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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

16 Pages Number 583rd Year

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

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British presscelebrates Oscarsuccess

Kuta Beachalleged to becontaminated

“All my people love me. Theywould die to protect me,” he toldthe U.S. ABC network and the

Agence France Presse

BERLIN – Germany’s populardefence minister quit Tuesday aweek after being stripped of his doc-torate for alleged plagiarism, depriv-ing Chancellor Angela Merkel’sgovernment of its star performer. “Igive particular thanks to the chan-cellor for all the support she hasgiven me and her great trust andunderstanding,” Karl-Theodor zuGuttenberg told reporters in Berlin.

“I was always ready to fight.But I have reached the limits of my

AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL

German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU)Continued on page 6

German defence ministerquits after plagiarism row

strength.” The suave aristocrat, 39,became one of the most popularfigures in Merkel’s cabinet sincebursting on the scene in February2009, impressing first as economyminister then at defence. Party ral-lies ahead of Merkel’s re-electionin late 2009 saw the Franconianfeted like a pop star he was eventouted as a possible successor tothe 56-year-old chancellor at thehelm of Europe’s biggest economy.

“This is a big loss for AngelaMerkel,” political scientist GeroNeugebauer told AFP. “She is losing

an important election campaigner.”But he was never a hit with the

media — the mass-circulation Bildbeing the notable exception — andpapers gleefully went on the attackwhen accusations he had ripped offothers’ work for his thesis emergedtwo weeks ago. Zu Guttenberg, whocan trace his family back to the 12thcentury and whose wife is a directdescendent of the 19th century “IronChancellor” Otto von Bismarck,was ridiculed as “Baron Cut-And-Paste” and “Zu Googleberg.”

AFP PHOTO / MARCO LONGARI

A Libyan soldier who joined the rebellion against Khadafi stands next to an antiaircraft gun at an army barrack in Benghaziwhere dozens of civilians registered for a civil defense training amid fears of an air raid from Tripoli.

Gaddafi deploys forces asworld raises Libya pressure

Continued on page 6

Reuters

TRIPOLI – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi deployed forces to a western border area onTuesday in defiance of Western military and economic pressure, raising fears that one of thebloodiest Arab revolts may become more violent still. Suspicions grew that the veteran leader, inpower for four decades, does not understand the strength of the forces now massed against him.

BBC on Monday, dismissing thearmed muscle of a rebellion againsthis 41-year rule that has ended his

control over eastern Libya. Barely12 hours after the United States saidit was moving warships and air

forces closer to the north Africanoil exporting country, Libyan forcesre-asserted their presence at the re-mote Dehiba southern border cross-ing on Tuesday, decorating the bor-der post with green Libyan flags.

Reporters on the Tunisian sidesaw Libyan army vehicles, and sol-diers armed with Kalashnikov rifles.

InternationalWednesday, March 2, 20112

Bali News

Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Wirya, Yudi

Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subagiadnya, Subrata, Suentra, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali

Putra Ariawan. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, 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

Singaraja (Bali Post) –Grapes has been the prime fruit in

Buleleng Regency yet now is on itsextension s the past few months thegrape farmers located in Banjar andSeririt Sub Districts have taken downits trees due to they couldn’t pay backthe loss that’s happening on everyharvest time.

As Bali Post observe in Temukus,Banjar and Kalianget Villages lastMonday (28/2), the areal that wasonce planted with grapes now havechanged to rice fields. What’s more,on the north of Raya Singaraja-SeriritStreet for precise in Kalinaget, thegrape trees are being taken down by anumber of residents and has a signsaying “Sale”. “Maybe the owner keptgetting loss and so it’s better havingthe land to be sold, Sir,” a resident whowas getting leaves for his cow in theareal stated.

The resident, Gede Mariasa, alsostated that this has been happening

Head of Buleleng Agriculturaland Animal Husbandry Services,Putu Mertha Jiwa, accompanied bythe Division Head of Horticulture,Putu Oka Sastra, said Monday(Feb 28) that it was hard for thegovernment to realize the assis-tance in order to alleviate thelosses of farmers at Pancasari. Asthe plants submerged in the lakewater were no longer productive,there was no basis for governmentto provide compensation. “More-over, the farming at Pancasari hasnot implemented a greenhousesystem, so that the investment isnot too large,” he said.

On the other hand, Mertha Jiwasaid that strawberry and vegetablegardens at Pancasari could be re-

Denpasar—BisnisBaliA few days ahead of Nyepi

Day, the price of basic necessi-ties is relatively stable in BadungMarket, Monday (Feb 28). Priceof spices like small red chili stillranged between IDR 80,000 andIDR 100,000 per kilogram, shal-lot ranged from IDR 23,000 toIDR 25,000 per kilogram andgarlic ranged from IDR 20,000to IDR 22,000 per kilogram. Theprice hike even occurred to largered chili, where it was originallyIDR 12,000 per kilogram andthen increased by IDR 3,000 toIDR 15,000 per kilogram. It wasdifferent from the price of rice.Ahead of the holiday, the priceof rice declined IDR 500 forPutri Sejati and C4 Bali. Theprice of Putri Sejati decreased toIDR 7,500 per kilogram, whilethe C4 Bali was IDR 6,500 perkilogram.

“The price of rice has gotdown since a week ago. Thoughthe price rises, buyers will re-main to exist because rice poses

Strawberry farmers at Lake Buyan

Ascertained toAscertained toAscertained toAscertained toAscertained toget no indemnityget no indemnityget no indemnityget no indemnityget no indemnitySingaraja (Bali Post)—

Strawberry farmers at Pancasari Village, Sukasada subdistrict, whose garden was submergeddue to overflowing water of Lake Buyan, would certainly get no indemnity from the government.This decision was made after the Buleleng of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Services per-formed a research at the village.

cultivated after the lake water re-ceded. However, the lake water wasestimated to subside in relativelylong time, namely in next 2 to 3years. Though they had to wait foradequately long time to re-cultivatethe land, local farmers could stillproduce strawberries and veg-etables from the garden located farfrom the lakeside. “For a while,farmers are still able to producefrom the garden located in anotherplace,” explained Mertha Jiwa.

According to Mertha Jiwa, thedamaged strawberry and vegetablegardens in the village of Pancasaridue to overflowing water reached50 hectares. He added that sincethe lake water overflowed his partyhad visited the location to conduct

a research. In addition, some farm-ers had also been trying to savetheir crops by moving plants to theestates safer and far from thelakeside. “Even though there weresome submerged fruits, they wereresiduals of harvest and had lowquality,” he said.

Until Monday, the water of LakeBuyan continued to rise due to per-sistent rainfall in the area. Mean-while, the water of LakeTamblingan also continued to riseand made people previously livingin the area flee to higher location.But until Monday, the evacuatingresidents could not feel secure be-cause the lake water was continu-ously getting closer to the evacua-tion area they occupied. (kmb)

Ahead of NyepiPrice of basic necessities relatively stable

a basic necessity,” said Mrs.Padmi, one of the basic necessitytraders in Badung Market.

Price decrease did not occur tothe other basic needs such as sugarand cooking oil. Sugar remainedto be sold at IDR 10,000 per kilo-gram and non-packaged cookingoil was IDR 11,000 per kilogram.“Actually, Nyepi Day does nothave too much impact on foodprices,” continued Padmi.

Snacks favored

Stable prices of basic necessi-ties seemed to have no influenceto snacks. Ahead of the holiday,snacks were always in demand ashunted by consumers. The mostfavored snacks were nuts such aspeanuts, peas, jack beans and redbeans.

“In addition to snacks, beanslike kidney beans can also be usedas a complement of Nyepi offer-ings,” said Yani, a snack trader inBadung Market. She herself hadprepared stock of beans since five

days before Nyepi. As her experi-ence in the previous years, thesales of snacks could bring prom-ising profits. However, ahead ofthis Nyepi she did not dare tospeculate for obtaining more prof-its. “The price of beans continuesto rise. This month (February—Ed), for example, it has gone upfive times. Buyers now prefer topurchase half a kilogram only, nolonger one kilogram,” explainedYani. If in previous years, Yanicould reap up to 50 percent gain,but this time she only targeted 20percent.

Type of pulse experiencing adramatic increase in price wasjack beans. Previously, jack beanwas only sold at IDR120 thousandper five kilograms. Today, the nutbrought in from Klungkung isworth IDR160 thousand per fivekilograms, with the selling priceat IDR 35,000 per kilogram.“Right now, we are still lacking ofbuyers. Two days before Nyepi,they usually begin shopping incrowd,” added Yani. (rindra)

Gianyar (Bali Post) –Nyepi celebration in Gianyar espe-

cially during Ogoh-ogoh (effigies toscare away devils) parade caught seri-ous attention from security officials.Head of Politic, Nation and Public Pro-tection Board (Kesbangpollinmas), IBPutra Siwagatha, stated a number ofconflict areas will be secured duringNyepi last Monday (28/2).

For ogoh-ogoh parade, there willbe 1.286 of them and it seems to haveincreased from the previous year’s of900 ogoh-ogoh. Meanwhile from theseven sub districts in Gianyar Re-

IBP/File

The farmers are cutting down their grape trees

Kept Loss, FarmersCut Off Grape Trees

everyday due to the rain that keptcoming down, “What you see now isonly on the road sides, if you get tosee on the villages all grape gardenshave changed to rice fields or left justlike that.”

Mariasa admitted that he and hisbrother has a grape garden in thebeach shores of Kalianget yet latelyit has been unbeneficial and plannedto be changed to a rice field. Appar-ently in every harvest time it onlyproduce little results meanwhile themedicines for it have gone up, “Theharvest only reach up to IDR 300thousand. It’s better being a construc-tor then.”

Other information from farmers inBanjar Village stated that the changeof grape gardens to rice fields hap-pened since 2007. At that time it wasalready noted around 333 hectares ofit have changed function. Latelythose who have survived couldn’t doit anymore. (kmb15)

1.286 Ogoh-Ogoh in GianyarBeware of Conflict Potential Areas

gency, the most was in Sukawati with327 ogoh-ogoh, followed byBlahbatuh 245, Gianyar 231, Ubud216, Tampaksiring 105, Payangan 92and Tegalalang 70.

For security during the parade,Sigawatha will hand it over to eachvillage as this is as stated in the meet-ing with Sub District Leaders, VillagesCouncil, Religion Community Forum(FKUB) and other involving forums,“Of course we will ask everyone’s at-tention so together we can protect andsecure and create peacefulness for theNyepi day.” (kmb16)

3International Bali News Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Preparation of Melasti will havestarted at 7:00 a.m. Local Time in theBale Agung Temple as the center ofcongregation of deities before resum-ing the procession to Segara Kidulof Tanah Lot. All customary villag-ers of Beraban ranging from smallchildren to the elderly will join theprocession. The Melasti processionwill be followed by 44 temples ex-isting in the territory of Beraban cus-tomary village and carried 5 barongeffigies. On that day, all customaryvillagers will put on Balinese whitecustomary attires symbolizing purity.

Melasti procession to SegaraKidul of Tanah Lot will begin at 3:00p.m. Prior to departure, it will be con-ducted several series of processionssuch as picking up and welcomingthe deities, performing purificatoryrite to spring and then directly pro-ceeded to the sea. Having arrived atTanah Lot, it will commenced by or-

Denpasar (Bali Post) –Accused Wayan Budi alias

Panjul who has been suspectedkilled I Dewa Ayu Agung DyahCahyani got his trial last Monday(28/2) in Denpasar District Court.The skinny man was convictedhave violated Criminal Code sec-tion 338 or 365 paragraph (2) num-ber 1 and paragraph (3) also sec-tion 339 with maximum punish-ment jailed for life.

In the trial led by Judge IstiningRahayu, prosecutor explainedclearly what accused has done. Theincident started on 5th September2010 around 3 pm local time whereaccused was going towardsCahyani’s flat at IB Oka Street,Gang Rencong. Around 7 pm hethen went to the fishing pond lo-cated 100 meters away fromvictim’s room and pretended com-ing fishing. Around 10 pm, accusedsaw the location was empty andalmost other flats people wereasleep and so he thinks it’s the per-fect time to rob.

The next day on the same time,accused came again to location andaccused went up to the opened ceil-ing. He peed but to avoid beingdripped Panjul put his pee on hisclothing. Accused then saw a lightfrom the thin glass of the ceilingand so he opened it and went to thewater place in the bathroom.

