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Friday, February 11, 2011

16 Pages Number 463rd Year

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‘True Grit’ spursBerlin film feststart

It was the deadliest suicidebombing in Pakistan since awoman with a bomb strapped un-der her burqa killed 43 people at aUN food distribution point onChristmas Day in the tribal districtof Bajaur. The Taliban claimed re-sponsibility and threatened “big-ger attacks” in coming days to

Associated Press Writer

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A naturalgas explosion in eastern Pennsylva-nia leveled two houses, spawned firesthat burned for more than seven hoursand prompted the evacuation of hun-dreds of people. At least six peoplewere unaccounted for Thursday.Among them are two people whosetwo-story row house in a downtownresidential neighborhood blew upabout 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, police

Pa. gas explosion destroyshomes; 6 people missing

Chief Roger MacClean said. Thecause of the explosion was unclear.

The fires consumed an entirerow of homes, fire Chief RobertScheirer said. The blaze was put outearly Thursday, delayed by the dif-ficulty of digging through packedlayers of snow and ice to a rupturedunderground gas line that was feed-ing the flames, Scheirer said. Hepredicted eight houses would belost and another 16 damaged.Continued on page 6

AP Photo/Rich Schultz

Allentown firefighters battle a fire after an explosion nearthe intersection of 13th and Allen Streets in Allentown, Pa.,early Thursday morning Feb.10, 2011.

A resident walks near burningoil tankers which were set

ablaze by an bomb explosion inPeshawar, northwest Pakistan

February 8, 2011.

REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

Continued on page 6

Agence France Presse

MARDAN, Pakistan – A teenage suicide bomber killed up to 31 Pakistani army recruits ata parade ground on Thursday, an attack the Taliban said was revenge for US drone strikesand local military offensives. Wearing school uniform, the young teen blew himself up at theparade inside a heavily guarded military compound just outside the town of Mardan, killingthe soldiers with shrapnel and explosives, officials said.

avenge American drone strikes andPakistani military operations tar-geting Islamist militants in thenorthwestern tribal belt. “It was asuicide attack. The teenagerbomber was on foot and was wear-ing a school uniform,” AbdullahKhan, a senior police officer inMardan, around 30 kilometres (20

miles) from the regional capitalPeshawar, told AFP.

“The death toll has now reached31 recruits. Thirty-six have been in-jured, Sixteen of them are critical,”Khan told AFP. “The bomber was 14or 15 years old. He was not a studentat the school inside the regiment. Hecame from outside but was dressed

like the other school boys.”After the attack, soldiers in bul-

letproof jackets and helmets cor-doned off the entire area around thePunjab Regiment Centre, deploy-ing jeeps mounted with machineguns and preventing access to thesite, an AFP reporter said. Policehad earlier put the death toll at 27.

Pakistan suffers near-daily at-tacks blamed on Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants — the at-tacks have killed more than 4,000people since government troopsevicted Islamists from an Islamabadmosque in a deadly July 2007 siege.

PAGE 6

Can sex, shavingboycotts saveBelgium?

Three regions denymoratorium policy

InternationalFriday, February 11, 20112

Bali News

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

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

Putra Ariawan. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. Office: Jalan

Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605

Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Gianyar (Bali Post)—Monkey fores t located a t

Padangtegal, Ubud, Gianyar, inthis year 2011 will be proposed tore-compete for the environmentalconservat ion award, namelyKalpataru Award. The proposal isexpected to become a revival af-ter the failure of Gianyar Regencyto deliver the Monkey Forest,Padangtegal Customary Village,to reach the Kalpataru in 2010.

Informat ion col lected onWednesday (Feb 9) told that theexis t ing fores t area a tPadangtegal, Ubud, was submit-ted to the Gianyar Regency to beinvolved in the competition ofKalpataru environmental conser-vation awards.

