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DENPASAR

JAKARTA

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YOGYAKARTA

SURABAYA

SUNNY BRIGHT/CLOUDY RAIN

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Friday, April 9, 2010

16 Pages Number 682st Year

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

http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

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

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Whitney Houston’sReps Deny DrugRumors

Somali pirateswarn SKoreandestroyer to stayaway

Triggeringcrowdedness atNusa Penidadowntown,Mentigimarket must berelocated

The defiant “Red Shirts” havecontrolled areas of the Thai capi-tal for nearly a month in efforts toget Prime Minister AbhisitVejjajiva to dissolve parliament,and they planned another mass

Denpasar (Bali Post) -

The environmental contamina-tion is still happen in Denpasar.The contamination is often doneby printing or convection busi-nesses that still throw heir wastenot on the proper place.

When the authorized officersinspected the area, they stillfound the businesses whichthrow the waste to the sewer.The locals in the area alreadyreported the case to the authori-ties because the people worried

AP

A Thai Buddhist monk and a young supporter of anti-government demonstrators gather for a free breakfast

Protesters defy state ofemergency in Bangkok

Continued on page 6

Associated Press Writer

BANGKOK – Thailand’s beleaguered government moved to shut down media outlets ofanti-government demonstrators Thursday after declaring a state of emergency, while the ac-tivists vowed to escalate their protests if an information blackout is enforced.

rally Friday despite the emergencyorder that empowers the military tomove against large gatherings.

Abhisit canceled a trip to Hanoion Thursday to attend a summit ofSoutheast Asian leaders as he

groped for ways to resolve the cri-sis without use of armed force.

Government spokesman PanitanWattanayagorn said the governmenthas shut down PTV, the satellite TVstation of the Red Shirts, and is

looking for Web sites disseminat-ing “distorted information” such asclaiming that Abhisit authorized theuse of force against demonstrators.

“We aim to control the broad-casting of certain media, includingTV stations and others. It is veryclear that some of the media broad-casts have been destructive to thestability of the country,” he told re-porters.

Contamination stillfound in Denpasar

that the waste can be dangerousfor our health.

I Nyoman Puja, the head of LawEnforcement Division in DenpasarCivil Police, said that the depart-ment conducted inspection to checkon the report by the people.

Previously, the inhabitant ofPulau Ayu Street, reported to the de-partment about the contamination.

“Mr. Darlis reported that hasbeen contamination in the area. Heis afraid that the water will be con-taminated,” Puja said.Continued on page 6

EDI/IBP

In order to prevent pollution and contamination, the autho-rized department inspected the business that has the poten-tial to cause the problem

InternationalFriday, April 9, 20102

Founder : K.Nadha, Chief Editor: ABG Satria Naradha Managing Editor: Wirata,Palgunadi Editors: Alit Purnata, Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Darmasunu, Daniel Fajry, Diah Dewi, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca,

Sugiartha, Sutiawan, 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, Tabanan: Surpi. Jakarta: Nikson, Suharto Olii, Indu P. Adi, Ahmadi Supriyanto, Achmad Nasrudin, Hardianto, Darmawan S. Sumardjo, Heru B Arifin, Asep

Djamaluddin, Ade Irawan, Ipik Tanoyo. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani, Nur Haedin, Suyadnya. 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. Publiser: PT Bali Post

Bali News

Head of BPS Denpasar, WayanSuta, met after undertaking thecensus toward the number one manin Denpasar revealed the censuswould actually take place fromMay 1 to May 31, 2010. However,for some subdistricts, the schedulehad been advanced, including inDenpasar. Advancement of thecensus schedule was caused by theimplementation of the regionalhead elections and the holidays inMay,” said Suta.

Given, before taking down tothe field the officers had been pro-vided with adequate training. Itaimed at equalizing the perceptionon the concept on the definitionused as reference by field person-nel in conducting the data collec-tion. This year’s field officers wererecruited through village headsamounting to 1,822 persons. Train-ing was held in 7 different locationsand organized in four generations.

It was said the enumerator to theresidents took place once every tenyears. Through this program, itwould be obtained clear data about

Due to elections, populationDue to elections, populationDue to elections, populationDue to elections, populationDue to elections, populationcensus in Denpasar heldcensus in Denpasar heldcensus in Denpasar heldcensus in Denpasar heldcensus in Denpasar heldahead of timeahead of timeahead of timeahead of timeahead of timeDenpasar (Bali Post)—

Schedule of the 2010 population census will be about to start in next May. However, due to alarge number of important events such as regional head elections and holidays in May, thepopulation census in some regions had been moved forward to this April 2010. As carried out bythe Denpasar Central Agency of Statistic (BPS), it had started the census in Denpasar City sinceWednesday (Apr 7). Enumeration began at the residence of the Mayor of Denpasar IB RaiDharmawijaya Mantra on Jalan Tjok Agung Tresna. In the census on last Wednesday, the enu-merator provided some 43 items of question.

the number of residents living in onearea. For the case of Denpasar, saidSuta, there were no inaccessible ar-eas, such as those found in other sub-districts in Bali. However, there weremany elite houses in Denpasar thataccording to him denoted one of theobstacles in conducting the enu-meration. “In Denpasar, I think thereis no difficult area, but many eliteareas. This is what I believe will be-come an obstacle to perform the enu-meration,” said this former Head ofBPS Bangli.

The elite residential area wasconsidered difficult, said WayanSuta, because the dwellers of thehouse had fairly busy activities, sothey were rarely at home. When vis-ited, the house was often empty. Todeal with these constraints, his partyhad instructed to all field officersto meet with one member of thefamilies.

Meanwhile, in the midst of an-swering the questions of enumera-tors, the Mayor Rai Mantra accom-panied by Spokesperson MadeErwin Suryadarma reminded the of-

ficers to be really careful to mea-sure, so the result would be able tohelp the government set out the de-velopment programs in Denpasar.“Do not only record the populationbased on written data, but the of-ficers must immediately come intotheir respective house and not sim-ply take a photo copy of householdregistration card (KK) and givequestionnaires to the community,”said Rai Mantra while appealing theDenpasar community to providereal data to the census officers.

Rai Mantra affirmed the non-ex-istence of good control against thepopulation could lead to populationexplosion resulting in social prob-lems and weaken the resilience ofthe region. Free entrance and exitof regional migrants without clearrules and inadequate supervisionwould also reap trouble. Both prob-lems were initial seeds of otherproblems in various sectors. Adomino effect, said Rai Mantra,often created bigger problems thanthe original problem becoming thetrigger. (kmb12)

Denpasar (Bali Post)—Supporting devotees of Barong

Baronan Temple, Benoa Village,South Kuta, last Monday (Apr 5)were made surprised by the actionof thief. The local temple wasfrisked by thief and a number ofsacred paraphernalia vanished fromits place. As a result of this incident,the supporting devotees of thetemple suffered from a loss worthIDR 15 million.

The theft incident was justknown by one of the devotees at5:00 pm Local Time. Witnesses sawthe condition of temple was in dis-array. Well, having rechecked in-side, in fact there were several sa-cred paraphernalia disappearing.Additionally, the witness told the

Negara (Bali Post)—Limited facilities and infrastruc-

ture do not discourage the spirit ofshooting athletes of Jembrana topractice. Shooting range at the areaof Kresna Jvara Square that shouldbe used for their practice is now evenbecoming a cowshed. As conse-quence, the athletes have no otherchoice but practice the shooting intheir respective backyard.

Nevertheless, the achievementsshowed by the athletes especially thejunior ones sufficiently proud. Even,in the recent Bali-wide shootingchampionship in Singaraja, the ath-letes of Jemberana could win threegold medals. Chairman of the Indo-nesian Shooting and Hunting Asso-ciation (Perbakin) of JembranaChapter, R Ahmad Nurwakhid, metlast Wednesday (Apr 7) hoped theshooting ranges could be immedi-ately repaired and fit for national andinternational games.

As organizing region, PerbakinJemberana targeted to become anoverall champion in the next provin-cial event of 2011. “In short term,we are targeting the success in Pro-vincial Games next year, while forlong-term we will develop and pre-pare the athletes from elementary upto senior high school in order to be-come better athletes of Jembrana inthe provincial and national arena,”said Nurwakhid who is also theChief of Jembrana Police. To opti-mize the recruitment, his party also

Barong Baronan templetargeted by thief

incident to other supporting devo-tees. “As further measure, the casewas reported to South Kuta Police,Denpasar,” said a police officer atDenpasar Metro Police, lastWednesday (Apr 7).

Some police officers of SouthKuta were assigned to make inves-tigation to the scene. Investigationof the crime scene and examinationof witnesses had been undertaken.Allegedly, the thieves could enterinto the temple with ease becausethe temple’s door was not locked.After the examination, it was knownthat a brass bell disappeared fromits place. More than that, three bayo-nets, 18 spearheads of DewataNawa Sanga and an umbrella werealso known to have lost. (kmb21)

Shooting rangebecomes cowshed,Shootingathlete trains at home

invited a number of people who likedto shoot squirrels. According to him,they already had enough basic toshoot, so they just needed trainingin this sport.

In separate place, Chief Executiveof Perbakin Jembrana, Henry Okajustified the existence of limitedshooting facilities and infrastructure.Jembrana had shooting range butuntreated. Such condition forced theathletes to practice in their backyard.Shooting range was only 10 metersand using air pistol. Perbakin itselfhas also submitted a proposal to askfor supporting equipment includingrifle fire, like a center fire, free pis-tol and standard pistol. “We just haveair pistols and air hunting riffle. But,the athletes, especially the juniorones remain to practice and performfairly with the limited facilities,” heexplained.

Selection process of athlete wasconducted through a try-out and shoot-ing competition like championships asin last February in Denpasar andSingaraja recently. In the tournament,contingents of Jembrana could win 4gold medals. Even, junior athletes whowere still studying at elementaryschool won a silver medal. “We stilldo intensive exercise for three times aweek in the back of the house. Thebasic techniques of shooting used airrifle,” he explained. His party targeted10 gold medals in the upcoming Pro-vincial Games from individual andgroup contingent. (sur)

Denpasar (Bali Post)—In 2009, it was recorded there

were 1,170 cases of migrant work-ers (TKI) facing problems in Ma-laysia. Most of the problems wereunpaid salaries by their employers.This matter was explained byDeputy Ambassador to Malaysia,Tatang Budi Utama Razak, in themidst of Indonesia-Malaysia For-mal Sector Cooperation Opportu-nities in the placement of Indone-sian migrant workers, last Wednes-day (Apr 6) in Kuta.

According to him, the problemof migrant workers in formal sec-tor workers was easier to resolve

1,170 cases of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysiathan that of informal sector. “Prob-lems in formal sector are more eas-ily resolved because since the verybeginning has been made agree-ment on of minimum standard ofsalary and a single employer has atleast 2000 workers in charge. It issomewhat more difficult to dealwith the informal sector which isusually one employer supervisesone worker, so that the problems aremore personal,” said Tatang.

In order to protect the Indone-sian migrant workers working inMalaysia, continued Tatang, theMalaysian Embassy together withIndonesian Embassy established a

joint committee to resolve the prob-lems of migrant workers in Malay-sia. No doubt, there remained ille-gal migrant workers entering intoMalaysia and they finally facedproblems. “Hopefully, the JointCommittee is expected to resolvethe issues accordingly and to pro-tect the migrant workers workingin Malaysia,” explained Tatang. Forthe protection of migrant workers,the Malaysian government, accord-ing to Tatang, was very consentbecause they realized the Indone-sian migrant workers gave majorcontribution to economic develop-ment in the State. (kmb24)

3Friday, April 9, 2010International Bali News

Denpasar (Bali Post)—After Directorate of Traffic Affairs

of Bali Police secured the three Ferraricars as they did not have completedocuments, recently it was the turn ofDenpasar Metro Police to seized twobig motorcycles alleged to have not hadlegal documents. Unfortunately, thearrest case of three Ferrari cars wasunknown how the resolution was.

The information collected atDenpasar Metro Police, last Wednes-day (Apr 7), the two big motorcycleswere secured by the side of DenpasarMetro Police on December 17, 2009.However, the case was just reported,last Tuesday (Apr 6). Well, this alsoraised a big question in the case of se-curing two big Suzuki motorcycles.