Victim was aware of accused

Tanah Lot starts to beTanah Lot starts to beTanah Lot starts to beTanah Lot starts to beTanah Lot starts to beoverwhelmed by devoteesoverwhelmed by devoteesoverwhelmed by devoteesoverwhelmed by devoteesoverwhelmed by devoteesperforming Melastiperforming Melastiperforming Melastiperforming Melastiperforming Melasti

IBP/File

Hundreds of Hindus packed Tanah Lot due to the Melasti rutial in connection with the Nyepi Daycommemoration.

Negara, DenPostJembrana Police are doing Con-

dition Creation (Cipta Condition) op-eration year 2011 for the comingNyepi by having raids on motorcycletracking, drinks, outlaws, fireworks/crackers and more according toJembrana Vice Head Police, PoliceCommissioner N Pawitra last Mon-day (28/2). One operation held onSaturday (26/2) and Sunday (27/2)evening at Sudirman Street, Negaraand Berawah, Mendoyo had 58 unitmotorcycles confiscated involved intracking also gambling and alcoholconsuming.

Pawitra accompanied by HumanRelation, Police CommissionerNengah Sukarta, stated all these mo-

BY the celebration of Nyepi or Day of Silence in the Caka Year 1933, almost all Hindus, with-out exception in Tabanan Regency, performed Melasti—purification for ritual paraphernalia—to the beach, especially to Tanah Lot. The Melasti procession itself at Tanah Lot has alreadystarted since Sunday (Feb 27) and will last until Friday (Mar 4). By and large, most Hindusholding Melasti to Tanah Lot come in the morning onwards. However, especially for residents ofBeraban Village, the Melasti procession will be held on Wednesday (Mar 2). At that time, allcustomary hamlets within the territory of Beraban Village will gather at Bale Agung Temple tojoin the Melasti procession to Segara Kidul of Tanah Lot.

ganizing pemelastian pakelem ritual.During the Melasti procession ofBeraban Customary Village takesplace, the road access from the northof Beraban Village until Tanah Lotwill be closed for a while until en-tourage of Melasti procession arrivesat sea.

”When the procession ceremonyis on progress, visitors happening tobe at Tanah Lot are unable to leavethe object and vice versa. Similarly,visitors who would like to go toTanah Lot tourist object cannot passthrough until the procession arrivesat sea,” said Operations Manager ofTanah Lot, Made Sujana, Monday(Feb 28).

Meanwhile, both foreign and do-mestic visitors are usually very en-thusiastic to see the Melasti proces-sion at Tanah Lot. Such momentousmoment will also never be missed byvisitors who are fond of immortaliz-

ing the magnificent crowds andmyriad devotees saying prayers toTanah Lot Temple.

Around 5:00 p.m., the entourageof Melasti procession will return toBale Agung Temple proceeded bywelcoming the deities to return totheir abode at the long pavilion inBale Agung Temple. All deities willabide in Bale Agung Temple until thePengerupukan day. One day beforethe Pengerupukan, all members ofcustomary hamlets (15 customaryhamlets) within the Beraban Custom-ary Village will offer Prani oblationdivided into 2 sessions. At night, itwill be held the Pememben ritual(meeting of all gods in unseen realm).Ultimately, the ritual procession willbe ended on Pengerupukan by orga-nizing Caru Panca Sanak exorcismrites at 09:00 a.m., and then all dei-ties will be escorted to their respec-tive temple. (dir)

STIKES Student KillerJailed For Life

present as she asked who it is sothen victim cried for help yet ac-cused closed her mouth by hishands. Victim kept fighting backand managed to bite accusedmiddle and point finger. As to makevictim not shout anymore, accusedthen stabbed victim’s chest twiceyet victim kept on fighting. Ac-cused then threw her to her bed andwhile sitting on her he hit his knifeseveral times until victim was nolonger breathing. After knowingthat, accused then looked overvictim’s valuables and took laptop,cell phone, and other valuables. Healso managed to go to the bathroomto clean him from bloods that gotto his body and also took victim’smotorcycle.

The motorcycle was then left atMengwi Village Market and thelaptop was given to Sugeng whichthen sold to Komang AgusSudiartha for IDR 1.600.000. Ac-cused then received IDR 500 mil-lion also with the cell phonecharger sold for IDR 200 thousand.For that conviction, Legal Coun-selor Haposan Sihombing statedwill not appeal an exception as itis clear what has been done. Thenext trial will have witnesses’ state-ments.

Meanwhile, victim’s familyseemed to fill up the trial room.Victim’s father has arrived beforethe trail started. (015)

Coming Nyepi, tens ofmotorcycles confiscated

IBP/file

Tens of motorcycles confiscated by Jembrana police.

torcycles were violating regulations,“We fined and confiscated them andwill give it back after its trial.” Thisseemed to have given shock therapyto the youngsters who like track rac-ing and also a danger to other roadusers, “We hoped the disciplinary ofthe people in using roads can be in-creased and this operation was donefor Nyepi security.”

Meanwhile before that his sidealso secured seven café girls whoworked at Delod Berawah whichdid not have domicile card and be-ing trialled. For Nyepi security,Pawitra also directed 568 person-nel to secure the 556 ogoh-ogoh(effigies to scare away devils) pa-rade. (120)

International4 Wednesday, March 2, 2011 News

During the 18-day pro-democ-racy uprising, unconfirmed reportsthat Mubarak and his family mighthave amassed billions, or even tensof billions of dollars over their threedecades in power, fueled protestersalready enraged over massive cor-ruption and poverty in Egypt.Mubarak, the top ruling party lead-ers and other cronies, as well as thepowerful military have all profitedrichly from the corrupt system.

Mubarak was forced out of thepresident’s office on Feb. 11 by mili-tary leaders, who have promised tomeet many of the protesters’ de-mands. He is now believed to be liv-ing in seclusion with his family in

Associated Press Writer

BEIJING – China appears to berolling back some press freedoms,barring foreign journalists fromworking near a popular Shanghaipark and along a major Beijing shop-ping street after calls for weekly pro-tests in those spots appeared online.

The new restrictions put thepopular leisure spots on a par withTibet as out-of-bounds areaswhere foreign reporters need spe-cial permission to work, and comeafter journalists were attacked andharassed while working in the ar-eas over the weekend.

Bob Dietz, the Asia coordinatorfor the Committee to Protect Jour-nalists, said the treatment of jour-nalists in Beijing on Sunday was“the worst aggression against theforeign press we’ve seen since theOlympics in 2008.” “Such a heavy-handed response discredits the rul-ing Chinese Communist Party andhighlights their fear of popular op-position,” Dietz said in a statement.

The violence and tighter restric-tions follow anonymous online callsfor peaceful protests every Sundayin dozens of Chinese cities, inspiredby the demonstrations that haveswept the Middle East. ForeignMinistry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on

Agence France Presse

KAMPALA – Egypt is set to loseits veto power on rights to Nile watersafter Burundi signed a deal paving theway for the ratification of a new treatyon the great river, an official said onTuesday. “After Burundi signed (Mon-day), now the agreement can come intoforce,” Daniel Meboya, regionalspokesman at the Entebbe-based NileBasin Initiative (NBI) that led the ne-gotiations, told AFP in Kampala.

Burundi has now joined Uganda,Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia andKenya in agreeing to the deal,which seeks to strip Egypt of itslong-held rights to the Nile. Now

AFP/File/Mike Nelson

Pollution spews out of smokestacks from a factory a short distance fromNile cruise ships anchored near the Temple of Kom Ombo. Egypt is setto lose its veto power on rights to Nile waters after Burundi signed adeal paving the way for the ratification of a new treaty on the great river.

Nile treaty set for ratificationthat six Nile countries have signedthe accord, the country’s parliamentscan move forward with ratificationof the deal, Meboya said.

All six parliaments are expectedto ratify the Cooperative FrameworkAgreement, which is then expectedto create the Nile Basin Commission,a body that will decide on riverprojects in the region. Last year, af-ter a decade of talks, four Nile na-tions inked a deal that allowed up-stream countries to implement irri-gation and hydropower projects with-out first seeking Egypt’s approval.

For decades, Egypt held veto rightsover all upstream projects, followingpowers granted by a 1929 colonial-era

treaty with Britain. Egypt’s subse-quent 1959 deal with Sudan gave thetwo downstream countries more than90 percent control of Nile waters.Egypt and Sudan boycotted the cer-emony where the new treaty was un-veiled, and vowed not to recognise anydeal agreed without their consent.

At the May 2010 ceremony,Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania andEthiopia agreed to scrap both Egypt’sveto rights and the 90 percent con-trol provision. The signing ceremonymarked the close of negotiations, andthe other affected countries, includ-ing Kenya, Burundi and the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo were givenone year to ink the deal.

AP Photo/Andy Wong

Chinese policemen ask an Associated Press cameraman to leavethe area near the shopping street of Wangfujing in Beijing Sunday,Feb. 27, 2011.

China rolls back pressfreedoms amid protest calls

Tuesday urged foreign journalists toreport assaults to the police and toobserve China’s rules and regula-tions while doing their jobs.

Foreign journalists have tradi-tionally been afforded greater free-dom to report in China than localreporters, who face strong censor-ship and can be fired for reportsconsidered overly critical of offi-cials or government policies.

But foreign reporters who triedto take photos or shoot video onBeijing’s Wangfujing shoppingstreet on Sunday were told theyneeded special permission to workthere. An Associated Press photog-rapher was told Tuesday that thearea near People’s Square inShanghai was also off limits.

Security in the capital is alwaysvery tight in early March when thecountry holds its annual two-weeklegislative session, and dissidents areroutinely put under house arrest ortaken in for questioning around thistime. The session begins Saturday.

The reporting rules conveyedthis week, however, are new andgo against the more relaxed rulesput in place in the run-up to the2008 Beijing Olympics allowingreporters to work freely anywherein China as long as they had thepermission of the interviewee.

AFP PHOTO/GIANLUIGI GUERCIA

An Egyptian soldier stands guardoutside the Egyptian Museum in Cairoon February 20, 2011 more than one

week after Egypt’s long-time presidentHosni Mubarak was forced out of office

by an unprecedented wave of protests inthe Arab world’s most populous country.

Egypt seizesEgypt seizesEgypt seizesEgypt seizesEgypt seizesMubarak family fundsMubarak family fundsMubarak family fundsMubarak family fundsMubarak family fundsAssociated Press Writer

CAIRO – Egypt’s top prosecutor seized all the funds of ousted leaderHosni Mubarak and his family on Monday and banned them fromtravel abroad, the latest humiliation for the once-powerful family. Itcomes a day after authorities prevented Mubarak’s wife and son fromflying out of the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Sharm el-Sheikh. The attorney gen-eral had already frozen the assets ofthe ousted president, his wife, twosons and their wives on Feb. 20.

The latest move by the prosecutorcame a day after authorities preventedMubarak’s wife Suzanne and youngerson Gamal from flying out of Sharmel-Sheikh. Airport officials said thatthey tried to board a private jet at theairport in the Red Sea resort town,where they have been staying sinceMubarak stepped down.

Authorities told them they cannotleave without special permission, theofficials said on condition of ano-nymity in line with regulations. Itwas not clear whether the ban was

issued because they tried to leave.Nearly half the 80 million Egyp-

tians live under or near the povertyline set by the World bank at $2 aday. Mubarak is suspected of turn-ing a blind eye to corruption by fam-ily members and their associates,while many of the allegations ofwrongdoing centered on the busi-ness activity of his two sons, Alaaand Gamal, as well as Gamal’s wifeand her family. Unlike other Arableaders, particularly those in the oil-rich Gulf nations, Mubarak was farfrom ostentatious. Whatever wealthhe and his family may have had wasrarely — if ever — flaunted.

The most prominent symbol oftheir presumed fortune that has sur-faced was a townhouse in London’sexclusive Knightsbridge district,which is listed under GamalMubarak’s name and where he wassaid to have lived while working asan investment banker in the early1990s.

Activities Wednesday, March 2, 2011 5International

Temple CeremonyCalendar Event for February 1 through March 2, 2011

EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annualCeremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Ba-linese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine whicheach family possesses. Because of this practically every fewdays a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in someVillage in Bali. There are also times when the entire islandcelebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan,Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day,Tumpek Wayang day etc.