The proposal was quite reason-

This can be seen on the opening cer-emony of ASEAN – Republic Of Ko-rea International Academic Conference2011 on Thursday, February 10, 2011in Grand Ball Rama Sita Room BaliBeach Sanur.

In his speech, Indonesian EducationMinister said that he appreciated the ef-fort by Mahendrasatta University toembrace the nation in education event.The similar statement was addressed bythe head of DPR, Dr.Marzuki Alie.

He said that Indonesia will gain manybenefit from the conference and it is alsoon the same path with the effort of thegovernment and DPR to give more at-tention in the education world.

“I congratulate the head ofMahendradatta University, Dr. NgurahArya Wedakarna, who has worked veryhard in giving the best image of Indo-nesia abroad, especially in the educa-tion world. It is a remarkable achieve-ment to hold a conference consists of10 countries throughout ASEAN. Con-gratulation to Mahendradatta Univer-sity,” he added.

Praise was also given by the Presi-dent of Korean Association of South-

IBP/ROK

ASEAN CONFERENCE – Dr.Marzuki Alie ( Head of DPR – RI ), Supriadi Rustad ( General Directorof Indonesian Education Ministry ), Dr.Shri I Gusti Ngurah Arya Wedakarna MW Suyasa III ( Headof Universitas Mahendradatta ), Prof.Yoon Jin Pyo ( President Korea Association Of South EastAsia Studies / KASEAS ), Prof. Surichai Wungaeo ( Assc.Prof.Asean University Network ) andDelegtes from 11 ASEAN countries.

Treaty Bali, the Island of Science signed

Indonesian Education Minister and the headIndonesian Education Minister and the headIndonesian Education Minister and the headIndonesian Education Minister and the headIndonesian Education Minister and the headof DPR praise Mahendradatta Universityof DPR praise Mahendradatta Universityof DPR praise Mahendradatta Universityof DPR praise Mahendradatta Universityof DPR praise Mahendradatta University

The Mahendradatta University is successful in inviting intel-lectuals from 10 South East Asia (ASEAN) countries and it ishighly appreciated by Indonesian Education Minister and thehead of parliament (DPR).

east Asian Studies (KASEAS),Prof.Yoon Jin Pyo. He said that thecooperation between Korean Repub-lic and Asean University Network(AUN) must have good value for sci-ence.

“Mahendratta University has car-ried out the international event per-fectly and we would like to congratu-late them for that,” he added.

AUN also stated that the coopera-tion with Mahendradatta Universitymust be developed in the future.“AUN is ready to cooperate with alluniversities in Indonesia in AUN pro-grams and Mahendradatta Universityhas proven that Indonesia able to carryout international events,” Prof.Surichai Wungaeo, the associate ofAUN, said.

Marzuki Alie was also signing thetreaty of Bali, Island Of The Scienceand also the Bali Intelectual 2020 pro-gram. Today, there is a cultural trip toPuri Agung Klungkung, Presedencypalace in Tampaksiring, the anticoruption reasearch office also inTampaksiring and Farewell Dinner diArma Museum Gianyar.

Padangtegal Monkey Forestproposed to win Kalpataru

able. The forest becoming thetourist object had been preservedand expanded. Now, the extenthas reached 12.5 hectares fromthe previous eight hectares.

Chief of Padangtegal Custom-ary Village, I Made Dana, whenmet last Wednesday said otherthan expanding the forest area,the rural communities also pre-served the animals within theforest such as thousands of mon-keys. Whether it would be suc-cessful or not, his party handedit over to relevant agencies.

It was mentioned, regarding tothe assessment of Kalpataru, theMonkey Forest had been visited bya team of Bali Province not longago. Regarding to the results, it wasthe matter of time. (kmb16)

Denpasar (Bali Post) –The three car sellers named I

Ketut Wardana, I Wayan Sujana andMade Kameana, Denpasar Resi-dents, should be an example to all.On Wednesday (9/2) they were al-most robbed around South NangkaStreet as their Suzuki Karimun carDK 1370 DA got its wheel holed bya crime act.

