specifically paid for cleaning up the beach after the ritual activities. Funds are obtained from operating cost provided by each customary village that will perform a melasti procession on Masceti Beach. “The rubbish levy collected depends in the number of participants in the melasti procession,” he explained.

Each customary village provides a levy amounting to IDR 100,000 as a sanitation fee. Nevertheless, the awareness of each pilgrim regard-ing their own rubbish becomes the main issue. “Even though there has been a sincere donation for sanita-tion, it is more important that each participant be aware of their own rubbish, which is rather difficult to develop” he said.

Approximately three to four customary villages perform melasti activities on Masceti Beach ev-ery day. They come and go. To maintain sanitary conditions on Masceti Beach, six people perform a cleanup after each village has completed its procession.

The rubbish is collected from the beach and temporarily stored

away from the location of the ceremony. At times some of the rubbish is processed into compost, while other portions are dumped into the landfill at Temesi Gianyar. “We first pill it up in the east and then we will transport it to the landfill after the melasti procession is done,” he explained.

Hindus from Gianyar often choose to perform their melasti ritual on Masceti Beach because it has a spacious parking lot and the space of worship is also relatively wide, though in fact not quite big enough. “Eventually we will re-arrange the space to make it more suitable, including more parking, providing some shelter as a place to relax before and after the ritual,” he said. (kmb16)

AMLAPURA - Before Nyepi, trucks are queuing up at Padangbai Harbour, because of the increased number of trucks and the insufficient crossing services available. Sukanto, a representative of transport companies at Padangbai Harbor, revealed that before Nyepi many companies try to have their fleets operate earlier be-cause on Nyepi (Saturday) the harbor will be closed, so freight will not be able to be delivered to Bali.

Since the Padangbai Harbor only operates one dock, the surge of trucks cannot all be ferried across. Accord-ing to Sukanto, in early March, the number of trucks crossing increases compared to the number of trucks crossing during the first three months of the year. “The number of trucks transporting goods through Padangbai, will continue to increase until the end of March, as it has in previous years,” he explained.

Without proper mitigation, the queue of trucks could possibly remain there on Nyepi. For this reason, the ASDP Indonesia Ferry Padangbai,

must find a way to optimize the cross-ing services, chiefly for those that will depart to Lembar because freight trucks from Lembar to Padangbai will increase dramatically before Nyepi. “In anticipation of Nyepi, goods are transported early. The day before Nyepi, there will be no crossing over to Bali except for private cars,” he said.

Unfortunately repairs to Dock 1 have only reached the stage of install-ing rebar on the dock floor, so it will remain unusable until after Nyepi. “After the installation of grating, they still have to install the ramp door and check the hydraulic machine,” explained Supeno, a seasoned worker who is working on repairs to the dock.

According to him, frequent rain has caused the dock welding process to be hampered because electric currents needed for welding could have endan-gered workers. “The rain has been an obstacle for completing the welding process, all we can do is wait for the rain to stop,” he lamented. (dwa)

IBP/Gung Dar

The rubbish from Melasti Ritual is seen on Lebih Beach

Rubbish from Melasti Rituals reaches about six cubic meters each day

GIANyAr - Melasti processions, occurring before Nyepi, Çaka New year 1937, that started on March 14, 2015, are apparently leaving behind problematic amounts of waste materials related to the ritual. Melasti rituals in the area of Masceti Beach, Medahan vil-lage, Blahbatuh, for example have left behind six cubic meters of trash per day.

IBP/Dewa Farend

The queue of trucks is still very long in Padangbai Harbor

Before Nyepi Trucks still queuing

at Padangbai

Page 13

Police cars burn at anti-austerity protest in Germany

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

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Thursday, March 19, 2015

16 Pages Number 667th year

e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

Price: Rp 3.000,-

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

DPs 23 - 32WEATHER FORECAsT

Netanyahu’s Likud surges to stunning Israeli election winPage 6 Page 8

Arsenal out after failing to cope with pressure

LOS ANGELES — “Fashion Police” is taking a break after losing co-hosts Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin and plans to slip into some-thing new for fall, the E! cable TV channel said. Co-hosts Giuliana Ran-cic and Brad Goreski and executive producer Melissa Rivers will be back in September with the series, which will “evolve” into its next chapter, E!

said in a statement Tuesday.Previously, E! said the celebrity

critique fest would air as sched-uled March 30 despite the exits of Osbourne and Griffin. The hiatus announcement came a day after Griffin went on “The View” and dis-cussed why she chose to quit March 12 after just seven episodes. The comedian, who replaced the late

Joan Rivers, her friend and mentor, already had tweeted about leaving because she was uneasy being part of the show.