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

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed withpieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, deco-rations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold andChinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the fourcorners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, whiteor black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped inthe shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrel-las soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, longflags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. Infront of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles,decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, riceand other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are thegirls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangementsof all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Everyvisitor admires the grace with which the carry their load ontheir heads.

Balinese TempleCeremony

1 FebruaryAnggarKasih Tambir

Dalem Puri Temple in Batuan - SukawatiDalem Kediri Silakarang in Silakarang -Singapadu - GianyarDalem Temple in Sukawati Village - GianyarDalem Temple in Singakerta Village - Ubud -GianyarDalem Lemben in Ketewel - Sukawati -GianyarPaibon Pasek Tangkas in Peliatan - UbudPuseh ngukuhin in Keramas - GianyarPemerajan Agung Ki Telabah in Tuakilang -TabananKarang Buncing in Blahbatuh - GianyarDalem Bubunan in Seririt - BulelengDesa Badung Temple in DenpasarMerajan Pasek Gelgel Gobleg in Turupinghe -Banjar - BulelengLuwur Pedengenan Bedha in Bongan -TabananMerajan Dukuh Sebudi in Keramas - GianyarMerajan Pasek Ngukuhin in Keramas - GianyarPucak Payongan in Kedewatan - Ubud -GianyarTanah Kilap “ Griya Anyar” in Suwung Kawuh- Denpasar SelatanSelukat Temple in Keramas - Blahbatuh -GianyarDalem Tampuagan in tembuku - BangliDalem Waturenggong in Desa Taro - GianyarDalem Bentuyung in Ubud - GianyarPuseh Temple in Ubud - GianyarDalem Temple Peliatan Ubud - Gianyar

2 FebruaryBuda Umanis Tambir, Tilem Kawulu

Sari Bankar Titih Kapal - BadungUlun Kulkul (Aci Sarin Tahun) Besakih -KarangasemDalem Yang Taluh Sidemen -Karangasem

Dalem Kangin Sidemen - Karangasem.

16 FebruaryBuda Keliwon Matal

Puseh & Desa Temple Sukawati Village - GianyarMerajan Agung Batuyang - batubulanPasek Gelgel Bebetin Sawan - BulelengMaspahit Temple Sesetan - South DenpasarPasek Bendesa Manik Mas Dukuh Kendran -TegalalangPanti Pasek Gaduh Sesetan - South DenpasarMerajan Pasek Kubayan Wangaya GedePedarman Arya Kanuruhan Besakih -Karangasem

17 FebruaryPurnama Kesanga

Penataran sasih Temple Pejeng - GianyarBukit Mentik Gunung Lebah Batur VillageKintamani - bangli

26 FebruaryTumpek Kandang Day

Puseh Temple Gianyar CityLuhur Dalem Sagening Kediri - TabananMerajan Pasek Gelge Tegal Gede - Badung

2 MarchBuda Wage Menail

Dalem Tarukan LinggihCemenggaon Sukawati -GianyarPasek Dangke Bambang - BangliPenataran Dalem Ketut Pejeng Pejeng Kaja -GianyarPuseh Menakaji Peninjoan - BangliMerajan Agung Blangsinga Blahbatuh - GianyarKawitan Gusti Agung Blangsinga BlahbatuhGianyarKawitan Gusti Celuk Celuk - Sukawati - GianyarBaler Sada Temple Banjar Pemebatan, KapalMengwi

IBP

TABANAN - Physically, DewiSinta Hotel, Restaurant & Spa is notas grandiose as the hotels locatedin the premier tourist resorts ofNusa Dua, Sanur or Kuta. However,never misunderstand! The budgethotel located in the Tanah Lot tour-ist destination has its own unique-ness, both in terms of panorama orservices extended. “Though it is abudget hotel, we provide servicesbased on the standard of star-ratedhotels,” said I Gusti Gde Aryadi, theowner of the hotel, last week.

Most importantly, continuedAryadi, he provided services forguests with friendliness, honestyand professionalism, so as to createimpressive images for the only ho-tel in the favorite tourist area in Bali.Familiar and familial atmospherewas not only intended for the staff,but also became a priority for everysingle traveler. “We also giveawards for the best employees as away to encourage the morale of ourworkers in providing the best ser-

Dewi Sinta Hotel:

Relishing Sea View in Fusion with Terraced Rice Fieldsvices,” added the pioneer of TanahLot tourist object calmly.

Dewi Sinta is the oldest hotelsince the Tanah Lot was visited bymany tourists. The entire buildingis designed by perfectly combiningthe traditional elements and stylisharchitecture to engender a conve-nient tourism sanctuary to unwind.Aura of the sanctity exuded by theTanah Lot Temple, Enjung GaluhTemple and Pakendungan Templegive more profound tranquility.Meanwhile, the existing lush tropi-cal gardens confer a typical coun-tryside nuance.

There are 20 rooms consisting of2 types on offer, namely standardand deluxe room with air condition-ing, private bathroom with hot andcold water, IDD telephone, TV, andmini bar. In front of the hotel roomsstretches an enchanting terraced ricefields in combination with the ver-dant fairways of golf course andswimming pool. These added-valuebackdrops made this accommoda-tion close to nature. Additionally, itis also equipped with spa treatment

facilities featuring with Balinesetherapies to blissfully pamper guestswith freshness and fitness.

In the meantime, Dewi Sinta isalso equipped with restaurant offer-ing a variety of menu choices suchas Balinese, Indonesian, Chinese,Seafood and European cuisine. Alldelicacies are carefully prepared bywell-experienced cooks. Interest-ingly, breakfast, lunch and dinnerare optionally served in a la carte orbuffet style.

Other amenities equipping thehotel property are an open stage anda conference room with a capacityof 300 people. Such facilities offera dinner party with traditional cul-tural performances such as Kecak,Tektekan, Legong and shadow pup-pets. Best services, guaranteed se-curity and good relationship withthe surrounding communities led thehotel to achieve some outstandingachievements such as the SecurityCertificate from the Bali Police withgold predicate, bronze medal inTHK Awards and the best taxpayerin Tabanan Regency.

Wednesday, March 2, 20116 News

“According to the latest informa-tion obtained from reliable sources,Mousavi and Karroubi, together withtheir wives ... have been arrested andtransferred to Heshmatieh prison,”kaleme.com said. But the semiofficialFars news agency, which is close tothe powerful Revolutionary Guard,denied the report. Fars quoted an un-named judiciary official as saying themen were still under house arrest andhave not been allowed to leave theirhomes or have any outside contact.

Calls placed by The AssociatedPress to judiciary officials went un-answered. The imprisonment, if con-firmed, would mark a major escala-tion of Iran’s political crisis amid de-

Associated Press Writer

SAO PAULO – A motorist sped his car through a pack of more than 100cycling activists in southern Brazil, sending bikes and screaming riders flyingthrough the air and landing hard on the asphalt in a scene captured on amateurvideo and posted online.

At least 40 cyclists were injured, with most suffering cuts and brokenbones, but nobody was killed, authorities said. Police said the suspect, whosename they did not release, fled the scene of the incident Friday evening inPorto Alegre. He was brought in for questioning Monday after authoritiesfound his abandoned car over the weekend.

The man claimed riders surrounded his vehicle and began beating on it,causing him to panic and fear for his life, police said. But the lead investigatorin the case called that version of events “fanciful,” without giving other de-tails.

Inspector Gilberto Montenegro told Globo TV network’s G1 website thatthe man could face charges of attempted homicide. Under Brazilian law, pros-ecutors can decide whether to bring charges only after police close their in-vestigation, which may take 30 days. The man is currently free. Montenegroalso said the number of people hit and injured rose to 40. Previously, policesaid 16 people were hurt.

Cyclists in the Critical Mass ride told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper thatno riders were threatening the motorist. “He drove behind us for two blocks,and people were trying to stay calm. Then in the third block he ... floored it ontop of everyone,” Marcelo Guidoux Kalil told Folha. “It was a scene of war,with twisted bicycles and people bleeding on the ground.”

In the video, thuds and sharp sounds of metal on metal are heard as the caraccelerates directly through the pack of cyclists.

Scores of riders and eyewitnesses screamed and asked bystanders to callpolice and ambulances as they began administering first aid to the victims.

AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI

(FILES) A combo of recent file pictures shows Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi(R) and Mehdi Karroubi. The two leaders have been arrested along with their wives and jailed atTehran’s Heshmatiyeh prison, their websites reported on February 28, 2011.

Report: Iran oppositionReport: Iran oppositionReport: Iran oppositionReport: Iran oppositionReport: Iran oppositionleaders jailedleaders jailedleaders jailedleaders jailedleaders jailed Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian authorities have taken senior opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousaviand Mahdi Karroubi to a prison in Tehran, a reformist website said Monday. A semiofficial newsagency denied the report. Kaleme.com said Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Karroubiand his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, were transferred to Heshmatieh prison in the Iranian capital. Itwas not immediately clear when they were moved.

fiant calls from the opposition to standup to the ruling system.

Earlier Monday, Iran’s state pros-ecutor, Gholam Hossein MOhseniEjehi, said that authorities had cut alloutside contact with the oppositionleaders as part of a campaign to silencedissent. The official IRNA newsagency quoted Ejehi as warning thatauthorities would take “other mea-sures” against Mir Hossein Mousaviand Mahdi Karroubi if necessary.

“In the first step, their contacts suchas meetings and telephone conversa-tions have been restricted,” Ejehi wasquoted by IRNA as saying. “Shouldcircumstances arise, other measureswill be taken.” Ejehi did not say where

they were being held.Mousavi and Karroubi were placed

under house arrest after urging sup-porters to attend a Feb. 14 rally.Clashes between protesters and secu-rity forces during the demonstrationskilled two and wounded dozens.

Karroubi’s website,sahamnews.org, said Iranian securityforces took the two and their wives toan “unknown location” on Thursday.Activists and opposition membershave demanded Mousavi andKarroubi be released, vowing to stagedemonstrations every Tuesday untilthey are freed. Ejehi said any attemptby opposition supporters to take to thestreets will meet swift retribution.

Car runs down bicyclingdemonstrators in Brazil

Journalists had previouslyjumped on a series of minor scan-dals from an alleged mutiny after adeath on a naval training ship offSouth America in November to hishandling of a controversial Afghanairstrike in 2009. In December hewas accused of turning a Decembervisit to German troops in Afghani-stan into a publicity stunt because

The previous day, there was noLibyan security presence at the bor-der crossing. Dehiba is about 60 km(40 miles) from the town of Nalut. Inanother part of the west, residents saidpro-Gaddafi forces deployed to reas-sert control of Nalut, about 60 kmfrom the Tunisian border in westernLibya, to ensure it did not fall intothe hands of anti-Gaddafi protesters.

The United States said on Mon-day it was moving ships and planescloser to the country and BritishPrime Minister David Cameron saidhis government would work to pre-pare a “no-fly” zone to protect theLibyan people. The United States,whose Sixth Fleet operates out ofItaly, said it was working on contin-gency plans, including humanitarianassistance. Analysts said military ac-tion against Gaddafi was unlikely.

Injecting a note of caution intoWestern military thinking, Francesaid humanitarian aid must be thepriority in Libya rather than militaryaction to oust Gaddafi. The Frenchgovernment has sent two airplaneswith medical equipment and staff tothe Libyan city of Benghazi, now inthe hands of anti-Gaddafi rebels, andmore planes are to follow, govern-ment spokesman Francois Baroinsaid.

Asked about the possibility ofmilitary action to dislodge Gaddafi,Baroin told France 2 television: “It’snot a priority. The priority is humani-tarian aid, it’s no longer diplomacy.”

GADDAFI SCOFFS AT REVOLTDespite his continued hold on Tri-

poli, his last remaining stronghold,Gaddafi’s power to influence eventsin his vast desert country has shrunkdramatically in the past two weeks.

German...From page 1

he took along not only his wife butalso a television chatshow host.

But the plagiarism row, whichbroke after a law professor close tothe opposition went through his doc-toral thesis, was what finally brokehim.

Internet sleuths set up a collabo-rative website, or Wiki, to combthrough the 475 pages, concludingthat more than two-thirds of the dis-sertation contained evidence ofunattributed copying. His alma

mater, Bayreuth University, with-drew his doctor title last week, withuniversity president RuedigerBormann saying the thesis was “notthe result of correct scientific work.”