As they were alert and moreoverthey just took out IDR 133 millioncash from Central Asia Bank (BCA)at Central Gatsu Street, Denpasar,they forced to drive their car eventhough on wheel went flat. They thensave themselves to the Bali PoliceHeadquarters specifically atSamapta Directorate, WR.Supratman Street, Denpasar.

According to Wayan Sujana, heand his two friends (Wardana andKameana, red) was getting cash

Car Sellers Almost RobbedSave Themselves to Police Headquarter

from BCA Gatsu Tengah Branch,Denpasar and used a red SuzukiKarimun car. After getting it, they wereplanning to go to Regional Develop-ment Bank (BPD) Renon Branch,Denpasar, “So we planned to gothrough South Nangka Street, thenKamboja Street then go to Renon.”

As they got to South Nangka, oneof the wheels got flat. Knowing that,they were aware that’s something notright. They looked over around themincluding the back, “There were suspi-cious people riding Suzuki FU 125motorcycle behind us.”

They suspected strongly that thesepeople who has holed the car and theywere using a full covered helmet. Thesuspicion grew when they victimslooked over the motorcycle drivermovements as they stopped when oneof the car wheels got flat, “We saw theystopped, but then drove again yet we

keep on driving as we feltsomething’s not right also because ofour previous experiences.”

Victim then kept driving his carto find a safe place. They then choseto go Samapta Directorate. Whenchecked, the wheel has a modifiednail on it, “What’s more suspicious,when we went in to the Bali Policeareal the two crime acts stopped atthe West of the Headquarters.”

Head of Bali Police Public Re-lation Section, Great Commis-sioner Gde Sugianyar, who alsowent to see the victim’s car, saidthat the victim’s step to safe him-self is very right as they knowthey are in danger, “We hope thatwhen the public was going to takelots of cash better to seek secu-rity from the police. It is muchsafer rather than no security ac-companying.” (kmb21)

3International Bali News Friday, February 11, 2011

Based on observation of Bali Post,Wednesday (Feb 9), the residents liv-ing on the lakeside could no longeroccupy their home. Water of the lakeentered into the house of residents ashigh as to reach the thigh of adult. Anumber of houses located very closeto the lake almost drowned and peoplecould only see their walls and roof.To enter the house for taking itemsthat could be saved, people had to goby boat.

Aside from houses, two templeslocated on the lakeside, namelyGubug and Tirta Mengening templewere also flooded. Even, a number ofbuildings within the Gubug Templearea, like the resting pavilion, only thetip of the pole and roof appeared.Meanwhile, to enter into the temple,people had to use a boat.

Residents whose houses wereflooded by water had no choice but fledfor their life by setting up simple hutsin the forest area. Overall, there wereabout 30 families taking refuge. Otherthan 21 families whose homes wereflooded by water, around nine otherfamilies also fled although their housewas not flooded. It was estimated thewater continued rising so they fearedif all houses located on the lakesidewould be inundated.

Mangku Suitra and Luh Sariati, lo-cal residents, said the water overflow-ing onto the land had been happeningsince about ten days before. Actually,the water had begun to rise since tor-

Negara (Bali Post) –The plan to build a Buddha

statue at Astapaka Vihara,Gilimanuk is still being discussedby the government and localpeople as it is planned to reach 25meters height. The statue will beabove a gorge and four metersfrom the roads. There will be alsoa temple accompanying it. Thestatue with “Abhaya/AbhayaMudra” position known by Bud-dhist as the symbol of “Reconcili-ation and Peace” will be seen fromBanyuwangi, East Java. All thepeople going to Bali by ship canalso see it. Yet before it will bebuilt, there’s a need of socializa-tion to the people also an agree-ment in cross religions forum ofthis statue and temple height.