Griffin told “The View” talk show on Monday that the E! series didn’t suit her improvisational style and that she felt forced to “comment about pictures of beautiful women in perfect dresses and say kind of bad things.”

As a feminist and a comic, she said, it didn’t feel right.

Osbourne left the show in late February, after complaining about Rancic’s red-carpet criticism of African-American singer-actress Zendaya’s dreadlocks. Rancic said they suggested the smell of marijuana.

Zendaya went online to slam the

remarks as “outrageously offensive” and Rancic later apologized, saying the experience taught her not to per-petuate cliches and stereotypes.

E! did not detail how “Fashion Police” would change or who its new co-hosts will be. The show has faltered since losing the wily, tart-tongued Joan Rivers, Melissa’s mother. (ap)

“It affects your ability to feel like you’re not actually disappearing,” said Winslet, 39. “I just didn’t feel very together at all, physically or mentally. I don’t have those great, strong, glowing pregnancies.”

“It was really wonderful to be in a position where I did have my brain back,” she said. Shailene Woodley noted that she was afraid to be too physical with Winslet during “Divergent,” but that the gloves came off this time.

In their work, Woodley and Winslet have de-veloped a bond that goes beyond a co-star con-nection. Both got their first significant burst of fame at age 21, Winslet with “Titanic,” and Woodley with her role in “Divergent.”

Though Woodley credits Winslet with offering her helpful advice about the temporality of celebrity, Winslet said that Woodley’s steadfast goals are what will see her through trying times, even in an environment of height-ened scrutiny and access.

“She has values that are very, very important to her and she lives by them 100 percent. That is very unusual. I don’t think I possessed to that extent,” said Winslet, who still avoids media, social and otherwise,

as a rule.“It’s how I’ve stayed sane. I don’t read reviews. I

don’t read magazine articles that I’ve been in. I don’t allow magazines into the home. I just don’t,” she said.

Ultimately, Winslet’s work in the “Divergent” films is for her three kids, ages 14, 11 and 15 months.

“My children can’t see most of the films I’ve been in because I either die or take my clothes

off,” said Winslet, laughing.“At a certain point in one’s career,

it’s really wonderful when your child turns around and goes ‘oh my god, mommy, you have to be in that film. My friends are going to die,’” she said animatedly.

She’s always surprised at just how opinionated her kids are about her career, sometimes cautioning her to avoid something that they feel

she’s “done before.” Speaking of a secretive cameo that she was recently offered, Winslet said that when she told her 11-year-old son, his world came to a stop.

“I actually had to video his reaction because it was so pro-

found,” she said. (ap)

AUSTIN — Mary J. Blige per-formed for a feverish crowd Tuesday night at the Samsung Supper Club in an event not sponsored by South by Southwest, another sign of unofficial concerts rivaling the festival when it comes to pulling big-name acts.

Blige is no dancer, but the per-former moved energetically at the show, even imitating Michael Jack-son’s dance moves during her funky hit, “Just Fine.”

She kicked off her set with “Enough Cryin’” — which features her rapping as her alter ego Brook-Lynn — and she continued with the up-tempo anthem, “The One.”

She moved like a pro, though there was water dripping from the covered ceiling on the venue’s rooftop. She managed to maneuver in heels and an ab-revealing crop top.

“Go Mary. Go Mary,” the crowd, who attended a seated dinner prior to the performance, yelled loudly. Blige’s husband, Kendu Isaacs, filmed her performance with his phone while “Orange Is the New Black” actress Danielle Brooks, music manager Kev-in Liles and track and field Olympian

Sanya Richards-Ross — along with her pro football player husband Aaron Ross — sang and danced along.