In the police report with NumberLP-A / 799/IV/2010/SPK, the two bigmotorcycles were secured around JalanGunung Sanghyang, Denpasar. Policemade the arrest because the two ridersnamely Eka Sukmana and Mark Rich-ard Roe did not have a complete docu-ment. Police also suspected the two bigmotorcycles with police plate DK 4121HD and DK 6424 MB were adminis-tratively illegal.

Sources in Denpasar Metro Policestated, the two riders namely EkaSukmana and Mark Richard Roe couldnot present their vehicle registrationletter or the complete documents. Soboth motorcycles were secured inDenpasar Metro Police. Thus, a source,

The information collected in thepolice, last Wednesday (Apr 7) ex-plained, the victim knew her moneydiminished after performing a trans-action at ATM BII located aroundJalan Danau Tamblingan, Sanur,Denpasar, last Monday (5 / 4) at03:00 pm Local Time. Of course,this incident made the victim ex-tremely shock as soon as knowingthe balance decreased at IDR 3 mil-lion. “Victim admitted she nevermade any transactions previously.Suddenly the balance diminished,”said one of police officers atDenpasar Metro Police.

Victim also believed the loss of

ATM of Dutch citizenATM of Dutch citizenATM of Dutch citizenATM of Dutch citizenATM of Dutch citizenburglarized, IDR 3burglarized, IDR 3burglarized, IDR 3burglarized, IDR 3burglarized, IDR 3million losesmillion losesmillion losesmillion losesmillion loses

Denpasar (Bali Post)—Democratic extravaganza in the

form of Denpasar mayor-deputy mayorelection for the 2010-2015 terms im-mediately enters into the stage of cam-paign. In this period, each candidatewill be ensured to hold open campaignto draw voter’s sympathy. To accom-modate the implementation of this opencampaign, Denpasar Electoral Com-mission had determined the locationsof open campaign in all subdistricts.At least, four locations of open cam-paign had been determined.

Head of Working Group ofDenpasar Electoral Commission, IGede John Darmawan, when met onthe sidelines of the meeting scheduleof the campaign, last Wednesday (Apr7) said there were four locations pre-

Electoral Commission decidesfour locations for open campaign

Denpasar (Bali Post)—ATM burglary case occurred again in Denpasar. The balance of ATM belonged to a Dutch

citizen, Annick Vivien Rijneke, 33, was known to decrease at the amount of IDR 3 million. In fact,the victim felt she had never engaged in transactions at the ATM. It was unknown for sure,whether the mode of ATM burglary case was the same as that allegedly carried out by hackers.Police officers were still investigating that ATM burglary case.

her money was done by irresponsibleperson. Thus, victim who tempo-rarily stayed at Ramayana Hotel inroom No. 9, Sanur, South Denpasar,reported the case to the police sta-tion nearby. “Police are still tracingthe perpetrator together with itsmode,” explained the officer whosename should be kept secret.

Apart from the case of ATM bur-glary, a theft case by weighting withburglarizing a house also ensued atJalan Bukit Sari Gang Uluwatu I No.2, Jimbaran, South Kuta. The housebelonging to Mislawati Fortuna, 26,was known to have been burglarizedlast Tuesday (Apr 6) at 06.00 pm. A

number of valuables worth tens ofmillions of rupiahs had been suc-cessfully taken away.

According to the report of thevictim, the alleged thief was morethan one person entering the houseby prying the window of the house.Perpetrators could act freely be-cause the house was empty then.“The valuables reported to havelost consist of four cell phones, anATM card, a pair of earring, a goldnecklace, two gold rings, pendantsand cash worth IDR 300 thousand.Total loss of the victim reachesIDR 20 million,” detailed the of-ficer. (kmb21)

pared for the open campaign. The fourlocations comprised the Captain JapaSquare for East Denpasar Subdistrict,Kompyang Sujana Square for WestDenpasar, Captain Pica Square forSouth Denpasar and Ngurah Rai Sta-dium Denpasar for the North Denpasar.

Except for these four locations, theElectoral Commission was still discuss-ing about the location of open campaignat Lumintang Square. However, the lo-cation had not been final, and wouldbe discussed further. “For Renon area,we do not use it as the location of thecampaign,” said John.

In addition to open campaign, theElectoral Commission would also con-duct a campaign through candidate de-bates. For this debate, said JohnDarmawan, each would be given op-

portunity for five times. The first phasewould involve the two couples whofollowed by the prospective candidatesof mayor and deputy mayor. After that,it would be followed by the packageof deputy mayor. “The campaign pe-riod will commence with the deliveryof the vision and mission of the candi-date couple in a plenary session of theHouse,” said John Darmawan.

Related to the opening of the cam-paign, the Electoral Commissionwould organize a chariot parade fol-lowed by the two candidate couplesof mayor-deputy mayor. However,each candidate couple was not al-lowed to take their supporter in largequantities. “Each couple is recom-mended to take only 50 people sup-porters,” said John. (kmb12)

Two big motorcyclessecured by Denpasar PoliceBut police seem to transferresponsibility

whose name asked to be made secret,revealed.

More strangely, police officers atDenpasar Metro Police and Bali Policeseemed to mutually throw the respon-sibility. It was clearly visible when areporter would like to ask for confir-mation about the truth of the case. Asstated by Chief of Traffic Affairs Unit,Wahyu Tri Cahyono, he himself admit-ted not to handle the case.

Chief Wahyu explained to reporters,his party only handled the matters re-lated to driving license ownership.Meanwhile, the problem having some-thing to do with completeness of docu-ment, he said, was the authority of ve-hicle registration office (Samsat).

Afterward, the reporters attemptedto ask for confirmation to the DivisionHead of Registration and Identificationof Bali Police, Agus Sugianto. Instead,Agus Sugianto claimed to have notknown about the case. “I do not knowabout the problem and do not handlethe case. Who told you so?” he saidbriefly.

Other information mentioned mostowners of big motorcycles in Bali havenot had complete documents. In fact,some said that almost 90 percent of bigmotorcycles in Bali were alleged ad-ministratively legal. Seeing these cir-cumstances, police officers should takefirm action against the existence of suchadministratively illegal big motor-cycles. (kmb21)

Negara (Bali Post)—A number of suggestions and repri-

mands delivered by the JembranaHouse against the 2009 Accountabil-ity Report (LKPJ) of the Regent ofJembrana in their recommendation lastWednesday (Apr 7). The House con-sidered the performance of the Regentshad not been maximal because it hadnot reached the development prioritiesas well as the vision and mission of theregional government consistently.

A number of ‘red reports’ in the fieldof development, health, education andadministration were delivered in ple-nary session without the presence ofJembrana Regent I Gede Winasa.

The House reveals the ”red report” of the executiveDeputy Regent of Jembrana I PutuArtha was present in the capacity torepresent Winasa.

One of the highlights was the ex-istence of inter-regional cooperationor companies expending the budgetsbut was not important and did not en-gender any results visible to the pub-lic. Some of the cooperation consistedof that with Banyuwangi Regencyworth IDR 210 million over fiveyears, with the Office of Advocatesand Legal Consultant worth IDR 1.1billion and with the Hiroshima-Jembrana Friendship Associationworth IDR 409 million. The Houserequested in order the cooperation

was reviewed and recommended tomake cooperation with the Badungor Gianyar Regency so the regencycould provide business opportunitiesfor SMEs industry.

Other than education sector, dur-ing the year 2009 there were still manyresidents who did not complete theirelementary education, so the level ofpublic education stayed low. Invest-ments were considered failed becausethere was no multiplier effect and adecrease in per capita income of resi-dents. In addition, the Regent was alsoasked to support the law enforcementand settlement of cases rolling inJembrana Regency. (sur)

Hotel Sanur Beach Bali willstart its latest renovation projectlater this month. “In our contin-ued efforts to improve our facili-ties, we will renovate all bath-rooms of the Superior Rooms overthe next 4 months, i.e. until theend of July, 2010” said Ms. MargitArnold, the General Manager. The

Renovation at HotelSanur Beach Bali

refurbishment will completely re-fresh the bathrooms, replacing thebathtubs with glass showers andadding several new artistic ele-ments.

Hotel Sanur Beach Bali features426 rooms and suites, 2 beach frontvillas, 2 large pools and a choiceof restaurants and bars.

International4 Friday, April 9, 2010 News

Opposition leader RozaOtunbayeva said she would head theinterim government, and that the par-liament was dissolved. She said thenew government controlled four ofKyrgyzstan’s seven provinces in theCentral Asian nation, which is hometo a key U.S. military base that theopposition has said it wants to close.

Otunbayeva urged PresidentKurmanbek Bakiyev to resign afterhe fled the capital amid violentclashes that started on Tuesday. Thou-sands of protesters have clashed withsecurity forces throughout the coun-try, driving out local governments andon Thursday seizing governmentheadquarters in the capital.

“His business in Kyrgyzstan isfinished,” she said, adding thatBakiyev has fled for the centralJalal-Abad region, where he is try-ing to consolidate his supporters.

Since coming to power in 2005amid similar street protests knownas the Tulip Revolution, Bakiyev hadensured a measure of stability in thecountry of 5 million people, but theopposition said he did so at the ex-pense of democratic standards whileenriching himself and his family.

He gave his relatives, includinghis son, top government and eco-nomic posts and faced the sameaccusations of corruption andcronyism that led to the ouster ofhis predecessor, Askar Akayev.Otunbayeva blamed Bakiyev for theviolent clashes.

“Yesterday’s events were a re-sponse to aggression, tyranny anda crackdown on dissenters,” shesaid. “All the people who have beenkilled and who got wounds are thevictims of this regime.”

The Health Ministry said 68people have been killed and 400

AP

Kyrgyz protesters waving the national flag, ride on a truck in Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan

AFP

RIYADH (AFP) – Former USpresident Bill Clinton met SaudiKing Abdullah in an unannouncedtwo-day visit to the oil-rich king-dom, the official SPA newsagency said.

Clinton met Abdullah, theSaudi intelligence chief PrinceMuqrin bin Abdulaziz, assistantdefence minister Khaled bin Sul-tan and other top officials at theking’s farm outside Riyadh

AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) – An-other devastating mudslide crusheddozens of homes in the Rio deJaneiro area as rescuers searchedThursday for survivors of floodsand landslides that have claimedthe lives of at least 148 people af-ter the worst rains in half a cen-tury.

As many as 45 houses wereswept away by the latest mudslidein the hard-hit city Niteroi Wednes-day night, firefighters told Globotelevision network, adding thatsome 60 people were believed tobe inside th doomed buildings atthe time.

As of midnight, 20 people hadbeen pulled from the rubble alivebut three were dead, authoritiessaid.

“We heard a huge noise andwhen we turned around everythinghad come down,” a resident of thehillside favela told the Globo cablenews station.

Civil Defense officials lateWednesday said that 145 peoplewere confirmed dead — not count-ing the latest victims in Niteroi, acity across the bay from the statecapital and part of the greater Riode Janeiro metropolitan area.

Images broadcast by a Globotelevision helicopter showedfirefighters struggling to rescuesurvivors from piles of mud-cov-ered rubble and twisted metal.

Globo said rescuers eventuallyasked the helicopter to leave sothey could listen for sounds from

AFP

Firefighter remove the body of a victim of a landslide in Prazeresshantytown in Rio de Janeiro

Fresh mudslide as Brazildeath toll tops 145

buried survivors.The toll was likely to rise fur-

ther as dozens of people were re-portedly still missing following therains, which displaced more than1,400 people and destroyed scoresof homes.

Flooding over the past days hasbeen so intense that authoritiesurged area residents to remain in-doors.

Heavy rain, which began onMonday, fell intermittently onWednesday amid sunny spells,providing hope that the worst wasover.

Emergency officials said mostfatalities were in hillside slumsaround the city of Rio de Janeiro,where torrents of water triggereddevastating mudslides and scenesof chaos.

Trash, stones and rubble dottedthe muddy hills of Niteroi onWednesday, alongside precarioushomes.

“People have nowhere to go,they’re all doomed,” ViniciusGomes, the cousin of a landslidevictim, told AFP.

Various officials and PresidentLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticizeddecades of administrative malfea-sance which allowed shoddy homeconstruction in high-risk zones.

“Our aim now is to save lives.Of course we’ll have to removehouses from risk areas in Niteroi,”local mayor Jorge Silveira toldjournalists.

But the authorities were blastedin the press for a failure to antici-pate the disaster.

AFP/Getty Images/File

Former US president Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton meets Saudi king in RiyadhWednesday evening where theydiscussed “issues of mutual con-cern,” SPA said.