A number of Jembrana Govern-ment and Indonesia HinduDharma Group (PHDI) officialslast Wednesday (9/2) held a meet-ing at Jembrana Government Of-fice connecting to the plan of hav-ing a Buddha Statue on the WestBali entrance gate. A number ofemployees from Permit Agency,Public Works and Living Environ-ment (PULH) Agency, SocialEconomy and Culture, JembranaSecretary, PHDI Jembrana,Melaya Sub District Leader andHead of Gilimanuk Village dis-cussed the Bali Province Govern-ment consultation results based onthe technical document owned byJembrana Spatial Planning(RTRW) year 2008-2028 as this

Amlapura (Bali Post) –A German tourist, Monden

Wolfgang Eberhard Heinrich Friz(51) was found unconscious thendied at Baturinggit Beach, Kubu,Karangasem last Wednesday (9/2)afternoon. It is still unknown whathave caused it.

The body found using under-pants and covered in cloth wasthen sent to the Karangasem Re-gional General Hospital corpseroom by ambulance owned byGalang Kangin Tukad Luah Foun-dation, Kubu. The body was ac-companied by Luh Sri, managerto Alam Batu Hotel, Baturinggit,where Friz have stayed. Sadly LuhSri was not open to the reportersas she did not explain Friz iden-tity and the cause of his death.Meanwhile, Karangasem Houseof Representatives member medi-ated the corpse room on Wednes-day, “I do not know what causedthe tourist died. I am only helpinghere to make sure the body can bekept here for the while.”

Not Yet DivingGerman Man Diedat Baturinggit Beach

A Kubu Police officer who alsoaccompanied the body to the hos-pital stated that based on witnessesstatements, victim was preparingto dive in at that time. He just tookoff his day clothes and was aboutto use the diving clothes. Yet, allof a sudden victim got unconsciousthen fell and before help was givenvictim has died.

The body was then brought tothe hospital and all accessories oftwo huge gold necklaces were takenoff from the tall body before in-serted to the body’s freezer, “Afterit got autopsied then we will knowwhat the cause of his death is.”

It is stated also that on Wednes-day victim died because of illnessnot because of diving. In the beachwhere he was found there weremedicines found suspected forasthma also a sprayer. From dayto afternoon, there has been badweather such as rain, dark cloudsand threatening waves atBaturinggit Beach causing victimto delay his diving. (013)

Polemic, BuddhaStatue Height inGilimanuk

location is part of Housing place.Then based on Jembrana Regu-

lation No. 3 Year 2004, the maxi-mum height of a building is 15meters from land level except thatit is a tower, chimneys or religiousplaces. Yet it needs an agreementon the height of the statue beingmore than 15 meters also its socioculture affect. The discussion wasalso attended by PHDI, ReligiousCommunication Forum (FKUB),Villages Council and Jembrana Gov-ernment. Besides that it also needsan agreement of the height fromPublic Works Agency. Meanwhileaccording to Bali Province Regula-tions No. 16 Year 2009 on RTRWBali Province year 2009-2029, thestatue will be in a Bali Province Stra-tegic Area (KSP). Yet after coordi-nating with the Bali People Prosper-ity Bureau it is stated that a religiouspraying place is not regulated underthe KSP so it does not need anyGovernor recommendation.

Gilimanuk Head Village, IGNRai Budi, confirmed the situationwhen met after the meeting. To himfor the construction and to cause noproblems in the future it needs allagreement. In the near time therewill be another meeting involvingthe people and FKUB, head of vil-lages and all local residents wherethe statue will be built, “In the nearime we will discuss it first and so-cialized this Provincial recommen-dation as we don’t have any prob-lems knowing that praying placehas been there before.” (kmb26)

IBP/Ole

Houses flooded with water which coming from Tamblingan Lake.