Zu Guttenberg had previouslyasked the university to take backthe title, saying there were “seri-ous technical faults which contra-vened proper academic standards.”“I am a human being, who hasweakness and who makes mis-takes,” he had said.

Gaddafi...From page 1

Numerous tribal leaders, officials,military officers and army units havedefected to the rebels, taking withthem large swathes of the country in-cluding the main energy-producingeast. Sanctions will squeeze his ac-cess to funds.

But in his interview, Gaddafi, 68,looked relaxed and laughed at timesduring the interview at a restauranton Tripoli’s Mediterranean coast andscoffed at the uprising.

He denied using his air force toattack protesters but said planes hadbombed military sites and ammuni-tion depots. He also denied there hadbeen demonstrations and said youngpeople were given drugs by al Qaedaand therefore took to the streets.Libyan forces had orders not to fireback at them, he said. U.S. ambassa-dor to the United Nations Susan Ricecalled him “delusional.”

She said Washington was in talkswith its NATO partners and other al-lies about military options. TheUnited States also said about $30 bil-lion in assets in the United States hadbeen blocked from access by Gaddafiand his family. White House spokes-man Jay Carney said on Monday thatgoing into exile would be one optionfor Gaddafi in meeting internationaldemands that he leave power.

There was mixed reaction fromanalysts to the news of Western mili-tary preparations. Algerian exileAbdullah Anas, an influential voiceamong north African Islamists, saidWestern military help for Libya’srevolutionaries would be a mistake.

He said any Western armed helpwould be exploited by al Qaeda as asign of Western imperialism, as wasthe West’s 2003 invasion of Iraq. “Itwill be another call for jihad. It willbenefit both Gaddafi and al Qaeda,”he said in an interview before the an-nouncements. “The West should re-member what happened in Iraq.”

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 7Indonesia TodayInternational

Reuter

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s soccerfederation (PSSI) will ask FIFA forhelp in resolving an election crisisthat threatens to bring the game toits knees in the country.

Demonstrations calling for theresignation of chairman NurdinHalid turned violent last week afterthe PSSI’s electoral committee dis-qualified oil tycoon Arifin Panigoroand Army Chief of Staff GeneralGeorge Toisutta from standingagainst Nurdin, who is seeking athird term.

The leadership tussle took a fur-ther confusing twist when the PSSI’sappeals committee annulled all de-cisions relating to candidates stand-

National police‘s head of pub-lic information Senior Commis-sioner Boy Rafli Amar said theanti-anarchism detachment wouldbe set up in all regional policeheadquarters.

“There will be a special unit inevery regional police commandthat will be ready to deal with an-archism,” he said.

He said the detachment wouldimplement Standard ProcedureNumber 1/X/2010 on anarchismcontrol and trainings would be car-ried out for it.

“The detachment is for meetingthe challenges that keep develop-ing. Therefore its existence is amust. Such a detachment has ac-tually been in existent before butthis one will be more specialized,”he said.

Boy said the detachment wouldconsist of elements from the Mo-bile Brigade and Anti-riot Policeand Mass Control Unit.

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s infla-tion slowed for the first time in fourmonths in February, prompting Bankof America Merrill Lynch to delayits forecast for an interest-rate in-crease to April from this week.

Consumer prices in Southeast Asia’sbiggest economy rose 6.84 percent lastmonth from a year earlier, after gain-ing 7.02 percent in the previous month,the Central Bureau of Statistics said inJakarta today. That’s less than the 7.13percent median forecast in a BloombergNews survey of 15 economists.

Bank Indonesia, due to decide onmonetary policy March 4, raised itsreference rate by a quarter point to6.75 percent in February. DeputyGovernor Hartadi Sarwono said lastweek the central bank may refrainfrom adding to the increase for nowas efforts to tame inflation are suffi-cient and the government’s sugges-tion to delay phasing out subsidizedfuel sales may cap price gains.

“We have changed our call, giventhe lower headline inflation readingand delay in the fuel-subsidy ration-ing scheme to July,” said Chua HakBin, a Singapore-based economist atBank of America Merrill Lynch. “The

Police to setPolice to setPolice to setPolice to setPolice to setup specialup specialup specialup specialup specialdetachmentdetachmentdetachmentdetachmentdetachmentto deal withto deal withto deal withto deal withto deal withanarchismanarchismanarchismanarchismanarchismAntara

JAKARTA - Indonesian police will set up a special detachmentto deal with anarchism, police chief General Timur Pradopo saidhere on Tuesday.”We have already made preparations for it and itwill soon be simulated,” he said.

“In dealing with the mass so farefforts were made in case of anar-chism in which shots might bemade but this time it is about ca-pacity building for personnel onthe field,” he said.

The essence is that it is estab-lished in the framework of improv-ing the quality of security servicein dealing with problems that maylead to anarchism by groups ofpeople or destruction by individu-als, Boy said.

Three people were killed aftera clash between a group of peopleand Ahmadiyah followers inCikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten,early last month.

Two churches meanwhile hadalso been burned and another onevandalized in a rioting early thatmonth in Temanggung, CentralJava, that erupted following dissat-isfaction over a court sentence ona defendant in a blasphemy casewhich was considered too lenient.

AFP PHOTO / Bay ISMOYO

Indonesian soccer fans shouts slogans and show a poster of FootballAssociation (PSSI) chief Nurdin Halid as a wanted person, during arally in front of PSSI headquarter in Jakarta on February 23, 2011.Indonesia’s soccer federation (PSSI) will ask FIFA for help in resolvingan election crisis that threatens to bring the game to its knees in thecountry.

Indonesia FA looks to FIFAfor help in leadership saga

ing in the election.PSSI Secretary General Nugraha

Besoes said the appeals committee’sdecision had only muddied the wa-ters ahead of the election in Bali onMarch 26.

“The (appeals committee) basi-cally didn’t decide anything,”Nugraha was quoted as saying inMonday’s Jakarta Globe. “The de-cision was very unclear so I don’tthink it can be enforced.

The appeals committee said it hadbeen subjected to political interfer-ence in the decision whether to re-instate Toisutta and Panigoro as can-didates. Indonesia’s representativeon FIFA’s ethics committee, DaliTahir, said the issue would bebrought up at its next meeting.

“We received an e-mail fromFIFA on Friday night and theystressed that the government shouldnot interfere,” he told state newsagency Antara.

“We’re anxious about this meet-ing because the agenda should havejust been about the problems of othercountries like Brunei, but now In-donesia is part of that meeting.”

The game has reached crisis pointin Indonesia, where a breakawaydomestic league was launched lastmonth without recognition fromworld governing body FIFA.

The league is the brainchild ofPanigoro and is aimed at improvingthe level of the game in the countryranked 129th by FIFA. It is alsobacked by the sports minister.

Indonesia Inflation Slows

Easing Pressure to Raise Rate at March MeetingDeputy Governor’s dovish remarkslast week also increased the likeli-hood of a hold decision.”

Bank Indonesia may keep the keyrate unchanged this week before mon-etary tightening continues in April asrising oil prices increase the risks toinflation, Chua said.

The rupiah was little changed at8,819 per dollar as of 3:01 p.m. inJakarta, according to data compiledby Bloomberg.

Half of the 16 economists surveyedby Bloomberg News expect Bank In-donesia to keep the reference rate un-changed this week, while the othereight expect an increase to 7 percent,according to a Bloomberg News sur-vey. Food prices fell for the first timein four years in February, RusmanHeriawan, chairman of the CentralBureau of Statistics, said in Jakarta to-day. Inflation in March may be “low”due to deflation in food prices, he said.

“We aren’t surprised atFebruary’s numbers because BankIndonesia has allowed the rupiah tostrengthen, so pressure on importedinflation is reduced,” said David E.Sumual, an economist at PT BankCentral Asia. “The government’s

removal of import duties on somefood items also reduced pressure.”

Still, Indonesia should be wary ofaccelerating core inflation, he said. “Itwould be strange if Bank Indonesiaheld interest rates because it has said itwill focus on core inflation.”

Consumer prices in Indonesia,Southeast Asia’s largest economy,climbed 0.13 percent in February fromthe previous month. Year-on-year coreinflation was 4.36 percent, gaining from4.18 percent the previous month.

President Susilo BambangYudhoyono seeks to expand theeconomy at an annual average rate of6.6 percent and create 10.7 million jobsby the end of his second term in 2014,including through attempts to boostinvestment in infrastructure.

Indonesia’s economy grew at thefastest pace in six years last quarterto 6.9 percent. Fitch Ratings on Feb.24 raised its outlook on the country’sdebt rating to positive from stable, af-firming its BB+ rating, one level be-low investment grade.

Indonesia’s exports rose 24.7 per-cent in January from a year earlier,the statistics office said. Importssurged 32.2 percent.

Worker cleaningthe outside ofstoreys buildingat Senayanarea.Indonesia’sinflation slowedfor the first timein four monthsin February,prompting Bankof AmericaMerrill Lynch todelay itsforecast for aninterest-rateincrease toApril from thisweek.

FOTO ANTARA/Andika Wahyu

8 InternationalWednesday, March 2, 2011

Bali Today

At least, there were four pointssuspected to undergo contamina-tion, namely at the front gate ofLegian Beach, in front of HardRock Hotel, in front of KutaBeach Task Force Office, and infront of Osho Legian. Accordingto Chairman of the Kuta BeachTask Force, I Gusti NgurahTresna, the color change of seawater was very significant, espe-cially on Monday (Feb 28). Thesea water initially clear changedinto brown. Suspiciously, suchbrown color was not like the seawater increasing when it rainedcontinuously. Brown color in thesea water was browner than thecolor of muddy water.

Although the condition did notaffect the overall level of visit to

On the edge of Bali’s palm-fringed Kuta Beach, where thou-sands of tourists flock each day,four cranes are busy at work on amassive beachfront development.

Dubbed the Beach Walk, the$70 million “lifestyle resort” link-ing two luxury hotels with high-end restaurants, shops and confer-ence facilities, is a testament toBali’s post-bombing resurgence asa tourist destination.

A decade ago, about 1.3 millionforeign visitors came to the island,according to official figures. Then,after Islamic extremists bombedKuta nightclubs in 2002, killing202 people, the figure plummetedto 990,000.

But in 2010, despite a secondbombing in 2005 which killed 20people, foreign visitor numberssurged to a record 2.3 million.

This year, 2.5 million are ex-pected, putting significant strainon the island’s infrastructure andsparking an explosion in hotelnumbers.

With the Indonesian island’srising appeal have come concernsits image as a tropical oasis is be-ing tarnished by rampant develop-ment, overcrowding and gridlock.

“Tourists come to Bali to re-lax,” Bali Hotels Association sec-retary-general Perry Markus said.“I can imagine how frustrated theywill be if they end up getting stuckin horrendous traffic jams like inJakarta.”

Fearing the island could be-come a victim of its own success,Bali Governor Made MangkuPastika in January took the ex-traordinary step of slapping amoratorium on new hotel devel-opment in the island’s three busi-est areas.

They include the famous surf-ing strips of Kuta and Sanur, theexclusive beachfront resort districtof Nusa Dua and the rice-terracedhills around Ubud.

With its warm climate, friendlypeople and smorgasbord of ac-commodation options, rangingfrom luxury beachside villas tobungalows in the rainforest, theappeal of Bali is easy to under-stand.

“I think we are one of the bestdestinations in Southeast Asia,”Bali Tourism Board chairman IdaBagus Ngurah Wijaya said. “Wemake everybody happy when theycome to Bali.”

But he too has noticed the in-crease in traffic jams along the nar-row, potholed streets and hasthrown his support behind the ho-tel moratorium.

“We don’t want the develop-ment of tourism in Bali to back-fire,” he said.

Kuta Beachalleged to becontaminatedBali Post

BADUNG - The water on Kuta Beach turned muddy within the past few days. Allegedly, it wasnot caused by weather, but the occurrence of pollution in a fairly large scale. Tourists also com-plained about the condition. Meanwhile, relevant agencies appealed to suspend the swimmingactivity on the Kuta Beach temporarily while waiting for the outcome of examination.

Kuta Beach, many tourists com-plained about the incident. Even,some of them were reluctant toswim. If there were some peopleswimming, they were very uncom-fortable. In response to this condi-tion, Tresna claimed to have madea report to the Badung Animal Hus-bandry, Fisheries and MaritimeServices.