No specific details were givenon the nature of the visit of Clinton,who arrived in Riyadh late Tues-day.

The former president runs theNew York-based William J. ClintonFoundation, which promotes andfunds action on a number of cur-rent problems with global reachsuch as poverty, health, AIDS andclimate change.

The Saudi government has beena major supporter of Clinton’spost-White House activities, do-nating 10 million dollars to theconstruction of his presidential li-brary, and between 10-25 milliondollars to his foundation in 2009,according to foundation records.

Clinton, president from 1993 to2001, is also the husband of USSecretary of State Hillary Clinton,who visited Saudi Arabia in Feb-ruary for talks on Iran and the Pal-estinian-Israeli conflict.

Kyrgyz opposition formsKyrgyz opposition formsKyrgyz opposition formsKyrgyz opposition formsKyrgyz opposition formsinterim governmentinterim governmentinterim governmentinterim governmentinterim governmentAP

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Anopposition coalition inKyrgyzstan proclaimed an in-terim government Thursday inthe wake of clashes that left doz-ens dead nationwide, and said itwould rule for six months beforecalling new elections.

people hospitalized in clashes na-tionwide.

In the past two years, authoritieshave clamped down on the media,and opposition activists say theyhave routinely been subjected tophysical intimidation and targeted bypolitically motivated criminal inves-tigations.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a key U.S. mili-tary base that serves as an essentialtransit point for supplies to the mili-tary operations in nearby Afghani-

stan. The opposition has called forthe closure of the air base at theManas airport outside the capital.

In Bishkek, most of the govern-ment buildings, as well as Bakiyev’shouses, have been looted, and twomajor markets were burned down.

A paper portrait of Bakiyev putup at the government headquarterswas smeared with red paint. Ob-scenities directed at him were writ-ten in black spray paint on buildingsnearby.

General Info Friday, April 9, 2010 5International

Denpasar

There are 4 major hospitals usually used by foreigners -Denpasar General Hospital(RSUP Sanglah), Kasih Ibu Hospital, Rumah Sakit Wongayaand Rumah Sakit Dharma Husada.

RSUP Sanglah is the main provincial public hospital. Itsfacilities have improved since the emergency ward had beenbuilt in 1991. Difficult/critical cases would not become aproblem anymore since it has complete equipments. It islocated on Jl. KesehatanSelatan 1 Sanglah Denpasar with :Phone : 227 911 – 15Fax : 226 363

Kasih Ibu Hospital is a private hospital which caters forless serious cases such as diarrhea, intestinal disorders, ane-mia, asthma and minor accidents. Kasih Ibu is also equippedto care for pregnant women. This hospital is located on Jl.Teuku Umar 120 Denpasar.Phone : 223 036Fax : 268 690.

Rumah Sakit Wongaya (Public Hospital; Psychiatric Unit)Jl. Kartini, Denpasar.Phone : 222 142.

Rumah Sakit Dharma Husada , (Private)Jl. Sudirman No 50, DenpasarPhone : 227 560, 234 824

In relating with health, Bali also has insurance and medicalevacuation company, thatis:AEA International - SOS Assistance Bali.PT Abhaya Eka Astiti, Jl. By Pass Ngurah RaiNo. 24X, Kuta 80361.Phone : 755 768 Fax : 755 768One thing that should be noted by tourists here is that theBlood Bank in Bali normally carries no stock of Rhesus (Rh)Negative blood.

Badung

Bali Medical ClinicsThere are some medical clinics that are well known by for-eigners in Bali. Some of them are western owned and oper-ated :

Bali International Medical Center (BIMC)Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) provides excel-lent Primary Health Care & Emeregency Medical Servicesfor tourists, traveler, and expatriate living in Bali.Emeregency Room, Ambulance, Clinic Services, Insurance& Medical Evacuations also available. Open 24 hours Phone: 761 2631. Located Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai No.100X, Kuta,Bali 80361 - Indonesia. http://www.bimcbali.com

International SOS Clinic BaliOpened in 1999, offers International SOS members and visi-tors to Bali comprehensive primary health care and 24-houremergency medical service.Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai 505X, Kuta 80361, Bali - IndonesiaPhone : 720 100 Fax : 721 919E-mail : info@sos-bali.comttp ://www.sos-bali.com

Bali Nusa Dua Emergency ClinicJl Pratama No. 81 Phone : 771 324

Kuta ClinicJl. Raya Kuta Phone : 753 268

Dental ClinicDr Indra Guizot, Jl. Patimura 19, DenpasarPhone : 222 445, 234 375

DDS. Ritjie Rihartinah, Jl Pratama No. 81Nusa Dua Phone : 771 324

Retno W. Agung, Jln. Bypass Ngurah Rai No.4ABr. Tamansari – Sanur Phone : 288 501

Australian Consulate GeneralJalan Tantular 32 Renon DenpasarPhone: +62 361 241118Fax: +62 361 221195 (General) +62 361 241120 (Immigration)

Royal Danish & NorwegianMimpi Resort Jimbaran, BaliPhone +62.361.701 070

The Czech RepublicJalan Pengembak No. 17 Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.286 465

France Consulate AgencyJalan Merta Sari Gang II No. 8 Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.285 485

The Federal Republic of GermanyJalan Pantai Karang No 17 Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.288 535

The Republic of HungaryJalan By Pass No 219 Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.287 701

Italian ConsulateJalan By Pass Ngurah Rai Jimbaran, BaliPhone +62.361.701 005

Honorary Consulate of MexicoJalan Mohamad Yamin 1 A, Renon, Denpasar, BaliPhone +62.361.223 266

Honorary Consulate of The NetherlandsJalan Raya Kuta 127, BaliPhone +62.361.761 506

Honorary Consulate of SpainKomplek Istana Kuta Galleria Blok Vallet 2 No 11. JalanPatih Jelantik Kuta, BaliPhone +62.361.769 286

USA Consulate AgencyJalan Hayam Wuruk No. 188 Denpasar, BaliPhone +62.361.222 426

Consulate General of JapanJalan Raya Puputan No. 170 Renon, Denpasar, BaliPhone +62.361.227 628

Honorary Consulate of BritishJalan Tirta Nadi No. 20 Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.270 601

Swiss and Austria ConsulateJalan Patih Jelantik, Komplek Pertokoan IstanaGalleriaPhone +62.361.751 735

Honorary Consulate of BrazilJalan Legian No. 186, BaliPhone +62.361.757 775

Honorary Consulate of ThailandJalan Raya Puputan Renon 81, Denpasar, BaliPhone +62.361.263 310

Embassy of IndiaJalan Raya Puputan Renon 42-44, Denpasar, BaliPhone +62.361.241 978

Honorary Consulate of Sweden anf FinlandSegara Village Hotel, Jalan Segara Ayu, Sanur, BaliPhone +62.361.282 223

Honorary Consulate of MalaysiaAlam Kulkul Boutique Resort, Jalan Pantai Kuta, BaliPhone +62.361.752 520

Bangli

Bangli General HospitalJl. Kesumayuda 27, BangliPhone : +62 366 91521

Gianyar

Clinic MasJl. Raya Mas, UbudPhone : +62 361 974573

Toyo ClinicJl. Pengosekan, UbudPhone : +62 361 978078

Permata Bunda ClinicJl. Patih Jelantik 50 X, GianyarPhone : +62 361 942082

Ubud ClinicJl Raya Ubud No.36 Campuhan, UbudPhone : +62 361 974911

Gianyar General HospitalJl. Ciung Wanara 2, GianyarPhone : +62 361 943049

Karangasem

Karangasem General HospitalJl. Ngurah Rai, KarangasemPhone : +62 363 21001

Klungkung

Klungkung General HospitalJl. Flamboyan 40-4, KlungkungPhone : +62 366 21371

Negara

Negara General HospitalJl. Gelar, NegaraPhone : +62 365 41006

Tabanan

Laboratorium ClinicJl. Gunung semeru No. 8, TabananPhone : +62 361 819260

Mengwi ClinicJl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai 46, TabananPhone : +62 361 880550

Darma Kerti HospitalJl. Teratai 16, TabananPhone : +62 361 812359

Tabanan General HospitalJl. Pahlawan 14, TabananPhone : +62 361 811027

Praja Taxi : (0361) 289090Bali Taxi : (0361) 701111Ngurah Rai Taxi : (0361) 724724Pan Wirthi Taxi : (0361) 723366Komotra Taxi : (0361) 758855

Singaraja

Prodia ClinicJl. RA Kartini 12, Singaraja Bali0362 - 24-516

Singaraja HospitalJl. Ngurah Rai 30, Singaraja Bali0362 - 22-573

Pet ClinicsKayumas: (0361) 226934Sayang Binatang: (0361) 483121Satwa Kertha Husada: (0361) 263018Pantai Sindhu: (0361) 287518Sidakarya: (0361) 724492Pedungan: (0361) 720026

HOSPITALIMIGRATION HOSPITAL

TAXIS

Friday, April 9, 20106 News

All crew members of the SouthKorean-operated, Marshall Island-flagged Samho Dream are safe, thepirates said by phone Wednesdaythrough the tanker’s captain in thefirst contact since the hijacking Sun-day in the Indian Ocean.

However, “the safety of the sail-ors will be in jeopardy” if the de-stroyer sails any closer, the pirateswarned, a ministry official said.

Pirates have been on a streak ofship hijackings in recent weeks, withat least 16 ships and some 240 crewmembers believed held captive offSomalia’s lawless coast.

Somalia has not had a function-ing government since 1991, and mul-

Somali pirates warnSomali pirates warnSomali pirates warnSomali pirates warnSomali pirates warnSKorean destroyerSKorean destroyerSKorean destroyerSKorean destroyerSKorean destroyerto stay awayto stay awayto stay awayto stay awayto stay away

AP-

In this April 5, 2010 photo provided on April 7 by the Navy Visual News Service, members of avisit, board, search and seizure team from the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul inspect thehijacked Indian cargo dhow Faize Osamani in the Gulf of Oman

Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – A court insoutheastern China sentenced aformer doctor to death on Thursdayfor murdering eight children whowere on their way to school, statenews agency Xinhua reported.

Zheng Minsheng, 41, attackedthe children last month just beforeschool began in Nanping in Fujianprovince.

He admitted to “intentionallykilling” the children, at a trial whichlasted for four hours, Xinhua said.

“I’m willing to shoulder respon-sibility for what I’ve done,” the re-port quoted him as saying.

Prosecutors played 15 videoclips of Zheng stabbing childrenwith a knife, it added.

“Zheng, appearing agitated, re-peatedly told the court he had been

Chinese man gets deathfor slaying 8 children

turned down by a girl and sufferedunfair treatment from the girl’swealthy family, which promptedhim to carry out the attack,” Xinhuasaid.

“Prosecutors said Zheng, who isnot married, had been unsuccessfulin relations with women, his fam-ily and in his career, so he felt lifewas meaningless,” it added. “Zhenghad no history of mental illness, ac-cording to police.”

Five children survived the attack,one of whom is still in intensivecare, Xinhua said.

There have been a series of stab-bings at Chinese schools and uni-versities in recent years.

In 2008, a student stabbed todeath a law professor in class at anelite Beijing law school after he sus-pected the professor of having anaffair with his girlfriend.

AP

SEOUL, South Korea – Somali pirates warned a South Korean destroyer chasing a hijackedsupertanker with 24 sailors on board not to get any closer or else risk endangering the crew,Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

timillion-dollar ransoms have becomea way to make money in the impov-erished nation.

On Wednesday, pirates hijacked aTurkish vessel with a crew of 25 offthe Kenyan coast, according to theEU Naval Force. Separately, a hos-tage on board the hijacked Indiancargo dhow Faize Osamani drownedTuesday when the ship was used toattack another vessel and navies in-tervened.

The Samho Dream, loaded withabout $160 million in crude oil, washijacked on Sunday. A South Koreannaval destroyer on anti-piracy patrolin the area took off in pursuit of the300,000-ton tanker and caught up with

it the next day, officials in Seoul said.The captain said the pirates are

“heavily armed” and warned that theyshould not be provoked since thetanker is carrying a large amount ofcrude oil, a ministry statement said.The hijackers had demanded directcontact with the ship’s owner, it said.

Formal negotiations over thecrew’s release have not begun, For-eign Ministry spokesman KimYoung-sun said.

The tanker remained anchoredabout 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) off theSomali coast, with the South Koreandestroyer monitoring nearby, theministry said. The crew includes fiveSouth Koreans and 19 Filipinos.