Water of LakeWater of LakeWater of LakeWater of LakeWater of LakeTamblingan overflowsTamblingan overflowsTamblingan overflowsTamblingan overflowsTamblingan overflows21 houses and 2 temples get inundatedSingaraja (Bali Post)—

At least 21 houses and 2 temples on the side of Lake Tamblingan, Munduk Village, BanjarSubdistrict, were inundated by water. This happened after the water of Lake Tamblingan over-flowed about five meters high and ran over the land as far as 300 meters from the lakeside.

rential rains about a month. Though itdid not rain at that time, the water con-tinued rising slowly until inundated thehouse of residents. Even, it was esti-mated the water would keep on risingand more houses of local residentswould be inundated.

According to another local resident,the overflowing water of the lake wasestimated to be caused by violent rain-falls and it triggered the increasing re-charge of the underground water. Theoverflowing water of the lake had neverbeen estimated by residents. He saidsimilar incident last occurred around in1972. Then, in subsequent years waterof the lake continued to subside until itfinally rose again this year. Since nearlyall villagers did not have residence otherthan on the lakeside, then 21 familiesfled to the forest area and built a simplehut that was not so far from the lake. Inthe meantime, other residents, thoughtheir house was not inundated yet, hadalready fled as worried if water of thelake would keep on overflowing and,in turn, would inundate their homes,too.

Families that fled into the forest weresuch as Ketut Suasta, Ketut Sutama,Ketut Ridana, Mangku Gede Suitra,Komang Pariadi, Ketut Ngenteg, GedeWetan, Gede Widiana, NengahSupama, Nyoman Sudana, GedeRistawan, Mangku Gede Artawan,Mangku Wayan Sosial, KadekSwisnaya, Wayan Suada, MadeSrinada, Gede Suardana, Putu Wera and

Ketut Sedana.The forest area used as the refuge

site is owned by the agency of naturalresources conservation (KSDA). Theauthority of KSDA allowed the peopleto build those simple shacks in the for-est area as they only lasted temporarily.Residents claimed their stock of staplefood had almost run out because theirdaily livelihood as fisherman in the lakecould not be carried out due to naturaldisaster.

Meanwhile, Secretary of MundukVillage, Made Yasna, said there wereabout 44 houses on the lakeside. Resi-dents whose house inundated werepeople settling adequately close tolakeside. Virtually all residents livingthere worked as a fisherman and pro-vider of transportation services fordevotees who would like to perform aceremony to the middle of the lake.

As for the fate of refugees, accord-ing to Yasna, the village authority wasunable to do much. The administra-tive village could have not given a per-manent settlement for them. Origi-nally, his party wanted to prepare amultipurpose hall to be used as refu-gee camp, but his party failed to doso. Fortunately, the KSDA was will-ing to provide its forest land for tem-porary refuge. “It is a temporary settle-ment because the KSDA only gave itfor a while. After that, if water of thelake continues rising we will try to findout another solution where theyshould move,” he said. (kmb15)

International4 Friday, February 11, 2011 News

Protests calling for Mubarak’souster have been spreading sinceTuesday outside of Cairo’s TahrirSquare, where demonstrators havebeen concentrated for the past twoweeks. On Wednesday, protestersalso gathered at parliament, theCabinet and the Health Ministrybuildings, all a few blocks from thesquare, and blocked Prime Minis-ter Ahmed Shafiq from his office.

Strikes erupted in a breadth ofsectors — among railway and bus

Reuters

SEOUL – North Korea said it will no longer take part in militarytalks with Seoul after walking out of a preliminary meeting, statemedia reported on Thursday, as a stalemate emerged over the start-ing point for dialogue. The United States, which has nearly 30,000troops in South Korea, said it was hopeful the rivals could work outtheir differences and resume talks as soon as possible to reduce ten-sions on the divided peninsula.

Preliminary military talks between the neighbors broke down onWednesday over procedural issues, including the agenda for theirmeeting and the rank of participants that would attend a subsequentsenior meeting.