Meanwhile, Chief of the BadungAnimal Husbandry, Fisheries andMaritime Services, I Made Badra,said his party had collected the wa-ter sample of Kuta Beach to bechecked in laboratory. However, itcould not be ascertained whetherthe water of Kuta Beach was dan-gerous or not because the exami-nation had not accomplished yet.“It takes two days to wait for the

laboratory results,” he said.He explained that the change in

color of sea water on Kuta Beachhad begun to happen since the pasttwo weeks. Culmination of the seawater condition getting worsenedwas since last Sunday (Feb 27).Responding to the condition,Badra re-affirmed that his partywas unable to take particular ac-tions as examination of the seawater sample of Kuta Beach hadnot completed.

For a while, his party took pre-ventive measures by asking the KutaTask Force to enforce the ban onswimming for tourists who wantedto swim on Kuta Beach. It was takento anticipate any inconveniencessuch as the possibility of skin irrita-tion due to pollution. (kmb25)

IBP/Doc

The water on Kuta Beach turned muddy within the past few days. Allegedly, it was not causedby weather, but the occurrence of pollution in a fairly large scale.

New hotels banned as Balistruggles with success

There are now almost 50,000rooms available across Bali on anygiven night, according to govern-ment figures. Most of these are inthe congested south, where themoratorium on hotel developmentwill be enforced.

“There is a lot of hotel accom-modation already built in thesethree regencies (local council dis-tricts),” the head of the Baligovernment’s Investment Board,Nyoman Suwirya Patra, said. “Sowe need to spread out the build-ing of accommodation to otherregencies.”

It remains to be seen how ef-fective the moratorium will be.But as an added incentive to shifttourism facilities to less-devel-oped areas, there are plans for asecond international airport inBali’s north and a new cruise shipterminal in the east.

Hotels Association secretary-general Markus believes theisland’s appeal as a “quality des-tination” is also under pressure onanother front — the recent successof low-cost chains like Tune Ho-tels, which promises “five-starbeds at one-star prices”.

“We don’t want Bali to beviewed as a cheap destination be-cause this island is too small. Acheap image will attract too manybackpackers and result in over-crowding,” Markus said.

He said 80 percent of Bali’shotel rooms are priced between$50 and $2,000 a night, but Tune,which follows the business modelof low-cost airlines, charges just$15.

It is clean and comfortable butlacks the aesthetic charm Bali isfamous for, such as luxuriant tropi-cal gardens and rooms with homeyrustic touches. At Tune, custom-ers are charged extra if they want“non-essentials” such as towels,soap or air-conditioning.

“We don’t need any more bud-get hotels like Tune which will stirunhealthy competition and driveour poor local guest houses out ofbusiness,” Markus said.

“We want to project Bali as aquality destination so we can attractquality tourists who stay longer onthe island and spend more.”

It is a concern not shared bytourists like Arif Budiman, a pro-fessional photographer from Ma-laysia who spent four nights at oneof Tune Hotels’ two establish-ments in Bali.

“Here at Tune, you can’t seemuch of the traditional Bali con-cept,” he said. “But I don’t botherabout that, as long as I can get areally clean room, good security,and most importantly, at a cheapprice.” (Agence France-Presse)

Balinese Culture

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 9

C.045 ibp

International

Indonesian Curried CrabIngredients• 4 crabs• 6 Shallots• 2 Stalks lemon grass• 2 ts Tamarind• 1/2 c Boiling water• 1 Handful coriander leaves• 3 Cloves garlic• 1 tb Fresh galangal• 2 To 3 birdseye chillies, -seeded• 4 Candlenuts• 1 t Blachan• 1 t Tumeric• Salt and pepper to taste• 3 tb Oil• 2 c Coconut milk

DirectionsCut the 4 crabs into quarters with a cleaver or large

knife. With a hammer, gently crack the claws and hardersections of shell.

Finely chop 6 shallots and 2 stalks lemon grass.Steep 2 teaspoons tamarind in half a cup of boilingwater. Chop a handful of fresh coriander leaves.

In a food processor, grind together 3 cloves garlic, 1tablespoon fresh galangal, 2-3 birdseye chillies, seeded,4 candlenuts (or substitute 8-10 cashews) and 1teaspoon blachan (hard dark brown shrimp paste), 1teaspoon turmeric and salt and pepper to taste. Heat 3tablespoons oil in a large wok or pan, and fry the pasteuntil fragrant. Add shallots, lemon grass, crab piecesand 2 cups coconut milk. Simmer for quarter of an hour.Strain the tamarind water and add half to the sauce.Taste and add more if you wish. Ladle curvy into aserving dish and scatter the fresh coriander on top.Serve with plain rice. (http://asiarecipe)

IBP

Denpasar – Telkomsel has pre-pared its network for Nyepi Day.The technical equipments and otheranticipation have been done to sup-port the customers during the NyepiDay. The Manager Network Opera-tion Support Telkomsel for Bali andNusa Tenggara area, I MadeKonten, said Tuesday that the net-work operation teams fromTelkomsel conducted networks up-grading and network so the custom-ers throughout Bali can still com-municate during Nyepi.

The network capacity in Bali isadequate for all the customers aswell as the electric capacity have

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Kusnandar (2 left) showing the prepaid GSM Card of Telkomsel. Same as years before, this yearTelkomsel also preparing its network to serve Balinese on Nyepi celebration.

Telkomsel network secure during Nyepibeen prepared using battery backupsystem.

“In the past few years, Telkomselhas implemented the environmentalfriendly equipment and it also didn’tproduce any sound so we hope thatthe people around the Telkomsel sitecan commemorate Nyepi Daypeacefully. We, from the Telkomsel,would like to say Happy Nyipe Day,Caka New Year 1933,” Konten said.

Meanwhile, the Telkomsel Man-ager Branch Denpasar, Kusnandarsaid that during this year Nyepi Day,Telkomsel receive many request forthe WEB2SMS application. He pre-dicted the increase of the request forthe application is because the affec-tivity of WEB2SMS.

“The WEB2SMS service is veryeffective during Nyepi or other holi-day. The application allows the userto send SMS in broadcast systemthrough the internet to all commu-nity or their registered customerswho use kartuHALO, simPATI, orkartu AS,” he added.

He also explained that for com-munity members or business part-ners, information sharing throughWEB2SMS is very useful. The bestpart of the service is because theoperating system is not manual,cheap price, can be use anytime andanywhere as long as they can accessinternet and the sender can be cre-ated according the community orbusiness name.(kmb18)

Indonesian Barbecued ShrimpIngredients

DIPPING SAUCE• 1/2 c Peanut butter• 1/2 c Water• 1 tb Brown sugar; packed• 1 tb Lemon juice• 1/2 ts Salt• 1/2 ts Red pepper sauce• 1 sm Garlic clove; crushed

SHRIMP• 1 1/2 lb Shrimp; peeled• 2 tb Vegetable oil• 2 tb Water• 1 tb Lemon juice• 1 ts Brown sugar; packed• 1/2 ts Salt• 1/2 ts Red pepper suace• 2 Garlic cloves; crushed

DirectionsPrepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients until

smooth. Cover until serving time. Make a shallow cutlengthwise down back of shrimp; wash out vein. Mixremaining ingredients in medium glass bowl. Addshrimp; stir to coat with marinade. Cover andrefrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove shrimp frommarinade; reserve marinade. Thread shrimp on 6, 15"metal skewers, leaving space between each. Coverand grill shrimp about 4" from medium coals, 10-20minutes, turning and brushing 2-3 times with marinade,until shrimp are pink. Serve with sauce, and if desired,lime wedges. (http://asiarecipe.com)

Wednesday, March 2, 201110 InternationalDestinations

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Bali is famous with its beaches.One of the beach that located onKlungkung regency is KusambaBeach. Kusamba Beach is one of thefavorite places of interest in Baliwhich is famous with the beautifulbeach. The boat line with theoutrigger belong to the fishermanfrom countryside are decorating theblack sand unfolding along thecoastal. Nusa Penida Island is acrossview which is only occupied by40.000 people. Kusamba own themarvelous view with the splashingwave from the ocean and it is sur-rounded the tropical atmospherewith soft sea breeze.

Name of Kusamba is factually notfar from the struggle history of Ba-linese in fight against the Dutchcolonist. During the war against theDutch in Kusamba on 23-24 May1849, the Balinese hero had suc-ceeds to make afraid the Dutch sol-dier and had killed the Dutch keyman - Letnan General Michiel.

We can see the fisherman arelooking after the prawn seed, sendthe rice, legume, fruits and otherhttp://2.bp.blogspot.com

Kusamba Beachmaterials to Nusa Penida twice a day.The fisherman from Kusamba withthe big boat and five crews can squirethe material heavy as of 1,5 cargoton to Nusa Penida. They can acrossthe sea from Banjar Tri Buana,Banjar Bias Coastal and KampungIsland Coastal with 30 minutes until2 hours time differences and it isdepend to the type and transporta-tion medium speed utilized. Besideof that, this boat can also squire thepassengers who wish to enjoy thebeautiful coral and the white sandcoastal in the island cross of Bali .Segara Beach in Kusamba is espe-cially for the Hindu ritual activitieswhich are often conducted the activ-ity of Nganyut in line with NgabenCeremony (Cremation Ceremony).We can also meet a fish market inthis place which is usually held be-tween 10 am until 4 pm. The straitbetween Bali and Nusa Penida Islandis dwelt by a lot of fish, hence it iscrowded by the white sail of fisher-man boat decorates the sea aroundthe Kusamba beach. At the west sideof this coastal, especially in BanjarBatur, there are 40 families of fish-erman as the traditional salt maker.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 11

BUSINESS

Agence France-Presse

TOKYO – Japan’s belea-guered premier faced an internalparty revolt on Tuesday when 16of his own lawmakers failed tovote for his centre-leftgovernment’s record $1.1-trillionbudget.

The revolt is a further blow forPrime Minister Naoto Kan, whoafter less than a year in office isbattling approval ratings below20 percent and the threat of leg-islative gridlock from the conser-vative opposition.

The rebels are supporters ofKan’s nemesis, scandal-taintedfaction boss Ichiro Ozawa, oftendubbed the “Shadow Shogun”,who failed in a bid last year tooust Kan, but who did vote withthe government in the parliamen-tary vote.

The premier’s top spokesmanYukio Edano warned that the 16breakaway lawmakers “will bedealt with severely” by theDemocratic Party of Japan (DPJ),which took power in a 2009 land-slide but has since slipped badlyin the polls.

“Those who missed the voteon purpose cannot possibly be ac-cepted by the public as they canhardly be described as respon-sible members of the rulingparty,” Edano, the chief cabinetsecretary, told reporters.

Kan earlier told reporters theboycott was “regrettable” andsaid “it is urgent to approve thebudget and enact it for the sakeof the people”.

The premier faces toughhurdles in coming months as heseeks to ram economic stimulusmeasures through parliament andto find ways to whittle down a

Just as the economy has gainedsome momentum, a new danger hasemerged. Sharply higher fuel costscould prompt people to spend lesson other things, slowing the recov-ery and possibly hiring.

That new risks — along with al-ready elevated unemployment —are likely to be cited by Bernankeas reasons why the Fed must stickwith its stimulus program and buy$600 billion worth of Treasurybonds through June.

At the same time, Bernanke islikely to downplay concerns thatrising energy and food prices willtrigger high inflation.

Bernanke is slated to kick offback-to-back appearances on Capi-tol Hill Tuesday, when he deliversthe Fed’s twice-a-year economic re-port to Congress.

On the one hand, Bernanke willexpress confidence that theeconomy will gain more speed thisyear. But Bernanke will also ac-knowledge that economic growthstill won’t be strong enough toquickly lower unemployment, nowat 9 percent.

The Fed chief will likely stressthat the United States can’t fully re-cover from the worst recession indecades until hiring improves.

“For Bernanke, the labor marketis ground zero for a sustainable ex-pansion,” said economist SalGuatieri at BMO Capital Markets.

The Fed’s bond-purchase pro-gram is intended to spur more

Reuters

BEIJING/BANGALORE –Costs for Chinese and Indian fac-tories jumped in February, point-ing to a need for more measuresto prevent inflation from under-mining the world’s two fastest-growing economies, surveysshowed on Tuesday.