A protest leader, NattawutSaikua, told followers that a me-dia blackout “is just the first stepfor the government to clamp downon us tomorrow morning. If thisis so, we’re going to raise our pro-test to the maximum level.”

Abhisit declared the emergencyWednesday night after protestersbriefly broke into Parliament, fol-lowing weeks of protests that haveparalyzed the government andcost businesses tens of millions ofdollars. Lawmakers were forcedto flee on ladders over a back walland senior officials were hastilyevacuated by helicopter.

The demonstrators champion-ing the rights of the rural poorappear uncowed. Their makeshiftcamps that were set up inBangkok’s historic district March12 have spread to the main com-mercial district and beyond, forc-ing large shopping malls to closeand luxury hotels to be put undervirtual siege.

The confrontation is part of along-running battle between sup-porters of former Prime MinisterThaksin Shinawatra, ousted by a2006 military coup, and those whooppose him. Thaksin was accusedof corruption and showing disre-spect to the country’s revered mon-arch.

The demonstrators, called theRed Shirts for their attire, ben-efited from Thaksin’s populistpolicies such as cheap health careand village loans. They are de-manding that Abhisit dissolve Par-liament within 15 days and callnew elections, claiming he tookoffice illegitimately in December2008 with the help of military pres-sure on Parliament.

Instead, the prime minister hasoffered to do so by the end of theyear.

Protesters camped in the cityhave ignored court orders and amassive security presence. They

The officers directly inspectedto the scene. The house of Mr.Darlis and Deva Sablon is next toeach other. When the sample wa-ter was taken from the well, the

Protesters...From page 1 have shown surprising tenacity as

well as organizational skills, liv-ing under primitive conditions inscorching heat and moving aroundthe city in well-ordered motorizedcolumns.

Abhisit has been harshly criti-cized for failing to take strongmeasures to end the disruptivedemonstrations. He has entered ne-gotiations with the Red Shirts andordered security forces to pull backfrom possible confrontations.

The emergency decree allowssecurity officials to detain suspectswithout charge for up to 30 daysand gives them the option of im-posing curfews, banning publicgatherings and censoring media.

Although the military now hasgreater power to restore order, bothAbhisit and the army know a crack-down could result in bloodshedthat would be political poison.

The media clampdown may alsoprove difficult, with Panitan ac-knowledging the protesters are try-ing to find ways to get around theblocks. PTV, set up and financedby Red Shirt sympathizers, is par-ticularly important to the protest-ers as a means of communicatingtheir aims and plans.

A number of small communityradio stations are also allied withthe protesters, who also use cellphones and social networking tocommunicate.

Most of Thailand’s televisionstations are owned by the govern-ment but the country’s manynewspapers are privately ownedand reflect a wide spectrum ofpolitical opinion.

Surat Horachaikul, a politicalscience lecturer at Bangkok’sChulalongkorn University, saidthe emergency announcement canbe interpreted in two ways.

“First, it might be an attempt bythe government to buy some time.Or it might actually mean that thegovernment and the army havereached an agreement in solvingthe current problem,” he said.

Contamination...From page 1 water seemed clear but the offic-

ers take it to the lab for further in-vestigation because the gutter inthe area is filled with liquid.

Puja said “the sample water isalready taken and will be examinein the lab. We also will interrogate

the owner of Deva Salon, AbdulSakur.” The officers were also in-specting other areas such asDimas batik, Banyumas Batik andSugeng Batik, but there was nocontamination found in the area(kmb12)

Friday, April 9, 2010 7Indonesia TodayInternational

AFP PHOTO / Bay ISMOYO

Activists from environmental action group Greenpeace, wearing animal costumes, take part in a rallyoutside the Ministry of the Environment offices in Jakarta on April 8, 2010 to call on the governmentagency to enforce the law and protect the environment. US food company Cargill has become the latestmultinational to demand answers from Indonesian palm oil giant Sinar Mas about claims it is devastat-ing forests rich in carbon and wildlife, Greenpeace said.

“Now is the right time for a totaleradication. I support and appreciatethe right measures that had beentaken by the finance ministry in eradi-cating tax corruptors. I also wish thatthe same measures are taken in othergovernment institutions,” he said,

Agence France-Presse

HANOI - Indonesia has set upa committee to help local indus-tries that feel under threat from anASEAN-China free trade pact,Trade Minister Mari Pangestu saidThursday.

But she said the agreement’simplementation would not be de-layed by concerns raised amongsome Indonesian industries, whoargue that they could be hurt by theentry of cheaper China-made goods.

“We implement fully theASEAN-China Free Trade Agree-ment,” Pangestu told AFP on thesidelines of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations(ASEAN) summit and relatedmeetings in Hanoi.

“We have set up a coordinatingcommittee inside the country toaddress the issues faced by the sec-tors which have indicated that theyare facing potential problems.”

She said the industries, such astextile and footwear manufactur-ers, wanted the government to helpthem cope with the tougher envi-ronment.

“Basically, it’s an issue of howthey can increase their competi-

Antara

MAMUJU - A Chinese inves-tor will develop an internationalcontainer port in Belang-Belang,Mamuju, West Sulawesi, in 2011,governor Anwar Adnan Saleh saidhere on Wednesday.

He said the Chinese investor‘splan was the result of cooperationbetween the Indonesian and Chi-nese governments.

“The two countries` coopera-tion has been followed up with thesigning of a memorandum of un-derstanding in Beijing some timeago,” he said.

President issuesPresident issuesPresident issuesPresident issuesPresident issuesinstruction to eradicateinstruction to eradicateinstruction to eradicateinstruction to eradicateinstruction to eradicatelaw corruptorslaw corruptorslaw corruptorslaw corruptorslaw corruptorsAntara

JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued aninstruction to eradicate law corruptors, especially tax corruptors inall government institutions, like the ministry of finance.

before leaving for Hanoi, Vietnam,at Halim Perdanakusuma airport hereWednesday.

The President said after the revela-tion of the Gayus Tambunan case, hehas received 11,294 short messages and93 letters from the public wishing for a

total eradication of the corruptors.The President said that the crime

committed in the tax sector is an ex-traordinary crime, because it not onlyinvolved tax officials, but other lawenforcement personnel and institutionsas well, like the police, prosecution of-fice and the judiciary as well.

“Some lawyers were even also im-plicated. I hope all of these criminalsbe investigated, becauseaccumulatively they have caused thestate very big losses,” he said.

Indonesia to help sectorsthreatened by ASEAN-China FTA

tiveness. They will be assisted interms of purchasing new machin-ery, things like that,” Pangestuadded.

The ASEAN-China Free TradeArea is the world’s biggest bypopulation with a market of 1.7billion consumers, and is the cor-nerstone of ASEAN’s efforts toposition itself as a major trade bloc.

But some Indonesian industrygroups have complained that theywill not be able to compete withcheap Chinese imports and calledfor a delay in the elimination ofprotective tariffs on 228 productlines until 2012.

“There will be no delays (in theagreement’s implementation)... Weneed to do our internal coordina-tion to ensure that the issues facedby these sectors will be addressed,”Pangestu said.

China and six founding ASEANstates — Brunei, Indonesia, Malay-sia, the Philippines, Singapore andThailand — eliminated barriers toinvestment and trade on 90 percentof products on January 1.

Less developed ASEAN mem-bers, such as Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar and Vietnam, have until2015 to follow.

Agence France-Presse

BANDA ACEH - A couple caughthaving extramarital sex in Indonesiawere paraded naked through their vil-lage, beaten by an angry mob andnow face a public caning, an officialsaid Thursday. Bus, a 36-year-oldteacher, and Yus, a 28-year-old house-wife, were caught having sex onWednesday in deeply Islamic Acehprovince, where religious police en-

Antara

JAKARTA - President SusiloBambang Yudhoyono suspectedthat a mafia was involved in thehandling of illegal logging casesin several regions so far.

“I believe a mafia is behind theillegal logging activities. I call onthe judicial mafia eradiction taskforce to also tackle this problem ,reduce or stop these activities,” hesaid before leaving for Hanoi, Viet-nam, to attend an Asean summiton Wednesday.

He said eradicating mafia in theforestry sector was very important

Chinese investor to developcontainer port in West Sulawesi

Anwar said the container portwas labelled “international” bytransportation minister FreddyNumberi. “The international labelis not from us but a direct approvalfrom Pak (Mr) Freddy,” he said.

He believed commerce in theregion would grow following thedevelopment of the port. “The portlocated around 40 kilometers fromMamuju will become the trade cen-ter in West Sulawesi,” he said.

“I believe the operation of theport later would boost the region`seconomy and open employment forthe local people who have difficul-ties finding jobs,” he said.

Indonesian couple facecaning for adultery: police

force sharia or Islamic regulations.“The villagers raided the woman’s

house and found the couple together,”West Aceh district sharia police offi-cial Teuku Abdurrazak said.

“They dragged them out, paradedthem naked through the village, tiedthem to a post and then beat themwith sticks and their bare hands tillthey were black and blue.

“The villagers were so angry... ifthe police had come any later the

couple could have died.”The pair could receive up to nine

lashes each in public if they are foundguilty of adultery, Abdurrazak said.

Aceh adopted partial sharia law in2001 as part of an autonomy pack-age from Jakarta aimed at quellingseparatist sentiment.

Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s234 million people are Muslims, butthe vast majority practise a moderateform of the religion.

President: Mafia behindillegal logging case

for the sake of law enforcement aswell as forest and environment con-servation in the country.

The President thanked GreenPeace Indonesia and also Walhi thathave so far been critical about andcared for environmental conserva-tion in the country.

“The government and non-gov-ernmental organizations share thesame spirit with regard to environ-mental conservation efforts,” he said.

In view of that the President en-couraged the central and regionalgovernments to cooperate with thenon-governmental organizations tosave the forests and the environment.

8 InternationaFriday, April 9, 2010

Bali Today

Triggering crowdedness at Nusa Penida downtown,

Mentigi marketMentigi marketMentigi marketMentigi marketMentigi marketmust be relocatedmust be relocatedmust be relocatedmust be relocatedmust be relocated

Mentigi market represents thelargest market in Nusa Penida. It islocated right in the heart of subdistrictcity. Its extent is no more than onehectare accommodating 130 tradersand at least 30 basket-using traders.Narrowness of the market area hold-ing a lot of traders makes the marketchaotic. Parking and other traders un-til take advantage of road side result-ing in traffic congestion. “Location ofthe market is less strategic. So, it isworth relocating,” said a legislatorfrom Sakti Village, Nusa Penida,Wayan Baru, last Wednesday (Apr 7).

Moreover, dealing with the de-velopment of Nusa Penida becominga follow-up of the pier developmentin Klungkung mainland, it needed se-rious attention. “It is impossible forus to develop the market, while thesurrounding settlements do not permit.Widening the road is also impossible,either. So, the only way to dispel thecrowdedness of Nusa Penida city isby relocating the market,” proposedBaru.

One of the sites proposed as thelocation of the market is the Tain BesiHamlet where it is not so far away fromMentigi. It has more strategic position

IBP

TABANAN - The resort thatlies on 103 hectares land locatedon Tabanan, Nirwana Bali Resort,officially changed its managementto Pan Pacific since April 1, 2010.With this changed operator,Nirwana Bali Resort also changesits name from Le MeridienNirwana Bali Resort into Pan Pa-cific Nirwana Bali Resort. HansG. Winsnes, GM Pan PacificNirwana Bali Resort explained itduring the Media Kitchen TourPan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort,Thursday.

The resort which owned byPT Bali Nirwana Resort (BNR) isvery unique because it’s combinedTri Hita Karana concepts withmodern style management. Thisfive stars hotel with 278 rooms al-ready operated in 12 years and haswon many awards from presti-gious organizations and maga-zines. Its golf course that designby legendary golfer Greg Normanalso has won many awards, likes”Best Course in Asia” and ”BestCourse in Indonesia”.

He added the hotel willnow adopt unique hospitality thatonly can be found in Pan Pacific’shotels. Hans explained the uniquehospitality will be experience bytravelers that stay in the resort.‘’Everyone wants to be pamperedin the different ways, so in PanPacific we will provide experiencethat travelers never forget,’’ hesaid.