“In a situation where (they) do not wish for improvement of North-South relations and are refusing dialogue itself, our military and peopleno longer feel the need to be associated with the South,” the KCNAstate news agency quoted the lead delegate from the failed talks assaying. Analysts said the breakdown was inevitable as both sides cameto the negotiating table with different issues, and noted that the walk-out follows a similar pattern to past sputtering inter-Korean dialogue.Colonels from the two Koreas met at their heavily fortified border fortheir first meeting since the North’s attack on the southern island ofYeonpyeong in November, which killed four people.

Reuters

KANTHARALAK, Thailand –Thai villagers began trickling backto their homes near a disputedstretch of the border with Cambo-dia on Thursday in a sign of easingtension after deadly clashes over anancient temple. But both Thai andCambodian forces remained onalert a day after Cambodian PrimeMinister Hun Sen said the four daysof fighting that began last Fridayconstituted “war”. Both sides havepromised maximum restraint anddeny beefing-up their forces, butwitnesses on the Thai side sawtanks, armored vehicles and fighterjets on the move.

Thailand and Cambodia blameeach other for the clashes near the900-year-old Preah Vihear templethat killed at least three Thais andeight Cambodians. At least 34Thais and 55 Cambodians werewounded, according to statementsfrom both sides.

The temple ruins, perched on acliff overlooking the north Cambo-dian plain, have been a thorn in the

In this photo released by the Defense Ministry, North KoreanArmy Col. Ri Sun Gyun, left, arrives with other North Korean

delegates for a military meeting between the Koreas, at the southside of the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone

(DMZ) that separates the two Koreas since the Korean War, northof Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011.

Stalemate over Korea talks after North walkoutBut the North’s delegates abruptly walked out of the meeting

on the second day. South Korean media reported the process willnow return to the drawing board, with both sides likely to ex-change statements leading to a resumption of talks.

Seoul said its offer for senior-level military talks still stood,but on the condition the North “takes responsible steps” regard-ing attacks that killed 50 South Koreans last year. Reports saidthe North Korean delegates stood by their stance that Pyongyanghad nothing to do with the sinking of the South’s Cheonan war-ship in March and that it shelled Yeonpyeong out of self-defense.

The North also insisted that discussions about the attacks shouldbe taken up at the senior level, South Korean media reported. Ten-sions have eased on the peninsula since the start of the year, withboth sides calling for dialogue, raising hopes the neighbors couldrebuild relations shattered over the past two years by a series ofdeadly attacks and failed nuclear talks.

AP Photo/Defense Ministry

AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

Anti-government protesters jog along a street as part of their daily exercises after spending the night infront of the Egyptian Parliament in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011.

Strikes in Egypt add toStrikes in Egypt add toStrikes in Egypt add toStrikes in Egypt add toStrikes in Egypt add topressure from protestspressure from protestspressure from protestspressure from protestspressure from protestsAssociated Press Writer

CAIRO – Thousands of workers went on strike Wednesday acrossEgypt, adding a new dimension to the uprising as public rage turned tothe vast wealth President Hosni Mubarak’s family reportedly amassedwhile close to half the country struggled near the poverty line.

workers, state electricity staff andservice technicians at the Suez Ca-nal, in factories manufacturing tex-tiles, steel and beverages and at leastone hospital.

In one of the flashpoints of un-rest Wednesday, some 8,000 protest-ers, mainly farmers, set barricadesof flaming palm trees in the south-ern province of Assiut. They blockedthe main highway and railway toCairo to complain of bread short-ages. They then drove off the gover-

nor by pelting his van with stones.Hundreds of slum dwellers in the

Suez Canal city of Port Said set fireto part of the governor’s headquar-ters in anger over lack of housing.

Workers “were motivated tostrike when they heard about howmany billions the Mubarak familywas worth,” said Kamal Abbas, alabor leader. “They said: ‘How muchlonger should we be silent?’”