The February purchasing man-agers’ indexes provide the latestevidence of the growing inflation-ary pressure from the sharp risein commodity prices that was al-ready apparent in a round of glo-bal PMIs covering the month of

Fed boss likely to get earfulFed boss likely to get earfulFed boss likely to get earfulFed boss likely to get earfulFed boss likely to get earfulon higher gas priceson higher gas priceson higher gas priceson higher gas priceson higher gas pricesAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely face sharp ques-tioning this week from members of Congress about rising gas prices, faster inflation andhigh unemployment.

spending and invigorate theeconomy by lowering rates on loansand boosting prices on stocks.

However, Republicans in Con-gress and some Fed officials worrythat the program could trigger in-flation and a wave of speculativebuying on Wall Street that couldlead to new bubbles in the pricesof assets like stocks and bonds.

Bernanke has repeatedly de-fended the program, saying it isneeded to energize growth and re-duce unemployment. Fears of infla-tion are overblown, he has said.

Despite the run-up in prices foroil, food and other commodities,Bernanke and a majority of his Fedcolleagues have insisted that infla-tion won’t get out of hand.

Workers have little power to de-mand big pay increases because thejobs market — while healing — isstill weak. Many factories and othercompanies are operating well be-low full capacity because customerdemand is far from booming. Thoseforces will prevent inflation fromtaking off, the Fed predicts.

Still, rising prices are a concernfor ordinary Americans.

Gas prices jumped over the week-end to a new nationwide average of$3.37 a gallon — 26.7 cents a gal-lon more than a month ago.

Food prices in January rose atthe fastest since the fall of 2008.Prices for household staples includ-ing cereal, meat, eggs, poultry,fruits and vegetables marched up-

ward.If gas prices rise to $3.75 a gal-

lon and stay there for a year, it couldmitigate the benefit of the SocialSecurity tax cut, economists said.The economy would still grow, butit wouldn’t get a boost from peoplespending more on goods and ser-vices.

If gasoline prices went as highas $5 a gallon, spending cuts byconsumers and businesses couldpush the economy into a recession,analysts say. That’s a remote pros-pect but one that can’t be dismissed.

Bernanke testifies before theSenate Banking Committee onTuesday. The next day Bernankeappears before the House FinancialServices Committee. At both ses-sions, Bernanke will talk about theFed’s economic outlook.

The Fed is forecasting theeconomy to grow at a stronger pacethis year — between 3.4 percentand 3.9 percent. But that won’t domuch to help unemployment.

The Fed sees unemploymenthovering around 9 percent this yearand falling as low as 7.6 percentnext year, when President BarackObama seeks re-election. Normalunemployment is closer to 6 per-cent.

On inflation, the Fed says con-sumer prices won’t exceed 1.7 per-cent this year. That would beslightly higher than last year, butwould still be considered low infla-tion by historical standards.

Japan PM faces revoltin budget bill

public debt mountain twice the sizeof Japan’s five-trillion-dollareconomy.

The 92.4 trillion yen budget forfiscal 2011 is almost certain toclear parliament before its April 1deadline under Japanese constitu-tional rules, even if the oppositionLiberal Democratic Party (LDP)blocks it.

However, bills required to en-act and finance the budget are indoubt, because Kan’s party lacksthe two-thirds lower house major-ity to overcome opposition in theconservative-controlled upperchamber.

Most crucial among thosethreatened bills is one to issue 38.2trillion yen worth of bonds to coverthe deficit — without which thegovernment could be headed for acash shortage within months.

Also threatened would be a billto raise child payments to helpworking families and aimed at lift-ing the low birth rate in rapidlygreying Japan.

The DPJ splinter group com-pounds Kan’s hurdles, making itnearly impossible for him to gainthe two-thirds majority needed forbudget support bills — even if hewins the backing of smaller parties,which have so far rebuffed him.

Ozawa’s supporters first threat-ened to defy Kan last week whenthe DPJ suspended the member-ship of the powerbroker until theend of his trial over political fund-ing irregularities, in which Ozawamaintains his innocence.

The LDP has meanwhile pushedfor Kan to dissolve the lower houseand call fresh elections, which theconservative party hopes would re-store it as the governing party — aposition it held for most of Japan’spost-war era.

China, India PMIs show inflation pressuresJanuary.

The head of the InternationalMonetary Fund, DominiqueStrauss-Kahn, warned on Mondaythat global economic growthcould suffer if a rise in oil pricesthat has taken Brent crude above$100 a barrel was sustained for along period.

Two China PMIs showed thatmanufacturing growth slipped toits slowest pace in at least sixmonths in February, a sign that thegovernment’s campaign to tameinflation was biting.

But gauges of factory inputprices hit three-month highs in

both China’s official PMI and aprivate-sector PMI sponsored byHSBC.

“It certainly supports our callfor more interest-rate and reserve-ratio hikes, albeit less aggressive,in the near term,” Mingchun Sun,economist at Daiwa in HongKong, said in a research note.

India’s manufacturing sectorexpanded at its fastest clip in threemonths in February as new orderspoured in, a PMI showed.

But at the same time, factoryinput prices rose at the fastestpace since the PMI records beganin 2005. It also marked the index’s

eighth consecutive monthly rise.India suffers from the highest

inflation of any major Asianeconomy even after seven raterises in a year. Although monetarypolicy can do little to control do-mestic inflation fueled by in-creases in global commodityprices, the risk is that the costpressure wil l spread in theeconomy.

“Manufacturers are facing eversteeper increases in input costs, re-flecting the tightness of labor mar-kets and rising material costs,which will continue to add upwardpressure on output prices.” said

Leif Eskesen, chief economist forIndia and ASEAN at HSBC, whichsponsors the index.

In other PMIs, Russian manufac-turing expanded in February at thefastest pace in three years as neworders growth quickened, prompt-ing companies to step up hiring.

An Irish PMI had similar themesas the index showed the pace offactory activity at an 11-year highand Turkey’s PMI hit a record high.

A February PMI covering theeuro zone is due to be releasedaround 0900 GMT and is expectedto show factory expansion wassteady from January.

Entertainment InternationalWednesday, March 2, 201112

“Peerless Colin Firth gave a modest King’s Speechas he accepted his Oscar on a great night for Britain.“Surely it can’t be long before we hear Her Majestyutter the words ‘Arise Sir Colin’,” the paper predicted.The Sun led with the headline “Royal flush” on itseditorial.

“F-f-flipping brilliant!” it continued. “Britain’s nightof Oscar triumphs was pure gold.” Kate Muir, writingin The Times, suggested the film benefited from Hol-lywood becoming caught in the “perfect storm of Eng-lishness.” “The great performances from Colin Firth,Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter were obvi-ously central, but there was also the behind-the-scenesmachine being oiled by the old Hollywood hand anddistributor Harvey Weinstein,” Muir wrote.

“To that, add the fact that the 6,000-strongAcademy’s largest voting group consists of actors, whovoted for the most thespian entry. The perfect storm ofEnglishness and royalty was complete.” The Guardian’sPeter Bradshaw celebrated the triumphant film for notadhering to the usual Tinseltown rules. “When mymother told me my 80-something aunt had gone to thecinema, on her own, to see ‘The King’s Speech’, Irealised how successful it has been in harnessing theawesome strength of the grey pound,” he said.

“People who haven’t gone to the cinema in 10 or 20years are going to see ‘The King’s Speech’. Olderpeople are generally ignored or patronised in the mov-ies: so this film’s mighty triumph is a modest assertionof their existence,” he added. The Telegraph’s TobyYoung reserved most of his passion for tearing apartthe “snooze-a-thon” ceremony.

“The 83rd Academy Awards were mercifully short,clocking in at a mere three hours and 19 minutes, butin virtually every other respect this year was a newlow,” said Young. “As for the hosts, don?t get me started.James Franco and Anne Hathaway actually made me

Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – Charlie Sheenis not done talking. Amid high-pro-file interviews Monday that man-aged to upstage post-Oscars buzz,the “Two and a Half Men” starshowed no signs of slowing his me-dia blitz against the producers of histop-rated television comedy.

Television crews came and wentfrom the actor’s hilltop home —which he dubbed “Sober ValleyLodge” — the setting for segmentsscheduled to air on “Extra” andNBC’s “Today” show. Sheen toldThe Associated Press he wasn’t sat-isfied with an agreement by WarnerBros. Television to pay the “Men”crew for only half of the eight epi-sodes canceled when producerstired of their star’s off-screen antics.

He called it “a start” and said hisefforts “are paying off,” but declared:“I won’t sleep until I get all eight. I

Associated Press Writer

HONG KONG – Hong Konghas produced Chinese cinema’s big-gest names, but for this former Brit-ish colony’s actors and directors, thefuture now lies in the thriving main-land market.

One of the territory’s biggeststars is no exception. Andy Lau isspending more time away from hishometown, shooting period epics inChina and filling mainland stadi-ums with his national concert tours.

But the 49-year-old veteran ac-tor-singer is trying to preserve theHong Kong industry’s identity bychanneling his earnings to lower-budget productions that highlightthe cultural heritage of this south-ern city, which returned to Chineserule in 1997.

On Monday, Lau spoke with re-porters in a bungalow-style homein the scenic suburban Hong Kongneighborhood of Clearwater Bay ashe got ready to shoot scenes for oneof his latest investments, “To Tse,”which means “Big Sister Tao” in thesouthern Chinese dialect

British press celebratesBritish press celebratesBritish press celebratesBritish press celebratesBritish press celebratesOscar successOscar successOscar successOscar successOscar successAgence France Presse

LONDON – Calls mounted on Tuesday for thequeen to honour British Oscar-winning actor ColinFirth, a day after he was feted by Hollywood roy-alty for his portrayal of her stammering father in“The King’s Speech”. “What a knight,” splashedthe Mirror’s editorial headline.

feel nostalgic for Billy Crystal, something I didn?t thinkwas possible.” Meanwhile, ex-pat footballer DavidBeckham used his Twitter account to display his pride.

“What a great night for the Brits at the Oscars,” theEngland midfielder tweeted. “Well done to Colin, goodspeech. Congratulations to everyone who worked on‘The King’s Speech’. Proud night.”

AFP PHOTO/Rich Schmitt

Academy Award winner for Best Actor, Colin Firthand his wife Livia Giuggioli arrive at the Vanity FairDinner And After Party at the Sunset Tower Hotelcelebrating the 83rd Academy Awards, 27 February2011 in West Hollywood, California.

Sheen: ‘My efforts’ helped get pay for ‘Men’ crew

HK star Lau channels Chinaearnings to local films

Cantonese.The $4.6 million production di-

rected by Ann Hui is about the scionof an aristocratic family, played byLau, who belatedly bonds with alongtime servant for the family,played by veteran actress DeannieYip.

“When I invest in a movie,people say, ‘Aren’t you afraid?Aren’t you afraid of losing money?These aren’t the hottest stars. Thesearen’t the biggest productions.’There are many questions. Butsometimes I take action because Iam moved by the sincerity of theproject or the script,” Lau said.

“I really work very hard, workvery long hours every day to earnmy money. I do not spend mymoney foolishly. But I think it’sworth it when I invest my money ina way that makes me happy,” hesaid.

Lau didn’t reveal his current per-picture salary on Monday, but di-rector Andrew Lau, no relation,once revealed in a TV interview thatthe actor had charged nearly HK$10million ($1.3 million) for the hit2002 crime thriller “Infernal Af-fairs.” Lau’s fee has likely risensince then given the booming main-land market.

Lau said he was barely spend-ing any time in Hong Kong thesedays, instead busy belting out hishits for mainland fans and capital-izing on his stardom among enter-tainment-hungry Chinese audi-ences that accounted for a total boxoffice of $1.55 billion last year. Lauhas been the front man for mostChinese blockbusters in recentyears, most recently a remake of thekung fu classic “Shaolin” and thefantasy-mystery “Detective Deeand the Mystery of the PhantomFlame.” “It’s been a long time sinceI experienced the atmosphere ofshooting in Hong Kong,” he said.

don’t care about me right now.” He toldthe AP he planned to keep up his mediablitz until the show’s crew was paid forthe rest of this season’s shows. He alsosaid getting compensation for series co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones was“next” on his to-do list.