According to him the hotel,which located in strategic area nearTanah Lot Temple, is adopting Tri

Bali Post

KLUNGKUNG - In fact, every market is inseparable from the problem. Other than beingslum and vulnerable, its crowded traffic problems also become the highest impact on the market.The presence of Mentigi Market of Nusa Penida, for instance, lies at narrow location so it makestraders and parking overflow to the street. As a result, the traffic flows downtown is incrediblyserious. The traffic congestion is intolerable, especially during the rush hours (from dawn untilnoon). On that account, in order to anticipate the future development of Nusa Penida, MentigiMarket should be relocated properly.

and spreads on suburban area. Besides,it is also quite close to the urban devel-opment area of Nusa Penida subdistrictand the harbor. “Tain Besi can providemore spacious land,” he said.

Head of Klungkung Coopera-tives, SMEs, Industry and Trade Ser-vices, Nengah Becik, mentionedKlungkung Regency Government hasdesigned the arrangement of MentigiMarket. But, how the arrangementlooked like, Becik said it remained un-der progress, because it denoted a com-prehensive plan for the Nusa PenidaSubdistrict City. It included the mak-ing of the ring road to reduce the trafficcongestion caused by the narrownessof paths in Nusa Penida.

In the meantime, some traderswanted, if the market would be ar-ranged, the location was requested toremain at the current location. Basedon the observation, the condition of thecurrent market was truly disorganized.The traders even spread their commodi-ties to outside the market. Parking lotand terminal were also taken advantageby traders. It happened due to insuffi-cient space for the market area. Mer-chants and buyers must also be jostlingeach other.

Similarly, the location of the trad-ers seemed disorganized between onemerchant and another. Even, it raisedan impression of mixed together. Asseen on location, the traders of livestock(chickens, ducks and others) mingledwith the fruit and clothing traders. Ofcourse, it could harm the comfort of themerchants and buyers.

It does only concern with theproblems of traders and the narrownessof the land, the Mentigi Market is alsofacing problems related to sanitationand security. It has limited number ofofficers. Sanitation vehicle owned isonly one unit serving the whole gar-bage of the subdistrict city. Thisrestrictedness makes the garbage pileup in the market every day and fre-quently is not transported. Such condi-tion is often complained by local resi-dents due to the odor generated.

Likewise, the issue of securitypersonnel of the market also faces aproblem, namely very limited. At themoment, there are only two personnel(one as coordinator and another asmember). Moreover, they are only onduty at the night. It needs serious atten-tion to prevent any theft action that of-ten happened previously. (bal)

IBP/Bal

Situation at Mentigi Market. The presence of Mentigi Market of Nusa Penida, lies in narrow loca-tion so it makes traders and parking overflow to the street.

Pan Pacific NirwanaBali Resort welcomesfirst guests

Hita Karana concepts in its man-agement. The concept had been ap-plied in water system management,land use management, and humanresources. There are around 15hectares of land that being pre-served as rice field. Moreover,from the total of 103 hectares, al-most 70 percent are green openspace. ‘’Over the next 12 – 18months this hotel also will undergoseries of enhancements to itsrooms, restaurants, and landscap-ing. Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Re-sort will be a brand-defining resortfor the Pan Pacific brand as weseek to expand the resorts segmentin our portfolio,” stated Hans.

Besides applying THK con-cepts, this resort also have com-munity development programthrough the development of Busi-ness Development Agencies(LPB) BNR. This agency providesfacilities to small medium enter-prises (SMEs) at Beraban Villageand Tabanan.

‘’In helping the surround ofthis hotel to develop, we also com-mitted in employing local workers.Around 68 percent or 680 peoplefrom 900 people that work in thishotel are from around this hotel,’’explained Hans that accompaniedby Marketing CommunicationsManager Dwi Lisminarni.

Added Corporate Market-ing PR Manager PT. BakrielandDevelopment Tbk. Rosel LavinaSoedjati Nirwana Bali Resort isone of the hotel that owned byHotel & Resort PT Bakrieland De-velopment Tbk. The strategic lo-cation made this hotel reallypopular. (iah)

BisnisBali/Wid

The resort that lies on 103 hectares land located on Tabanan,Nirwana Bali Resort, officially changed its management to PanPacific since April 1, 2010.

Balinese Culture

Friday, April 9, 2010 9al

Ingredients

* 2 lbs. cassava * 200 gram

granulated sugar * ½ tsp. vanila * 1 cup steamed

fresh-grated coconut,mixed with 1 tsp. salt

* 100 cc water * food color

DirectionsPut in sugar and vanila in a large stockpot with water

and bring it to a boil.Steam cassava until soft. Peel cassava. Mash

cassava while still hot and pour the water mixture andfood color (what ever color you like) and blend well.

Use the equipment as shown on the left hand side tomold the mixture. Then put them onto a serving platter,and sprinkle with grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for an hourand serve chilled. (http://asiarecipe.com)

The temple is located inKukuh village, Marga, Tabanan,around 18 km to the northwest ofDenpasar city dan can be reachedsimply through Kediri city to thenorth for 5 km, then turn east tothe temple (approximately for300 m). In front of the temple,there are several souvenir shops,food and beverage and other fa-ci l i t ies for the visi tors. Asreached the front, clearly seenthat the temple was built hiddenin the jungle of 6, 5 hectares,called Alas Kedaton which means“jungle possessed by the king-dom”. This fact holds symbolicmeaning that Dalem KayanganKedaton as sacred place was builtin a location where could givecomposure and spiritual clarity,away from the profane material-istic life.

Archeological investigationshowing the temple as an ancientpossession in old times, origi-nally just a plain prehistoric orpre-Hindu shrine from the ad-vancing megalith tradition ap-peared to be several smallmenhir, composed-gravels,megalithic statue which up to thisday is sacred for the local peopleto pray for the salvation from na-

Dalem Kayangan Kedaton Templeture and the ancestors.

Other than that antiquity, in-side the temple also can be foundthe evidences of the times whenHindu’s influence alreadybroaden in entire Bali; namelypseudo-phallus, DurgaMahisasuramardini statue andGanesa statue sitting on two drag-ons. Pretentiously, the Ganesastatue sitting on two dragons iscandrasengkala ( lunarchronogram) which symbolicallymeans the year of 1286 Saka (Ba-linese year) or 1364 A.D, prob-ably showing the constructionyear of Dalem Kayangan KedatonTemple in the function as sacredworshiping medium for localpeople to this day.

The field investigation wentthrough the evidences of Balinesepeople local wisdom well kept inthe uniqueness of the this temple,such as jeroan yard or utamamandala which is the most sacredpart proved to be lower than otheryards and equipped with four en-trances from four directions. Theother distinctiveness shows onpiodalan (the anniversary for thetemple) led by pemangku (sameas a priest) is held during the dayand must be done before sunset.

Moreover, the ritual is does notallow any use of fire, kwangen,penjor (decorated bamboo), andprominently the exclusion oftabuh rah (cock fight). Anotherone is the equipment of ritualequipment using ceniga madefrom particular banana leaveswhereas the other regions in Baliuse young coconut leaves.

Besides those uniquenesses, there is more needed toreveal regarding Dalem KayanganKedaton Temple as in its hiddenlocation in the jungle, inhabited bytens of monkeys.

Occasionally, the monkeyswere making ruckus when theyfought over food among them-selves. The jungle which is pre-served by Desa Pekraman (localvillage) has more than 24 speciesof trees and has created compo-sure for those who visited it. Be-tween the branches and twigs,coming in sight tens of bats hang-ing as for measuring for theirstrength, skill, and stamina. Beinginside the Dalem KayanganKedaton Temple with such sceneis really a chance for enjoying thechastity, calm, and the stunningscenery yet to be tarnished like theothers. (BTN)

Ingredients

* 240 g

Black glutinous

rice (washed &

drained)

* 60 g

White glutinous

rice (pulut)

(washed & drained)

* 7 c Water

* 2 Pandan leaves, knotted

* 1/2 c Sugar

* Pinch of salt

* 1/2 T Tapioca flour or cornflour Combined with 2

Tbs water to Form a paste

* 1/2 c Thick cocnut milk

* Pinch of salt

DirectionsPut rice in pot with water and pandan leaves and

bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, remove pandan

leaves and simmer for 45 minutes until liquid is thick.

Add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and

thickening. Remove from heat. Serve in small bowls

topped with 1-2 tablespoons thick coconut milk. (http://

asiarecipe.com)

Bubur Pulut Hitam(Black Rice Dessert)

Coconut Sweet Potato Cake(Getuk Lindri)

Friday, April 9, 201010 InternationalDestinations

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Contact usDenpasar

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: +62 361 22-5764 Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id

: +62 21 535-6271 Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F

... gets maximum benefits with minimum charge

SAKENAN Temple is a HinduTemple located in the northwest ofSerangan Village, Sub district ofDenpasar and Badung regency. It isabout 10 KM south part of DenpasarTown. We see a coastal view withbeautiful sea, hill consecution andNusa Dua Beach which are locatedin south side. The structure ofSakenan Temple is divided into 2groups those are Sakenan Temple isa temple complex which is locatedin eastside and Dalem SakenanTemple is a temple complex locatedin west side.

According to the papyrus ofDwijendra Tattwa, the name ofSakenan is coming from the wordof Sakya means to earn direct unitethe mind. This papyrus elaboratesthat Danghyang Nirartha got stuckand feeling natural beauty of calmsea with the nature of its coast.Therefore he lodge there and do theyoga to worship to the God as su-premacy of the safety and prosper-ity. At the time of doing yoga, hedirectly earn unite his mind Sakya.Therefore he builds the altar calledSakenan Temple. At the moment

Sakenan TempleSakenan Temple which is built bythe Danghyang Nirartha and recog-nized by the name of DalemSakenan Temple, a complex ofSakenan Temple in west shares.

The Sakenan Temple Festivalexecuted every 6 month (210 days)that is on Saturday of Kliwon Wuku

Kuningan (Balinese Calendar) andthe same time with the celebrationof big holiday for Balinese Hinduwhich is called Hari RayaKuningan. The celebration oftemple ceremony is conducted dur-ing 3 days and the top ceremonyprocession is called

Ceremony of Mapag Sakenanwhich is executed on second day(Sunday of Umanis Langkir). Thecelebration of Temple Ceremony isaccompanied by the Wali Dance(Secret Dance) like Barong Ket andBarong Landung Dance. TheHindu people come to this place for

worship to the god and they arecoming from various areas, espe-cially from Badungregency. Sakenan Temple in itsgrowth now is a place of interest inBali which you need to visit duringyour vacation in this tropical island.(www.balistarisland.com)

http://farm1.static.flickr.comhttp://bali.stitidharma.org

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Friday, April 9, 2010 11

BUSINESS

Reuters

DETROIT - General Motors Co posted anet loss for 2009, but said it was possible tomake a profit this year and that it was layingthe foundation to return to public ownership.

GM reported a $4.3 billion 2009 net losscovering the period from its emergence frombankruptcy in July through the end of the yearin the automaker’s first full account of its newbalance sheet as a restructured company.

The automaker said it had repaid $2.8billion of its loans from the U.S. Treasury andExport Development Canada by the end ofMarch and planned to repay the remaining $5.6billion by June “at the latest.”

GM, which received $50 billion of U.S.taxpayer support for the restructuring, hasaimed to move faster to jump-start sales andlaunch an initial public offering that wouldallow the U.S. government to reduce its ma-jority stake in the automaker.

GM Chief Financial Officer ChrisLiddell said he was “incredibly encouraged”by the company’s progress in the first quartertoward a profit in 2010 and said GM wouldnever again find itself in the financial positionit experienced before the bankruptcy.

After accumulating losses of about $88billion from 2005 through the first quarter of2009, GM’s predecessor company fell into agovernment-supported bankruptcy. The U.S.Treasury currently holds a stake of more than60 percent in the new GM.

The U.S. Treasury expects GM eventu-ally to be strong enough to attract sufficientinvestment and return to profitability. It hadno comment on GM’s financial statement onWednesday.

“I think they’ve got a modest to good

Still, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke of-fered a relatively downbeat view of theeconomy during a speech in Dallas, suggest-ing he was in no rush to tighten monetarypolicy.

Thomas Hoenig, president of the Kan-sas City Fed, reiterated his concern that theFed’s ultra-low interest rate policies couldhave unintended consequences.

“I am confident that holding ratesdown at artificially low levels over extendedperiods encourages bubbles, because it en-courages debt over equity and consumptionover savings,” Kansas City Federal ReserveBank President Thomas Hoenig told a busi-ness group.