“Where the ‘My Life’ fans at?” the 44-year-old Blige asked, referring to her classic 1994 sophomore album. She followed with songs from that album, including “Be Happy” and “You Bring Me Joy.”

She also performed other hits from the past, including “Real Love” and “You Remind Me” from her debut album, 1992’s “What’s the 411?”

Before singing her latest song, “Doubt,” Blige offered her usual words of encouragement.

“Where are all those amazingly strong, good women that nobody can’t keep down out there? ... I mean, make some noise!” she said. “The voice of doubt is going to be conquered by you all the time.”

Blige asked the audience to stand up for her rendition of U2’s “One,” which she covered a decade ago, and they danced happily when she closed with her pop hit, “Family Affair.”

Iggy Azalea, D’Angelo and Nick Jonas are some of the other top acts at events unrelated to the festival. (ap)

IBP/Net

Mary J. Blige shines at unofficial SXSW show

‘Fashion Police’ taking a break to slip into something new

Winslet on the perks of not being pregnant

in ‘Insurgent’LOS ANGELES — For Kate Winslet, one of the more exciting things about returning to

play the coldblooded Jeanine in the second installment of the “Divergent” series is the fact that she wasn’t pregnant this time.

“No comment, too many people have been talking about it. Regard-less I want to introspect during Nyepi first anyway,” said Adi.

Previously, legislator of the Bali House, Wayan Diesel Astawa, said that the and his colleagues were not there to accept or reject the reclama-tion project. Astawa, who is also the Secretary of Commission III, which is in charge of environmental af-fairs, expressed this position during the Amdal Consultation with the PT

TWBI last week.Responding to the attitude of

the Bali House, Secretary General of the National Coordinator for Reject Benoa Bay Reclamation (KNTRTB), Gede Bangun Nu-santara, said this was the attitude of a sissy. The people of Bali are said to have been ‘orphaned’ since the reclamation case was revealed two years ago. The House which is supposed to represent Balinese people has not even responded to

the ongoing waves of rejection of the reclamation project.

“The Chairman of the House’s promise that he made yesterday, to form a special committee to look into the matter of the reclamation project, is a form of deception. Such an attitude is very dangerous and has the potential to kindle horizontal conflicts among the people of Bali. Is the House waiting for a conflict to arise, in order to then respond to the conflict rather than respond to

the issue?” asked Bangun.According to Bangun, the people

of Bali should be suspicious of what lurks behind the sissy attitude that the House is expressing. The house should be explaining their lack of stance on the project, because be-sides dealing with matters related to legislation, budgeting, or mak-ing laws, it is important that the House listen to the aspirations of the people. “However, the House seems to be blind and deaf to state-ments made by the people,” said Bangun.

In the meantime, Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Intellectu-als Association (ICPI) Bali, I Putu Anom, argues that Balinese people need to be assured by the execu-

tive and the legislative branches of the House so that they can know whether their ‘father’ and ‘mother’ will accept or reject the reclama-tion project. Studies by Udayana University have declared that the project is unfeasible, both in terms of environmental and economic aspects, especially because the eco-nomic aspects are not aligned with the needs of the community, local entrepreneurs, as well as cultural and social impacts.

IBP/File Photo

People rallied against the Benoa Bay reclamation plan recently in Denpasar, Bali. Polemics on the Benoa Bay reclamation plan are ongoing. The majority of the people who express their refusal to support the project, describe themselves as orphans. The implication being that their representatives in the Bali House will not hear their pleas to refuse this project.

Benoa Bay reclamation plan

Chairman of Bali House still gives no commentDENPASAR - Polemics on the Benoa Bay reclamation plan are ongoing. The majority of the

people who express their refusal to support the project, describe themselves as orphans. The implication being that their representatives in the Bali House will not hear their pleas to refuse this project. It would seem that the scathing satire expressed by people, regarding the project does not touch their hearts at all. Chairman of the Bali House, Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, keeps dodging questions and has not given any comments related to this issue.

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.listen2my-

radio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http://ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.