Egyptians have been infuriated bynewspaper reports that the Mubarakfamily has amassed billions, and per-haps tens of billions of dollars in wealthwhile, according to the World Bank,about 40 percent of the country’s 80million people live below or near thepoverty line of $2 a day. The family’strue net worth is not known.

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Cambodian soldiers walk at the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple onthe border between Thailand and Cambodia February 9, 2011. Thai-land and Cambodia faced growing diplomatic pressure on Wednes-day to end an armed standoff on a stretch of border surrounding the900-year-old clifftop temple as guns held silent for a second day.

Thai villagers trickle homeafter Cambodia clashes

side of relations between the neigh-bors since the 1950s. The issue hasblown up in recent years partly be-cause of bitter divisions in domesticThai politics with a pro-establishment“yellow shirt” activist movementwhipping up nationalist feelings.

The governor of Thailand’s SiSa Ket province, SomsakSuvarnsujarit, said several thou-sand villagers had left temporaryshelters and returned home.

“Many of those who come fromvillages further from the fightingrange opted to go back,” Somsak said,adding that in all, about 21,000 vil-lagers had left their homes “Those inthe villages right next to the scene offighting were asked to stay back un-til it is really safe. For now, the situa-tion remains uncertain and we havenot got the all clear from the army.”

In Cambodia’s northern frontierareas, schools and temples have beenturned into shelters for several thou-sand displaced people. The Cambo-dian and Thai foreign ministers areheading to New York where they aredue to present their cases to the U.N.Security Council on Monday.

Activities Friday, February 11, 2011 5International

Temple CeremonyCalendar Event for February 1 through March 2, 2011

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

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

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

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

Balinese TempleCeremony

1 FebruaryAnggarKasih Tambir

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

2 FebruaryBuda Umanis Tambir, Tilem Kawulu

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

Dalem Kangin Sidemen - Karangasem.

16 FebruaryBuda Keliwon Matal

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

17 FebruaryPurnama Kesanga

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

26 FebruaryTumpek Kandang Day

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

2 MarchBuda Wage Menail

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

IBP

JIMBARAN - Dava restaurant, the signaturedining venue at Ayana Resort and Spa Bali, has“reinvented” itself as an “innovative steak and sea-food restaurant by John Nash” following the ap-pointment of the new Chef de Cuisine.

Previously based in Doha, Qatar, where he wasChef de Cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton’s La Mer finedining French restaurant, John said he was inspiredto join AYANA because of the resort’s successfulrebranding and the opportunity for creative free-dom at Dava.

One of his first responsibilities will be theValentine’s Day Dinner at Dava (6-courses,Rp2,800,000++ per couple including 1 glass eachof Moet et Chandon).

“Bali already has a multitude of fantastic res-taurants specializing in various cuisines, and Iwanted to do something completely different,” saidthe American, who has worked in several Michelin-star restaurants in Japan.

“My menu draws on the concept of a classicsteakhouse offering the six best cuts of meatspaired with the guest’s choice of gourmet saucesand sides. But we’ve taken it upscale with a mod-

Dava “reinventing” itselfwith New Chef de Cuisine

ern twist, featuring seafood dishes, small touchesof molecular gastronomy in the mushroom geleeand horseradish espuma for example, use of localflavors and ingredients, and a larger selection ofmeats than a traditional steakhouse.”

All meats and seafood are prepared using thesous-vide (French for ‘under vacuum’) techniquepreferred by the world’s best chefs – perhaps mostfamously, Paul Bocuse, Michael Mina and JoelRobuchon. Sous-vide maintains the integrity ofthe ingredients and ensures even, slow cookingfor full flavor, by sealing the meat or seafood inan airtight plastic bag in a water bath and cook-ing it at low temperatures for many hours. At Dava,the Braised Short Ribs are cooked for more than24 hours, while the Angus Beef Fillet is cookedfor two hours.