Hoenig is a voter on the Fed’s policysetting panel this year and has dissentedagainst the U.S. central bank’s promise tohold rates exceptionally low for an extendedperiod, arguing it is no longer necessary forthe Fed to tie its hands while the economyrecovers.

Bernanke, for his part, said the U.S.economy still faces significant headwinds,including a housing sector that has yet torecover convincingly and an ailing employ-ment market.

“We are far from being out of thewoods,” Bernanke said in a speech to theDallas Regional Chamber of Commerce.“Many Americans are still grappling withunemployment or foreclosure, or both.”

Hoenig said on Wednesday the Fedcould raise rates to around 1.0 percent, whichwould keep borrowing costs at historicallylow levels while sending a signal that easymoney policies put in place during the glo-bal financial crisis of 2008 are steadily be-ing pulled back.

“The time is right to put the marketon notice that it must again manage its risk,be accountable for its actions, and cease itsreliance on assurances that the Federal Re-serve, not they, will manage the risks theymust deal with in a market economy,”Hoenig said.

However, asset price bubbles are dif-ficult to identify, but they occur “fairly fre-quently” and policymakers need to be moreaggressive than in the past in confrontingthem, New York Federal Reserve BankPresident William Dudley said on Wednes-day.

The Fed has faced sharp criticism fornot anticipating or preventing the crisis, andformer Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan faceda harsh assessment on Wednesday from a

Reuters NEW YORK - UAL Corp’s United Air-

lines (UAUA.O) is in merger talks with US Air-ways (LCC.N) in a deal that could create the sec-ond-largest carrier in the United States, twosources familiar with the matter said.

The discussions, aimed at cutting costs andcompeting with a combined Delta-Northwest,have been going on for a few weeks, and couldfizzle or lead to talks with other carriers, thesources said. The talks are not in advanced stages,they said.

This would not be the first time the twoairlines have tried to merge: in 2000, they an-nounced a $4.3 billion deal that fell apart on op-position from labor unions and the Departmentof Justice.

In 2008, sources had told Reuters that USAirways was in parallel talks with United andContinental Airlines Inc (CAL.N) about a pos-sible merger, when Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) wasmerging with Northwest to create the world’slargest airline.

The talks ended as United chose to pursuean alliance with Continental instead.

Airline industry consultant Michael Boydsaid United’s talks with US Airways might beintended to signal to Continental that they areready to renew merger talks.

Fed officials warnFed officials warnFed officials warnFed officials warnFed officials warnon bubbles buton bubbles buton bubbles buton bubbles buton bubbles butBernanke cautiousBernanke cautiousBernanke cautiousBernanke cautiousBernanke cautiousReuters

SANTA FE - Two top U.S. Federal Reserve officials warned about the risks to theeconomy from asset bubbles on Wednesday, and one suggested raising interestrates to halt risky behavior that could trigger another bust.

AFP PHOTO / Tim Sloan/Files

Federal Reserve Board Chairman BenBernanke testifies during a House Fi-nancial Services Committee hearingon March 17, 2010 on Capitol Hill inWashington DC.

bipartisan panel studying the crisis. “The Fed utterly failed to prevent the

financial crisis,” said commission memberBrooksley Born at a hearing in whichGreenspan testified.

In reply to Born and other commissionmembers, Greenspan, who is 84 and who re-tired as Fed chairman in 2006, said:

“Did we make mistakes? Of course wemade mistakes ...

“Managers of financial institutions,along with regulators, including but not lim-ited to the Federal Reserve, failed to com-prehend the underlying size, length and po-tential impact” of market risks that contrib-uted to the 2007-2009 crisis, he said..

However, the New York Fed’s Dudleywas reluctant to endorse using monetarypolicy to keep inflating asset price bubblesin check on Wednesday.

Instead, he urged instead relying moreheavily on regulation and verbal warnings —“leaning against the wind of conventionalwisdom by speaking out against the dangersassociated with the incipient bubble.”

Dudley differed from Kansas City’sHoenig, saying interest rates, currently at arecord low near zero, need to remain “excep-tionally low” to support a still fragileeconomy and create more jobs.

“We are not getting the job gains wewould like to see,” Dudley said. “What thattells us is monetary policy has to remain onan easy setting,” he said.

U.S. Air, United in merger talks “If you take a look at those two carriers,

there’s a tremendous amount of overlap,” Boydsaid, referring to United and Continental. “Thisis likely to get Continental, which would be abetter fit, out of the barn to start talking.”

US Airways shares surged 26 percent to$8.61 after the closing bell. United’s stock jumpedmore than 8 percent to $20.51. Shares of otherairlines also rose.

The New York Times first reported the newslate on Wednesday, citing people familiar withthe situation.

A deal between US Airways and Unitedwould create one of the world’s largest airlines,but analysts are skeptical. The deal would lacksupport from the pilots union, a major force thathas derailed mergers in the past.

Speaking at the Reuters Travel and LeisureSummit in February, Capt. John Prater, presidentof the Air Line Pilots Association union, suggestedthe union would back a merger between Conti-nental and United, which he indicated made moresense than one between United and US Airways.

Representatives of the union were not im-mediately available for comment.

Antitrust issues will also likely come upagain: the two carriers would end up with a largenumber of hubs and extensive operations in theWashington area.

GM posts $4.3 billion loss,says 2010 profit possible

chance of becoming profitable in one of thequarters this year,” said Mike Boudreau, of theturnaround firm O’Keefe & Associates, citingimprovements in the economy and reducedstructural costs.

GM generated $1 billion of operatingcash during the period from its emergence frombankruptcy until the end of the year, but saidsignificant work remained.

In the results released on Wednesday,GM said its losses from July to the end of 2009included a $2.6 billion pretax loss related to aUnited Auto Workers union retiree healthcareprogram and $1.3 billion for foreign currencyadjustments.

For the fourth quarter, GM reported a$3.4 billion net loss and revenue of $32.3 bil-lion.

GM ended 2009 with $36.2 billion incash, compared with $14.2 billion at the end of2008.

However, GM’s U.S. market share of 18.7percent in the first quarter was down from 19.6percent for all of 2009, a year in which it lost2.5 percentage points of U.S. share.

Chief Executive Ed Whitacre, who re-placed CEO Fritz Henderson in December, hasshaken up senior management including itssales and marketing teams in recent months topush for a faster turnaround.

GM’s global market share dropped to11.6 percent in 2009, down from 12.4 percentin 2008, with sales overall at about 7.5 millionvehicles last year including medium and heavytrucks.

U.S. auto industry sales fell to about 10.4million vehicles in 2009, the worst result sincethe early 1980s. Most industry experts expectsales to increase to a range of 11.5 million ve-hicles to 12.5 million in 2010.

Entertainment InternationalFriday, April 9, 201012

But In Touch magazine suggestsHouston’s latest illness could bedrug-related following an eye-wit-ness account of her behavior at aLos Angeles hotel last month.Marlon David was sitting on thetable next to Houston and her ex-husband Bobby Brown during anight out at the Beverly Wilshirehotel on March 10 and tells InTouch, “I saw her pull a plastic bagout, put a folded bill to her nose and

Whitney Houston’s RepsWhitney Houston’s RepsWhitney Houston’s RepsWhitney Houston’s RepsWhitney Houston’s RepsDeny Drug RumorsDeny Drug RumorsDeny Drug RumorsDeny Drug RumorsDeny Drug Rumors

ANGELINA Jolie and Brad Pitt’s relationship has hitthe headlines again following revelations from a formerbodyguard suggesting the movie hunk had a secret meet-ing with his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston in December. Theex-assistant, named “Bill,” tells In Touch magazine Pittasked him to keep an eye open for the paparazzi while hehooked up with his ex on a remote Beverly Hills canyonroad on December 9.

But the bodyguard couldn’t help but watch what wasgoing on below him. He tells the publication, “They werevery cozy, clearly embracing. Several times, Brad and Jenwere hugging and kissing.” Bill then alerted the pair whenhe spotted the paparazzi nearby: “Jennifer left first, flash-ing Brad a quick peace sign and a smile. Brad jogged backto his motorcycle, drove off and went for an hour bike ride.”

And the loose-lipped bodyguard insists that wasn’t thefirst time the former couple had met in secret, claiming Pittand Aniston previously met up twice in Los Angeles andonce in New York, to his knowledge. The new tabloid storycomes after months of speculation about Pitt and Jolie’srelationship - the couple took legal action against a Britishtabloid earlier this year following reports of a ‘divorce.’

The pair’s publicists have dismissed all claims that theromance is in trouble. Pitt split from Aniston after meetingJolie on the set of 2005 action film “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

EVA Longoria Parker is desperately trying to find out more aboutthe incident that sparked former “Desperate Housewives” castmateNicollette Sheridan’s $20 million lawsuit against the show’s creator -but no one’s talking on set. The actress admits she knows very littleabout Sheridan’s claims Marc Cherry slapped her during a heated ex-change over a scene.

In court documents, Sheridan claims she was fired from the showafter complaining to ABC TV executives about Cherry’s actions to-wards her and other cast and crew members. Longoria Parker is “con-fused” about the scandal because she has always thought that bothCherry and Sheridan had a good working relationship - and both are“sweet” people.

Speaking exclusively to Los Angeles DJ Ryan Seacrest on his KIISFM radio show on Wednesday, the actress said, “Have you met MarcCherry? He’s funny and sweet and probably could not harm a fly. Iknow they did have a thing on set, I guess it was a couple of years ago...I wasn’t on set when it happened, but apparently this incident had hap-pened and she felt it was wrong. I am trying to get the dirt here on setbut no one’s allowed to talk about it. Something happened on set re-garding them doing a scene... He was showing her how to do a scene.

“During that time...I didn’t work withNicollette’s character.Nicollette’s a sweetgirl too; I’m reallyconfused about thiswhole thing... I haven’ttalked to her since sheleft the show, but weused to be reallyfriendly... I would loveto see her, to find outif everything’s OK.”And Longoria Parkerfears the scandal sur-rounding the lawsuitmay have a negativeimpact on the show:“It’s a big lawsuit. It’sa big deal. I love theshow so much that Iwould hate for any-thing to really tarnishthe reputation of theshow... I really wouldlike all of it to goaway.”

MEGAN Fox and her sometime boyfriend, actor Brian Austin Green,are protesting California school budget cuts in a new video online. In avideo posted Wednesday on the comic Web site FunnyorDie.com, Foxurges viewers to “call, write and annoy the governor until he cries forhis mommy.”

She says more than $17 billion has been cut from state educationalprograms over the past two years, and Green says the “terminators inSacramento” plan to cut another $2.5 billion.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said lastmonth that budget cuts have caused a 17 percent jump in the number ofschool districts facing financial uncertainty. Fox and Green’s 3 1/2-minutevideo had been viewed more than 66,500 times by Wednesday afternoon.

WHITNEY Houston’s aides are rushing to dismiss reports the R&B superstar has returned toher drug-taking ways after the singer pulled out of a string of European dates. The star has beendiagnosed with a severe respiratory infection and she is now seeking medical attention in a Frenchhospital.

discreetly snort a line from it ofwhat to me certainly looked likecocaine. She’s extremely thin andlooks like a disaster.”

But Houston’s representativeshave blasted the report, insisting thesinger is not using drugs. David alsotells In Touch the night out endedbadly for the former couple, follow-ing a heated argument. He adds, “He(Brown) had so much trouble tryingto control her. He tried to make her

leave, but she wouldn’t. She startedyelling his name loudly and callinghim a stupid son of a b—ch, and hetold her to shut the f—k up.”

Meanwhile, reports in the Frenchpress suggest the singer was admit-ted to a Parisian hospital, while a rep-resentative for the star confirmsHouston was treated by medics forchronic rhinopharyngitis - a swellingof the membranes in the nose andthroat.

Eva Longoria Parker Is‘Really Confused’ By‘Housewives’ Lawsuit

Brad Pitt & Jennifer AnistonCaught Making Out?

Megan Fox protests schoolbudget cuts with comedy

AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file

In this Sept. 11, 2009 file photo, actress Megan Fox participatesin a press conference for the film ‘Jennifer’s Body’ during the

Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto.

International Friday, April 9, 2010 13Life Style

The Solar Impulse lifted off froma military airport at a speed no fasterthan 28 mph (45 kph) after brieflyaccelerating down the runway. Itslowly gained altitude above thegreen-and-beige fields and eventu-ally faded into the horizon as vil-lagers watched from the nearesthills. “There has never been an air-plane of that kind that could fly —never an airplane so big, so light,using so little energy. So there werehuge question marks for us,” saidBertrand Piccard, who is leading theproject. In 1999, he copiloted thefirst nonstop round-the-world bal-loon flight.