Warner Bros. denied that anythingSheen had done — which includedthreatening to sue the show’s produc-ers and extolling the virtues of his hard-partying ways — contributed to thedecision to pay the crew. “False,” saidstudio spokesman Paul McGuire.Sheen’s media appearances Mondayincluded dueling morning show inter-views with “Today” and “Good Morn-ing America,” a midday sit-down withcelebrity website TMZ that wasstreamed online, and an evening chit-chat with CNN’s Piers Morgan.Through it all, Sheen insisted that hewas fine and trying to put back togetherthe pieces of his show.

“I’m on a mission right now,” Sheen

told Morgan. “It’s an operation rightnow to right some terrible wrongs.”Sheen was scheduled Tuesday toappear on ABC’s “20/20,” an inter-view that days ago the network con-sidered an exclusive. He has deniedhe was using drugs and produced aclean screening handled by celeb-rity website RadarOnline.com tobolster his case. He also rejected thenotion that he was an addict, or thatconventional rehabilitation treat-ments would work on him.

“I am on a drug,” Sheen toldABC. “It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’snot available because if you try it,you will die. Your face will melt off,and your children will weep overyour exploded body.” Sheen’s com-ments appeared to be alienatingmany of those around him, includ-ing the Hollywood honchos whosign his $1.8 million-per-episodepaychecks, his co-stars and even hisfans.

AP Photo/ABC News

In this photo provided by ABC News, Andrea Canning interviews ac-tor Charlie Sheen Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, in Los Angeles for a SpecialEdition of 20/20 to be aired Tuesday.

International Wednesday, March 2, 2011 13Science

They could be used to spy, but alsoto locate people inside earthquake-crumpled buildings and detect haz-ardous chemical leaks. The smaller,the better. Besides the hummingbird,engineers in the growing unmannedaircraft industry are working ondrones that look like insects and thehelicopter-like maple leaf seed.

Researchers are even exploringways to implant surveillance and otherequipment into an insect as it is under-going metamorphosis. They want tobe able to control the creature. Thedevices could end up being used bypolice officers and firefighters.

Their potential use outside ofbattle zones, however, is raisingquestions about privacy and the dan-gers of the winged creatures buzz-ing around in the same skies as air-craft. For now, most of these devicesare just inspiring awe. With a 6.5-inch wing span, the remote-con-trolled bird weighs less than a AAbattery and can fly at speeds of upto 11 mph, propelled only by theflapping of its two wings. A tinyvideo camera sits in its belly.

The bird can climb and descendvertically, fly sideways, forward andbackward. It can rotate clockwise

Associated Press Writer

In a bold new approach ultimatelyaimed at trying to cure AIDS, scien-tists used genetic engineering in sixpatients to develop blood cells that areresistant to HIV, the virus that causesthe disease. It’s far too early to knowif this scientific first will prove to bea cure, or even a new treatment. Theresearch was only meant to show that,so far, it seems feasible and safe.

The concept was based on the as-tonishing case of an AIDS patientwho seems to be cured after gettingblood cells from a donor with naturalimmunity to HIV nearly four yearsago in Berlin. Researchers are seek-ing a more practical way to achievesimilar immunity using patients’ ownblood cells.

The results announced Monday at aconference in Boston left experts cau-tiously excited. “For the first time,people are beginning to think about acure” as a real possibility, said Dr. JohnZaia, head of the government panel thatoversees gene therapy experiments.Even if the new approach doesn’t getrid of HIV completely, it may repairpatients’ immune systems enough thatthey can control the virus and not needAIDS medicines — “what is called afunctional cure,” he said.

Carl Dieffenbach, AIDS chief atthe National Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases, agreed. “We’rehopeful that this is sufficient to give

Associated Press Writer

PANAMA CITY – Archaeologists say six cannons recovered froma river in Panama that could have belonged to legendary pirate HenryMorgan are being studied and could eventually be displayed.

The group of Panamanian and foreign archaeologists say the can-nons were found at the mouth of Panama’s Chagres River, the sitewhere Morgan’s flagship, the Satisfaction, wrecked in 1671 while car-rying him and his pirates to raid Panama City.

The team said Monday that the size and shape of the pieces looksvery similar to the characteristics of small iron guns of the 17th cen-

tury. The cannons weredetected in 2008 and res-cued in 2010. The archaeo-logical survey was coordi-nated by the Waitt Institutewith collaboration withPanama’s National CultureInstitute.

Pirate Henry Morgan’scannons found in Panama?

In this undated photoreleased on MondayFeb. 28, 2011 byPanama’s Institute ofCulture (INAC), archae-ologists look atcannons that scientistsbelieve may havebelonged to Britishpirate, Captain HenryMorgan, near the RioChagres off Colon,Panama.

AP Photo/Donnie Reid, INAC

Gene therapy raises hope for a future AIDS curethe level of immune reconstitutionsimilar to what was seen with the pa-tient from Germany,” he said.

This is the first time researchershave permanently deleted a humangene and infused the altered cells backinto patients. Other gene therapy at-tempts tried to add a gene or mufflethe activity of one, and have notworked against HIV.

The virus can damage the immunesystem for years before people de-velop symptoms and are said to haveAIDS — acquired immune deficiencysyndrome. The virus targets specialimmune system soldiers called T-

cells. It usually enters these cellsthrough a protein receptor, or“docking station,” called CCR5.

Some people (about 1 percent ofwhites; fewer of minorities) lackboth copies of the CCR5 gene andare naturally resistant to HIV. Onesuch person donated blood stemcells in 2007 to an American manliving in Berlin who had leukemiaand HIV.

The cell transplant appears tohave cured both problems, but find-ing such donors for everyone withHIV is impossible, and transplantsare medically risky.

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

In a Feb. 25, 2011 photo, Dr. Pablo Tebas, left, and Jay Johnson pose fora photograph at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

AP Photo/Reed Saxon

Matt Keennon, program director at AeroVironment, demonstrates a tiny, drone aircraft known as the ‘nano-hummingbird,’ during a briefing at the company’s facility in Simi Valley, Calif., Friday, Feb. 25, 2011.

Tiny spy planes could mimic birds, insectsTiny spy planes could mimic birds, insectsTiny spy planes could mimic birds, insectsTiny spy planes could mimic birds, insectsTiny spy planes could mimic birds, insectsAssociated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO – You’ll never look at hummingbirds the same again.The Pentagon has poured millions of dollars into the development oftiny drones inspired by biology, each equipped with video and audioequipment that can record sights and sounds.

and counterclockwise. Most of allit can hover and perch on a win-dow ledge while it gathers intelli-gence, unbeknownst to the enemy.“We were almost laughing out ofbeing scared because we had signedup to do this,” said Matt Keennon,senior project engineer ofCalifornia’s AeroVironment, whichbuilt the hummingbird.

The Pentagon asked them to de-velop a pocket-sized aircraft forsurveillance and reconnaissancethat mimicked biology. It could beanything, they said, from a dragon-fly to a hummingbird. Five yearsand $4 million later, the companyhas developed what it calls theworld’s first hummingbird spyplane. “It was very daunting upfront and remained that way forquite some time into the project,”he said, after the drone blew by hishead and landed on his hand dur-ing a media demonstration.

The toughest challenges werebuilding a tiny vehicle that can flyfor a prolonged period and be con-trolled or control itself.AeroVironment has a history ofdeveloping such aircraft.

Over the decades, the Monrovia,

Calif.-based company has developedeverything from a flying mechanicalreptile to a hydrogen-powered planecapable of flying in the stratosphereand surveying an area larger than Af-

ghanistan at one glance. It has becomea leader in the hand-launched droneindustry.

Troops fling a four-pound plane,called the Raven, into the air. They

have come to rely on the real-timevideo it sends back, using it to lo-cate roadside bombs or get aglimpse of what is happening overthe next hill or around a corner.

Wednesday, March 2, 201114 InternationalSport

The 21-year-old - a somewhatcontroversial omission from lastyear’s World Cup finals squad -set up Ghanaian Kevin-PrinceBoateng for Milan’s second goaland then added a glorious thirdtwo minutes later to give them afive point lead over championsInter Milan while Napoli are sixpoints adrift of the leaders.

Swedish international strikerZlatan Ibrahimovic had openedthe scoring for Milan early in thesecond-half from the penalty spot- a harsh call by referee GianlucaRocchi for handball on Napolidefender Salvatore Aronica, whowhile the ball clearly hit his armit did not seem to be deliberate onhis part. Milan coachMassimiliano Allegri said he be-lieved from his viewing point thatRocchi had called it correctly.“Seen from the sidelines it was apenalty,” he said.

“But independent of that mo-ment, Milan produced a good per-formance, and deserved the vic-tory. “We really played very well,(Christian) Abbiati didn’t have tomake a save and we created sev-eral chances. “The thing that re-ally pleased me was that the team

Agence France Presse

STOKE – Mexican interna-t ional str iker Carlos Velagrabbed relegation-threatenedWest Brom another point withanother late goal here on Mon-day as they drew 1-1 withStoke City in their PremierLeague clash.

Vela - on loan from Arsenal- had only been on the pitchtwo minutes before he madehis mark just as he did in the1-1 draw with fel lowstrugglers Wolves over a weekago. Irishman Rory Delap hadput Stoke 1-0 up early in thesecond-half in a match that gotsignificantly better as it wenton.

The point saw West Brom -who have kept just one cleansheet this term and have gar-nered only 14 points from theirlast 19 matches - move out ofthe bottom three to fourth bot-tom, a point clear of Wolveswho occupy the first relegationplace.

Nothing much of note oc-curred in the first-half asStoke’s habit of using theirphysical force prevented theirmore stylish opponents fromexpressing themselves in flu-ent fashion.

The visitors did test oppos-ing goalkeeper Amir Begovic’salertness twice but it took overhalf an hour for them toachieve that as the Bosniantwice went down to save from

Agence France Presse

BARCELONA – Barcelonadefender Dani Alves has playeddown the importance of renew-ing his contract with the Span-ish league leaders, saying Mon-day “life will go on” if the twosides fail to agree terms. The27-year-old Brazilinternational’s contract runs outin June 2012 and renewal talkshave dragged on amid reportsof a possible move to Manches-ter City.

Sports daily MundoDeportivo reported last monththat Alves turned down thechance of a contract extenstionto 2015 that would have placedhim in the same wage bracketas teammates like captainCarles Puyol. But Alves seemsin no hurry.

“I am very optimistic aboutthe renewal of my contract andI know that it will be resolved,”he told a news conference fol-lowing a Barcelona trainingsession. “Whether I remain

Pato inspires MilanPato inspires MilanPato inspires MilanPato inspires MilanPato inspires Milanto crucial Serie Ato crucial Serie Ato crucial Serie Ato crucial Serie Ato crucial Serie Awin over Napoliwin over Napoliwin over Napoliwin over Napoliwin over Napoli

AFP PHOTO/ OLIVIER MORIN

AC Milan’s Swedish forward Pato celebrates after scoring during the serie A match AC Milan vsNapoli, on February 28, 2011, in San Siro stadium in Milan.

Agence France Presse

MILAN, Italy – A brilliant performance by Brazilian striker Pato saw AC Milan inflict whatcould prove to be a fatal blow to Napoli’s Serie A title hopes here on Monday as the leaderscruised to a 3-0 win.

was looking to make it 2-0, and even3-0. “The six point lead is a tidy ad-vantage, but there are still a lot ofmatches to go, including the derbywith Inter, and Napoli cannot be dis-counted yet.”

His Napoli counterpart WalterMazzarri said that it was not a pen-alty and that his team had been un-nerved by it. However, he said therewas still a lot of water to flow underthe bridge before the title was won.“We lost a final, but there are still 11remaining,” he said. “We can lose atMilan, 1-0 or 3-0 changes nothing,now it is imperative that we get backto work and get back to how we werebefore this match.

“We never spoke of a target, weare just trying to do our best. Losingdoesn’t change our routine, we arepreparing for our next match againstBrescia. “They (Milan) were toostrong, and we were unable to im-pose our style of play, to pass the ballas we know how to do, and also wewere tired having played in theEuropa League last Thursday.

“But the penalty dictated the out-come of the match, after it, my guysgot upset and became disjointed,they played like kids, and that playedinto Milan’s hands. “It is only by

playing one discovers things such ashappened tonight, that we must re-main calm, but we are learning allthe time.”