During Wednesday’s 90-minuteflight, the plane completed a seriesof turns by gently tilting its black-and-white wings, which are as wideas those of a 747 jumbo jet. Itclimbed nearly a mile above theSwiss countryside. The weather wassunny, and there was little wind —obvious advantages for a plane solight and dependent on the sun. En-gineers on the $93.5 million (euro70million) project have been conduct-ing short tests since December, tak-ing the plane no higher than 2 feetand flying no more than 1,000 feetin distance. A night flight is plannedbefore July, and then a second planewill be built based on the results ofthose tests.

That plane will be the one to at-tempt the round-the-world flight

Ass

FRESNO, Calif. – For the first timein more than a century, a Californiacondor chick successfully hatchedinside a federal park that once was adomain of the endangered species. Bi-ologists at Pinnacles National Monu-ment in Central California celebratedthe milestone announced Wednesdayin the slow recovery of the birds. Buttheir enthusiasm was tempered be-cause the egg did not belong to anyadult birds in the park.

A pair of condors there had con-ceived an egg in March that biologiststhen took for safekeeping and replacedwith a plastic egg. Biologists later dis-covered the embryo had died sevendays into its development. “It wasn’tsurprising the egg wasn’t viable,” saidDaniel George, manager of the con-dor program at Pinnacles. “That canhappen with first-time breeders.” Thepair in Pinnacle later hatched an eggthat was slipped into their nest afterbeing produced by a pair of condorsin the San Diego Wildlife Park cap-tive breeding program.

The chick emerged from its grape-fruit-sized shell on March 24. Its sexwill be determined soon with bloodtests done when it receives its WestNile Virus vaccine. “It’s a good stepforward for the program,” said biolo-gist Joe Burnett of Ventana Wilder-ness Society, a partner in the recoveryprogram. Removing new eggs fromnests so the gangly birds with nearly10-foot wingspans don’t accidentallydestroy them is just part of the tediousrecovery effort. Biologists don’t wantthis first generation of new birds tobecome discouraged if their matingefforts don’t pay off.

“It’s a tenuous process because youdon’t know if they will accept it,”George said. “So far all of their in-stincts seem to be operating properly.”Biologists and the public were able tomonitor the progress of the birds’ 57-day egg-sitting from Scout Peak abovethe cliff-side nest. Tourists have

AP Photo/National Park Service, Gavin Emmonds

This photo provided by the National Park Service shows an adultfemale condor is seen with an egg biologists put in the nest onMonday, March 22, 2010 at Pinnacles National Monument in Paicines,Calif. For the first time in more than a century, a California condorchick has hatched inside the federal park that once was the spe-cies’ domain. While biologists at Central California’s Pinnacles Na-tional Monument are celebrating the latest milestone in the endan-gered birds’ recovery, their enthusiasm is tempered by the fact theegg did not belong to the first-time parents. The egg was producedby a pair in the San Diego Wildlife Park’s captive breeding program.

Condor egg successfullyhatches in California

flocked from as far as Kentucky tosee the rare sight, which has not oc-curred in an area in free view of thepublic since the recovery programbegan. Two days before the birth, visi-tors witnessed the sometimes-comi-cal reaction of the birds as the eggbegan to move and emit noises.

“They’ll get up all of the suddenand look at it, then try to repositionit,” George said. In 1982, the last 22California condors were placed incaptive breeding programs. Sincethen, hunters and lead poisoning frombullets left in carcasses have ham-pered the recovery of the birds, whichcurrently number 350. Over the pastdecade, the birds have been releasedat three sites around California andone in Arizona. Without parents in thewild to teach them safe behavior,some of the newborns have beencaught and placed in breeding pro-grams after repeatedly perching onpower lines or coming too close topeople. The birth announced Wednes-day occurred after a male condor re-leased in 2004 at Big Sur and a fe-male released the same year at Pin-nacles began exhibiting mating andnesting behavior last year. Condorsgenerally mate for life.

So far, the new parents areadapting to life with child. Georgesaid they take turns nestling theiroffspring to keep it warm, just asthey did the egg. While one waits,the other forages for food. How-ever, the potential that they couldbring back bits of a carcass taintedwith lead bullets is a threat to thesurvival of the youngster. Of the 77eggs laid in the wild since 2001,33 lived for at least six months —long enough to fly. If the newestone survives, its wings will growfrom their current thumb size to aspan of at least 9 1/2 feet. Theyoung condor will live with its par-ents for a year. The adults will waittwo years before producing anotheregg. “For first-time parents they’redoing a good job,” George said.

AP Photo/Christian Hartmann, pool

The solar powered aircraft ‘Solar Impulse’ (HB-SIA prototype) steered by test pilot Markus Scherdel isairborne during its maiden flight at the military airport in Payerne, Switzerland, Wednesday, April 7, 2010.The prototype with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car started to a two-hour testflight to examine if the plane can keep a straight trajectory. The Solar Impulse project aims to circumnavi-gate the world with an aircraft powered only by solar energy.

Solar-powered plane makesSolar-powered plane makesSolar-powered plane makesSolar-powered plane makesSolar-powered plane makessuccessful maiden flightsuccessful maiden flightsuccessful maiden flightsuccessful maiden flightsuccessful maiden flightAssociated Press Writer

PAYERNE, Switzerland – At the pace of a fast bicycle, a solar-pow-ered plane took to the skies for its maiden flight Wednesday, passingan important test on the way to a historic voyage around the world —a journey that would not use a drop of fuel.

planned for 2012. “The goal is to flyday and night with no fuel. The goalis to demonstrate the importance ofrenewable energies, to show thatwith renewable energies we canachieve impossible things,” Piccardsaid. Aviation experts said they seea future for renewable fuels in com-mercial aviation, but they predictedthat biofuels from plants, algae orother sources were more likely tosucceed than solar power.

“Solar energy does not haveenough ‘energy density’ to powerregular airplanes that are supposedto fly somewhere in a reasonablyshort time,” said Hans Weber, presi-dent of San Diego-based aviationconsulting firm TECOP Interna-tional, Inc. With solar planes, “theobjective is only to stay aloft, not togo anywhere fast.” Test pilot MarkusScherdel said Wednesday’s flightproved that the plane could take offand land safely and handles like apassenger jet.

“Everything worked as it should,”he said. While the next plane willhave an outer shell, the current pro-totype has an open cockpit — sortof the aeronautic version of a con-vertible. Scherdel said the frigid airdidn’t bother him and that it was “toocold for flies” that might otherwisehave hit his face. “I was wearing myspecial underwear and a windproofoverall,” he said. “I got shoes andgloves with built-in heating. You see,

we thought of everything.”Using almost 12,000 solar cells,

rechargeable lithium batteries andfour electric motors, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to takethe plane around the world. Theywill make regular stops to switchplaces and stretch after long periodsin the cramped cockpit — and toshow off their aircraft. The circum-navigation will take time. With theengines providing only 40 horse-power, the plane will perform like amoped in the sky, at an average flightspeed of 44 mph (70 kph). The tripwill be divided into five stages —keeping the plane in the air for up tofive days at a time.

Solar flight isn’t new, butPiccard’s project is the most ambi-tious. In 1980, a fragile ultra-light-weight experimental solar planecalled the Gossamer Penguin flewshort demonstration flights with onepilot on board. A bigger projectcalled the Solar Challenger flew asingle pilot from France to Englandin 1981 in a trip lasting more thanfive hours. Solar plane technologyrecalls the early days of mannedflight, and the slow ascent of theSolar Impulse was somewhat remi-niscent of the Wright brothers’ pio-neering experiments in 1903. Wilburand Orville Wright also progressedfrom short hops to longer flights af-ter 1905, reaching average speedsabove 30 mph (48 kph) and onlyslightly slower than the Solar Im-pulse.

The loud clicks of the Swissplane’s four propellers added anotherhint of nostalgia. And designers ac-knowledged the same worries thatpreoccupied the first fliers.

Friday, April 9, 201014 InternationalSport

Woods will play his first com-petitive round since that Thanksgiv-ing night crash changed everything,revealing a supposed role model whowas having numerous extramaritalaffairs. He couldn’t have picked abigger stage to start rebuilding hislife — at least the part of it that in-volves a ball and club. He’ll be re-turning from one of the longest lay-offs of his career when he plays at,of all places, the Masters.

An early afternoon tee time withK.J. Choi and Matt Kuchar willlaunch what figures to be one of themost scrutinized opening rounds ingolf history — not a day for win-ning the tournament, but surely achance for Woods to show he’s stillan intimidating presence on thecourse, if not the same man off it.

Agence France - Presse

HOUSTON, Texas – Americanqualifier Ryan Sweeting posted hisfirst ATP Tour win of the season byupsetting fifth-seeded KazakhstaniEvgeny Korolev 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at theUS Clay Court Championships. The150th-ranked Sweeting convertedthree of his six break point chances inthe decisive set on Tuesday to clinchthe win in one hour and 54 minutes.

Fellow American Mardy Fishwithdrew due Tuesday to the ongo-ing effects of a nerve injury sus-tained in a fall at the Sony Ericsson

Agence France - Presse

NEW ORLEANS – The Char-lotte Bobcats clinched their firstplayoff spot with a dramatic 104-103 win over New Orleans. DJAugustin hit three three-pointersin the fourth quarter, includingone with 16 seconds left to giveCharlotte the lead for good. Thatsecured the first playoff berth inthe franchise’s sixth NationalBasketball Association season.

“Great year,” said Augustin,

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Tiger Woods responds to a spectator during his practice roundat the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, April7, 2010. The tournament begins Thursday, April, 8.

After a Masters scolding,After a Masters scolding,After a Masters scolding,After a Masters scolding,After a Masters scolding,Woods ready to tee offWoods ready to tee offWoods ready to tee offWoods ready to tee offWoods ready to tee offAssociated Press Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. – He’s gotten a scolding from the head of Augusta National and heard thewords of his late father in a television ad, lecturing on the virtues of responsibility. For TigerWoods, it could take years to know if he’s done enough right things in his personal life to becomesomething more than a bawdy punch line. But when it comes to how well he’ll hit a golf ball afterlaying low for five months, that answer comes Thursday.

“The fact that I haven’t really played atall, that’s a little bit concerning,” Woodssaid early in the week. “I’m hoping Iget my feel back quickly, my feel forthe game, my feel for shots, feel morehow my body is reacting and what mydistances are going to be. I hope I getthat back, you know, relatively quickly.Maybe, hopefully, the first hole. But ifnot, please hope it’s the second hole.”

But first, he had to endure anothercritical assessment of the double life hewas leading, this time from one of golf’sleading officials: Augusta Nationalchairman Billy Payne. “It is simply notthe degree of his conduct that is so egre-gious here,” Payne said Wednesday ina surprisingly frank dressing-down ofWoods at the annual state of the Mas-ters news conference. “It is the fact thathe disappointed all of us, and more im-

portantly, our kids and our grandkids.Our hero did not live up to the expecta-tions of the role model we saw for ourchildren.”

They were the strongest wordsfrom a Masters chairman since HootieJohnson’s famous “point of a bayonet”reply to Martha Burk in the summer of2002 when he defended the club’s rightto an all-male membership. Payne wasone of the Augusta National memberswho stood among the Georgia pines tothe right of the first fairway on Mon-day, the first time Woods played beforea gallery since being caught cheatingon his wife. “Is there a way forward? Ihope yes. I think yes,” Payne said. “Butcertainly, his future will never again bemeasured only by his performanceagainst par, but measured by the sin-cerity of his efforts to change.”

(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jared Wickerham)

American qualifier Ryan Sweeting, seen here in 2009, postedhis first ATP Tour win of the season by upsetting fifth-seededKazakhstani Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at the US Clay CourtChampionships.

Sweeting shocks Korolevto get back on track

Open in Miami. Seventh seedMichael Russell also pulled out witha leg injury. Fish was replaced in themain draw by Indian SomdevDevvarman, while Michael Yanitook the place of Russell.

Devvarman defeated Ireland’sConor Niland 6-4, 6-2 to set up a sec-ond-round contest with defendingchampion Lleyton Hewitt of Austra-lia. Yani lost to Kazakhstan?sMikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 7-5. A pairof Argentines, sixth seed HoracioZeballos and Juan Ignacio Chela,both won their first-round matcheson injury retirements.

(AFP/Getty Images/File/Christian Petersen)

Stephen Jackson of the Charlotte Bobcats talks with head coach Larry Brown. The Bobcatsclinched their first playoff spot with a dramatic 104-103 win over New Orleans.

Bobcats clinch their first NBA playoff berthwho finished with 14 points. “TheBobcats have never made the play-offs and it’s historic. But we wantto stay focused and get ready for theplayoffs and try to go farther thanjust the first round.” Stephen Jack-son scored 29 points for Charlotte,which blew a 26-point lead andtrailed by as much as eight pointsin the final quarter.

Tyson Chandler finished with16 points and 10 rebounds in hisreturn to New Orleans for the firsttime since being traded to Charlotte

for Emeka Okafor. Okafor hadseven points and nine rebounds. “Itdefinitely feels good,” said Chan-dler. “It felt like coming back home,honestly. A lot of familiar faces inthe stands. Obviously familiar faceson the other side. It was good tocome back and get a win.

Charlotte led by 22 points at theend of the first half, and withToronto’s loss to Boston neededonly to protect that lead to clinchthe first playoff spot for the fran-chise.

Friday, April 9, 2010 15International Sport

When Ferguson’s team flew toGermany for the first leg of theirChampions League quarter-finalagainst Bayern Munich, they werefirmly on course for the treble.

But in just eight days thosedreams have been shattered in spec-tacular fashion as United surrenderedthe lead in the Premier League after adefeat against title rivals Chelsea andthen crashed out of Europe to BayernMunich on away goals on Wednes-day. Despite losing 2-1 in Munich, itseemed United were set to book theirplace in the semi-finals as DarronGibson’s strike and two fine finishesfrom Nani put the hosts 4-2 ahead onaggregate at Old Trafford.

But Ivica Olic reduced the deficitjust before the break and then Uniteddefender Rafael da Silva was sent offfor two bookings, giving Bayern theimpetus to score again through ArjenRobben. That was enough to sealUnited’s fate and Ferguson knowstheir only chance of adding anothertrophy to the League Cup is to wintheir remaining league matches andhope for a slip from Chelsea, who arecurrently two points ahead. “It’s not ablip. We’ve had three bad results, that

Agence France - Presse

BORDEAUX – Bordeauxquickly turned their thoughts topressing domestic matters after go-ing down 3-2 on aggregate againstLyon in the Champions League quar-ter-finals. Laurent Blanc’s sidecrashed out of Europe’s top clubcompetition despite a 1-0 second-legvictory here on Wednesday but didat least manage to end a string ofthree consecutive defeats, the team’sworst run since January 2004.

Saturday’s surprise 2-1 defeat athome to Nancy saw the defendingchampions slip from the Ligue 1summit as what was once a nine-point lead was finally whittled downto nothing. Marseille lead the Frenchstandings by two points after beat-ing Sochaux 3-0 on Wednesday andMarouane Chamakh, Bordeaux’smatch-winner against Lyon, calledon his side to focus ahead of theirtrip to Paris Saint-Germain at theweekend. “Now we have to re-groupfor the championship,” said theMoroccan. “We can feel a bit betterafter the match tonight (Wednesday).We were strong, we didn’t let anygoals in and we rediscovered ourspirit.

“We have to focus on the cham-pionship to try to defend our title butespecially to qualify for the Cham-pions League.” Chamakh, 26, has re-portedly agreed to join PremierLeague giants Arsenal in the sum-mer and he hinted that this campaignwould be his Bordeaux curtain call.“Was this my last match in theChampions League with Bor-deaux?” he said. “Maybe.” Blancsaluted his team for their perfor-mance but lamented the “knocks”that forced both captain Alou Diarraand centre-back Marc Planus tohobble off before the end of thegame.

“It was important to win to stopthe haemorrhage of defeats afterthree in a row,” he said. “But we’revery unlucky at the moment, both on

Fergie admits UnitedFergie admits UnitedFergie admits UnitedFergie admits UnitedFergie admits Unitedhave to go for brokehave to go for brokehave to go for brokehave to go for brokehave to go for brokeafter Euro exitafter Euro exitafter Euro exitafter Euro exitafter Euro exit

AFP PHOTO DDP / OLIVER LANG

Bayern Munich’s French midfielder Franck Ribery (2nd R) celebrates with his teammates after theUEFA Champions League second leg quarter-final football match Manchester United vs FC BayernMunich at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on April 7, 2010. Manchester United wonthe match 3-2 putting Bayern Munich through to the semi-finals where they will play against Lyon.

Agence France - Presse

MANCHESTER, England – Sir Alex Ferguson admits Manchester United have to win theirlast five Premier League matches to have any chance of salvaging a season which has suddenlyimploded in the space of a week.

can’t be a blip. It is unusual for ourclub to have that,” Ferguson said.

“We have a situation now wherewe are out of the European Cup andwe have to win our next five games. Itis straightforward. There is no otherissue. We have to go for it.” United’sattempt to overhaul Chelsea starts onSunday at Blackburn, where they willbe without Wayne Rooney after theEngland forward’s surpise return to theteam following an ankle injury cameto a premature end. Rooney wasn’texpected back for two weeks, butFerguson opted to risk his star man andthe gamble backfired as he was even-tually substituted in the second halfafter aggravating the problem.

“It is a burst blood vessel just be-low the ankle joint. He won’t be outfor too long. It was never a seriousinjury. He was unlucky he went overon it again,” Ferguson said. “He had acouple of challenges on it and didn’tget protection from that but we ex-pected that. I don’t think he will be incontention for Sunday but he will beback next week.” Ferguson gaveBayern little credit for their impres-sive fight-back, opting instead tocriticise the German team for calling

for Rafael to be sent off following his50th minute tug on Franck Ribery,which followed a first-half booking forlashing out at Mark van Bommel.

“The Bayern players got him sentoff, there’s no doubt about that. It wasonly a little tug by the lad. He was 35yards from goal and wasn’t even a goalthreat,” Ferguson added. “I thought itwas typical professionalism. They sawthe opportunity and almost forced thereferee to get the card out. He wasn’tgoing to do anything before that. Butwe have seen it before from teams likethat. It’s hard to digest something likethat. In one way I can say we’vethrown it away, but in another I wouldsay we were very unlucky,” Fergusonsaid.

“With 10 men in a game of thatmagnitude it is very difficult. Thenthey had control of the ball, whichthey hadn’t had before that in thewhole match. Even then they onlyhad one chance, the header fromMario Gomez, before they scored afantastic strike from Robben. Luck ispart of the game. We have to acceptthat. On many occasions we have hadthe luck, but Bayern carried the luckin this particular tie.”

Bordeaux, Lyon keepeyes on league prizes

the pitch and with injuries. If wewant to experience matches like thisagain, we need to qualify for theChampions League. It’s importantfor the players, for the club, for thefans, for everyone. From tomorrow(Thursday) morning we’ll try tofreshen things up to focus on thismatch against Paris, which is diffi-cult because we play three days laterand we’re losing players.”

Lyon will now meet German gi-ants Bayern Munich to fight for aplace in the Champions League fi-nal but holding midfielder JeremyToulalan warned his team-mates notto take their eye off the ball domes-tically. “It’s an honour, we’re reallyhappy, but we have to keep perform-ing in the championship if we wantto experience this again,” said theFrance international. “The priorityis still the league. We can have aparty if we get to the final and wewin it.” An inconsistent start to theseason saw Lyon fall off the pace inLigue 1 but their 2-1 win at Renneslast weekend momentarily took themto the top of the standings on goaldifference. They have, however,played two games more than Bor-deaux and a game more thanMarseille and coach Claude Puelsays they cannot afford to miss outon Champions League qualificationby not finishing in the top three.

“Marseille and Bordeaux havethe trump cards going into the finalsprint,” said Puel, whose team, cur-rently second, host sixth-placed Lilleon Sunday. “Above all, we have tostay in the top three but it will bevery tough with all these teamsaround us. “We want to be in theChampions League next season andthis group wants to continue toprogress. They’ve forged somethingin the face of adversity and they mustbe allowed to grow together andprogress. Playing in the ChampionsLeague regularly is the way to dothat. “The bottom line is the league.Europe is the dessert for the playersand for everyone.”

AFP PHOTO / PIERRE ANDRIEU

Bordeaux’ forward Marouane Chamakh (R) vies with Lyon’ for-ward Cesar Delgado (C) and midfielder Jeremy Toulalan (L) onApril 7, 2010 during their Champions League quarter final foot-ball match at the Chaban Delmas stadium in Bordeaux.

Friday, April 9, 201016 SportI N T E R N A T I O N A L

“Basically, this year probablywould be the closest they’ve everbeen,” siad Edwards. “I’m not say-ing the bikes are exactly the same.But I think they’re a lot closer thanthey’ve ever been. That’s about allwe can really ask for, being a sisterteam. “When you look at the speedcharts, we’re right there.Everybody’s running good. I thinkall 18 bikes are running within 4km/h or something like that. I think it’sa good thing.

“The six engines all year, I thinkit’s evened out the amount of poweryou can actually put out and keep thething together. So I think everybody’sjust scrunched up a little bit more.”Edwards accepted that it would stillbe a very tall order to beat the lead-ing factory bikes in a straight fight.

THE World Rally Champion-ship is in danger of alienating thepublic with its confusing use oftactics on gravel rallies, accord-ing to Ford’s lead driver MikkoHirvonen. Having retired earlyon the second day of last week’sJordan Rally, Hirvonen returnedfor the final day to be deployedas part of Ford’s effort to sweepthe road for his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. While Hirvonenwas happy to take the time pen-alties for checking in early onSaturday morning, he admittedhe was concerned about the con-sequences for the watching widerworld.

“We are confusing the public,”said Hirvonen. “Nobody really

Colin Edwards reckons his Tech 3 team has a better chance than ever to score MotoGP racewins this year given the quality of equipment it has received from Yamaha

Edwards saysTech 3 couldwin in 2010

COLIN Edwards reckons his Tech 3 team has a better chancethan ever to score MotoGP race wins this year given the qualityof equipment it has received from Yamaha. The American andhis new team-mate Ben Spies have been among the frontrunnersin winter testing, and Edwards said their bikes were now muchcloser in spec to the factory Yamahas of Valentino Rossi andJorge Lorenzo, partly due to the new engine life restrictions.

“You’ve got, I would say the top fourguys, but [Dani] Pedrosa hasn’t donea damn thing in the last couple oftests. You’ve got the top three guys,”he said.

“It’s going to be difficult; I ain’tgoing to lie to you. Anybody that’sgoing to bet against Valentino’s gottheir head screwed on wrong. Butit’s definitely a possibility. Like Isaid, this is the closest our bikes haveever been to factory spec, so if therewas ever a year it was going to flat-out happen, this is definitely one ofthose years.” He added that he wouldstill be pleased even if Spies beathim to the honour of taking Tech 3’sfirst MotoGP race win. “I would loveto say it’s going to be me [winning],”said Edwards. “But if Ben does it,I’m not going to be disappointed.”

The World Rally Championship is in danger of alienating the public with its confusing useof tactics on gravel rallies, according to Ford’s lead driver Mikko Hirvonen

Tactics are alienating fans - Hirvonenlistens to the drivers, but there is areally easy solution: the first 10 or15 drivers pick their road position.On the first rally of the season, thechampion gets first pick and thenafter that, the leader at the end ofthe day gets to chose his place forthe next day. It’s simple.” Hirvonen’steam director Malcolm Wilson is notso sure that Hirvonen’s suggestionis the right way to go, pointing outthat the best drivers running in thebest place on the road will not offerany variety of results.

“If we do that,” said Wilson,“we’ll know who’s going to win therally on Friday night. We couldwrite the top five for the next fewrallies now. The current system cre-ates excitement.” Wilson’s opposite

number at Citroen, OlivierQuesnel disagreed with Wilson,saying: “I don’t think we wouldknow the winner. Honestly,Mikko is as fast as [Sebastien]Loeb, Latvala as well. I don’tthink we would have the winneron Friday night.”

WRC promoter North OneSport CEO Simon Long said thetime had come for change. “Theregulations need to be looked at,”said Long. “As a sport it’s confus-ing to wake up and see the guyyou thought was second is nowactually sixth. We need clarity totell a consistent story from thesport. I hope the regulations canbe looked at to avoid this kind ofthing in the future.”