Napoli - who exited the EuropaLeague last week - gave few prob-lems to Milan and the game wentbeyond them in the 77th minutewhen Pato found an onrushingBoateng and the World Cup star slot-ted the ball home to spark wild cel-ebrations with the former Ports-mouth player tearing off his shirt.The 77,000 spectators were drivendelirious with joy in the 79th minute.

Pato advanced with the ball, sawthe Napoli ‘keeper off his line andchipped into the far corner prompt-ing once again huge celebrationswith captain Gennaro Gattuso evenmimicking his infamous headbutt onSpurs assistant coach Joe Jordan ashe embraced Allegri. Napoli foundlittle in the final 10 minutes to raisetheir spirits as their two standoutplayers this season Uruguayanstriker and scorer of 20 goalsEdinson Cavani and Slovakianplaymaker Marek Hamsik failed tosparkle when it mattered most. Milantravel to out of form Juventus, whohave lost four of their last sixmatches, next Saturday.

Super sub Vela savesWest Brom again

Alves coy on Barcacontract renewal

here is something that dependson the two sides. If both sideswant it, I will continue here.Otherwise, life will go on. I amnot going to pull my hair out ifin the end they decide I don’tdeserve to stay here.”

Barcelona legend JohanCruyff has urged the club to sellAlves to Manchester City, say-ing the club should cut itslosses. “Barca have a wagescale that cannot be ignored,”he told Barcelona-based news-paper El Periodico. “Barcelonaare a sensational team with orwithout Alves. Is it better tohave him with us? Sure. How-ever, if Manchester City’s offeris for real it may be better to sellhim rather than wait for his con-tract to end and then he will gofor free.” Alves joinedBarcelona in 2008 after six sea-sons with Sevilla.

Pre-Christmas reports fromEngland claimed City werewilling to pay 30 millionpounds (35 million euros) forAlves.

former Celt ic misfi t MarcAntoine Fortune after goodwork by Graham Dorrans andJerome Thomas.

Stoke showed little goingforward save a rasping effort inthe 42nd minute by JermainePennant, whose shot scrapedthe woodwork. However, thatchanged in the second-half asthe hosts showed a more am-bitious side to their play andwere rewarded in the 52ndminute as Delap rose unmarkedto head past Scott Carson.

Begovic, though, came toStoke’s rescue seven minuteslater as he produced a save outof the top drawer to denyDorrans, whose header fromSteven Reid’s corner took ahuge deflection off RyanShawcross. West Brom did fi-nally beat Begovic in the 69thminute but Fortune’s headerfrom the enterprising Reid’scross clipped the bar - that wasto be Fortune’s last contribu-tion as he was replaced byleading scorer Nigerian inter-national Peter Odemwingie.

However, it was to be Velawho rescued another point forthe visitors as he swooped ontoReid’s cross and from closerange slotted the ball pastBegovic.

Begovic, though, once againcame to Stoke’s rescue and pre-vented West Brom fromn tak-ing all the points as he savedsmartly from Vela twice withhis legs in time added on.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 15International Sport

Al Jefferson had 28 points and a sea-son-high 19 rebounds for Utah, whichhas dropped six straight at home — theteam’s worst home skid since 1982.Allen hit a 23-footer for a 103-99Celtics lead with 42.3 seconds left.Jefferson had a chance to cut it to onepoint but couldn’t convert a three-pointplay. Rajon Rondo then hit a 15-footjumper to seal the win for Boston.

Harris finished with 19 points for theJazz, who have lost 16 of 21, and Fa-vors added nine points, four reboundsand a block in 15 minutes. The win gavethe Celtics a series sweep after theyrouted the Jazz 110-86 on Jan. 21,shooting 55.2 percent in the process.In that game, Williams had only fivepoints for Utah.

The fans welcomed Harris with

Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran objects to thelogo for the 2012 London Olympics,contending it is racist because it re-sembles the word “Zion” and warningof a possible boycott of the games.

The secretary general of Iran’s Na-tional Olympic Committee said Iransent a letter to International OlympicCommittee President Jacques Rogge.The letter claims the 2012 logo spellsout “Zion,” a biblical term widely rec-ognized to refer to the city of Jerusa-lem.

In comments carried by the officialIRNA news agency Monday, secretary general Bahram Afsharzadehsaid the letter urges other Muslim states to oppose the “racist logo.”“There is no doubt that negligence of the issue from your side mayaffect the presence of some countries in the games, especially Iranwhich abides by commitment to the values and principles,” the lettersaid.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel’sdestruction and questioned historical accounts of the Holocaust. Ira-nian athletes have refused to compete against Israelis.

The London logo shows the numbers “2012” in four jagged figuresand until now has been criticized only for its design. The IOC said itreceived the letter and joined London organizers in rejecting Iran’scomplaint. “Our response is as follows: The London 2012 logo repre-sents the figure 2012, nothing else,” the IOC said.

The London organizers said the design was launched in 2007 aftertesting and consultation. “We are surprised that this complaint has beenmade now,” the committee said.

AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen (20) drives around Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell (19) during the firsthalf of their NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City, Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.

Allen scores 25 toAllen scores 25 toAllen scores 25 toAllen scores 25 toAllen scores 25 tolead Celtics overlead Celtics overlead Celtics overlead Celtics overlead Celtics overJazz 107-102Jazz 107-102Jazz 107-102Jazz 107-102Jazz 107-102Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY – Ray Allen scored 25 points and Paul Pierce added 21, including a late 3-pointer and pair of free throws, to help the Boston Celtics hold on for a 107-102 victory Mondaynight over the Utah Jazz. The loss spoiled the home debut of new Jazz players Devin Harris andDerrick Favors, who were acquired last week in the trade that sent for All-Star Deron Williams toNew Jersey.

open arms, chasing after him on Sun-day as he visited a local outdoor mall,and giving him the loudest ovationof any Jazz player during pre-gameintroductions Monday. The homecrowd also got their first close lookat rookie Favors. “Hey, D-Will,thanks for the Favors,” read one signin the arena. Though the Jazz woulderase a 13-point first-half deficit, theycouldn’t hold off the Celtics down thestretch. The Jazz, who are 1-2 sincethe Williams trade, jumped out to a10-2 lead on 4-of-5 shooting. But theCeltics answered with a 12-0 run totake 14-10 lead and followed with a13-0 run and led 30-21 after the firstquarter.

Allen started the Celtics on theirroll by hitting 3 of 3 from beyond the

arc in the first quarter, while the Jazzshot just 36.8 percent as a team.

The Jazz fought back. Down 42-31after Pierce’s 3-pointer, Utah outscoredthe Celtics 15-4, capped by Harris’fastbreak layup to tie the score at 46with 3:19 left in the half.

Andrei Kirilenko’s spinning layupstarted Utah’s second-quarter run, andPaul Millsap added a pair of short jump-ers. But it was defense that helped Utahget back in the game in the second quar-ter. The Jazz forced the Celtics into apair of three-second violations, and heldBoston to 38.8 percent shooting.

Jefferson had a double-double byhalftime (18 points, 10 rebounds). Heentered the game averaging 23.4 points,9.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and shooting55 percent in February.

Agence France Presse

NEW YORK – Sam Querrey, ranked 24th on the ATP Tour, willnot join the United States team for its trip to Chile this week for a first-round Davis Cup tie, US captain Jim Courier said Monday. A rightshoulder injury will sideline Querrey, who joins 15th-ranked MardyFish in skipping the showdown on clay in Santiago. Fish is sufferingwith a thyroid issue.

“Sam has been having trouble with his right shoulder and he got anMRI on Friday that revealed a slight impingement in his rotator cuff,”Courier said.

“Doctors have advised him to rest so we thought it was best that henot make the trip to Santiago and get ready for (ATP events in) IndianWells and Miami.”

Andy Roddick, ranked eighth, and John Isner, ranked 32nd, willjoin the top-ranked doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan in represent-ing the Americans in Chile. Roddick saw doctors last week after flu-like symptoms kept him out of an ATP event in Delray Beach, Florida.

College senior Michael Shabaz and 2009 Wimbledon boys runner-up Jordon Cox will join the US squad in Chile as practice partners,Courier said.

Iran objects toLondon 2012Olympics logo

Querrey out forUS-Chile Davis Cup tie

AFP/Getty Images/File/Chris McGrath

Sam Querrey, pictured in 2010, ranked 24th on the ATP Tour

Wednesday, March 2, 201116 SportI N T E R N A T I O N A L

Kovalainen backs that decision- but believes Lotus should be pre-pared to change it plans as the yearprogresses as it suffers againstKERS-equipped rivals. “If that isvery obvious from the start of theseason, then we have to reactquickly to that,” he toldAUTOSPORT in an exclusive inter-view. “I think we need to just play

FORMULA 1 chiefs will decidebefore the season-opening race inAustralia about whether or not theBahrain Grand Prix will be slottedinto the calendar later this year.There have been suggestions thatthe race could be rescheduled forthe end of the campaign - possiblyas a double-header with the nearbyAbu Dhabi Grand Prix.

F1’s commercial boss BernieEcclestone said on Tuesday that hehas agreed with governing body theFIA that a final decision on thematter will be made in the next fewweeks - as he even hinted aboutBahrain getting slotted into the Au-gust summer break.

Speaking on the official F1website about plans to reschedulethe race, Ecclestone said: “To dothat the FIA has to change the cal-endar, and Bahrain has to apply fora new slot.

“The FIA World Council willmeet at the beginning of March andcould look into the situation. I havealready spoken with FIA PresidentJean Todt about the possibility of

Lotus ‘mustbe ready toact on KERS’

Team Lotus Finnish driverHeikki Kovalainen steers hiscar during a training session

on February 19, 2011 atCatalunya’s racetrack in

Montmelo, near Barcelona.

AFP PHOTO/JOSEP LAGO

Heikki Kovalainen says Lotus must be ready to add KERSmid-season if the lack of the device is proving too costly.

Although Lotus could have used new engine supplierRenault’s energy recovery system, it decided to focus its

resources on other areas of the car design rather than dealingwith the complex packaging that KERS requires.

it by ear and see where we are.“The decision was made to put

more resources in the aerodynamicsof the car, rather than on KERS. Ofcourse as a driver I favour KERS,I’d rather have it because in a racingsituation it’s very important, and it’sprobably about 0.3 seconds in purelaptime as well. But the team de-cided it was more important to get

the aerodynamics right, and add theKERS later on.

“It should be a reasonably goodsystem, because Renault had it acouple of years ago and they’veprobably further developed it now.”

The team’s chief operating of-ficer Keith Saunt said when the carwas launched that KERS had moredisadvantages than benefits for asquad in Lotus’ position. “If KERSwas going to get us from eighth tosixth then we’d have it,” Saunt said.“But when you look at the weightof it and some of the engineeringchallenges, I think it’s a good deci-sion not to start with it.

“We might end up with it, whoknows? But if we did we’ve got a

lot of experienced people whocould turn their hands to it.”Kovalainen thinks how Lotus canprogress through 2011 will be a cru-cial sign of its growth as a Formula1 team.

“This is the first year where wehave to develop the car all the waythrough the year, rather than in themiddle of the year start working onanother project,” said Kovalainen.“We are not big enough to work ontwo projects together, so we reallyneed to learn how to work through-out the year.

“But even with the facility thatwe have now and the capacity wehave now, I think we should be ableto do it. It will be one of the key

things to get up to speed on the de-velopment race, because if you everwant to win the championship youneed to be able to do that.” He is notexpecting miracles from 2011’sT128, but wants to be in touch withthe upper midfield.

“My personal goal for this yearis to score points for the team when-ever there’s a serious chance. You’vegot to be there,” Kovalainen said.

“We’ve got to be in the [middle]group, and occasionally in some spe-cial circumstances we’ve got to bein the top 10 in qualifying in somefreak races. We should finish theraces on the same lap [as the lead-ers], and not be two or three lapsbehind.”

Bahrain GP decision set for this monthfinding a new date and we bothagreed that a decision has to be madebefore the season starts.”

He added: “If the Crown Princeis of the opinion that his country isable to host a race we will return to

Bahrain. I think the teams are sen-sible enough even to race in Bahrainin the summer break, and despitehigh temperatures, because this isthe way we can support the coun-try.”

AFP PHOTO/PHIL WEYMOUTH

A general view shows the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhiron February 20, 2011. The Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, theseason’s curtain-raiser due to be held on March 13, has beenplaced in doubt after days of unrest in the island kingdom wherethe army has clashed with anti-Government demonstrators.