John has also created a new Tasting Menu formore adventurous guests, offering the choice of3, 4 or 5 courses. “This is my play area, where Iget to do the really fun things,” said John, whofirst got into cooking while working at a ski re-sort. Then 17, he was on banquet set-up, but de-cided he “wanted to wear a tall, white hat. Now Inever wear a hat, it falls off going in and out ofcoolers and is very inconvenient.”

Friday, February 11, 20116 News

Speaking in her Ghent office,Temmerman said her call for “nomore sex until a new administra-tion” dates back to a trip to Kenyalast month where she got wind ofanother novel bid to break thedeadlock — a boycott on shaving.That was from Belgian actorBenoit Poelvoorde, star of early1990s mockumentary “Man BitesDog” and recent movie “Coco Af-ter Chanel.”

“Let’s keep our beards untilBelgium rises again,” he urged onBelgian TV. Temmerman said “themen loved it and that was whenKenyan women reminded usabout their sex strike” in 2009 todemand a poli t ical solution.“Within a month a deal was donethere.”

Colombian women likewise in2006 staged a strike “of crossed

Can sex,Can sex,Can sex,Can sex,Can sex,shaving boycottsshaving boycottsshaving boycottsshaving boycottsshaving boycottssave Belgium?save Belgium?save Belgium?save Belgium?save Belgium?

AFP PHOTO/BELGA/BRUNO FAHY

Outgoing Belgian Minister of Finance and of Institutional Reforms Didier Reynders talks to pressas he arrives for a meeting in Brussels, on February 9, 2011.

Agence France Presse

GHENT, Belgium – No sex here please! As Belgium hits eight months without a governmentthis week, a boycott on sex is being suggested as a way out of the nation’s longest politicalimpasse. “When a situation’s dire and nothing’s moving, either you become a cynic or youreact with humour,” said Marleen Temmerman, the Belgian senator and gynaecologist whothrew up the notion.

legs” to press gangsters to give uptheir guns. And in ancient Greece,Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata seeswomen boycotting the marital bedto end the Peloponnesian war. InBelgium, feuding politicians fromthe Dutch-speaking north and thefrancophone south have beensquabbling to strike a coalitiongovernment deal ever since elec-tions last June 13 failed to producean outright majority.

As fears mount of a lasting di-vorce between the two languagecommunities, the figurehead sov-ereign, King Albert II, has nameda succession of special envoys tobridge the divide, but all effortshave floundered. “People aregrowing increasingly angry,” saidTemmerman. “We had to act.”

Current go-between, caretakerfinance minister Didier Reynders,

is due to end a mediation missionnext week amid public anger andfears for Belgium’s economic fu-ture if no solution is found. Thegynaecologist, also involved inhealth projects in Africa, said shehas been flooded with positivecalls and e-mails over the sex ban.

Asked for response in a busyBelgian shopping mall, FlorenceWillems said: “Why not? We mayas well! We don’t know what elseto do to get a government.” Withpolicy at a dead end and projectsput on hold as a caretaker govern-ment deals with daily business,citizens have taken initiatives butsee no response.

“Despite all these often novelforms of pressure, a solutionseems a long way off,” said po-litical scientist Pascal Delwit inthe daily Le Soir.

In all, 500 to 600 people were evacu-ated, including elderly residents of ahigh rise. Residents were allowed toreturn home early Thursday. They hadbeen taken to a Jewish community cen-ter and an agricultural hall at the city’sfairgrounds while emergency crewsworked overnight.

The blast was so powerful that it senta flat-screen computer monitor sailinginto the back of Antonio Arroyo, whosehouse was on the opposite end of therow from the house that exploded. “Ithought we were under attack,” he re-called from a shelter where some 250people took refuge in the hours afterthe blast.

Arroyo and his wife, Jill, both 43,lost their home in the fire. Antonio saidhe ran outside and saw that an entirehouse had been leveled, a fireball nowraging in the spot where it once stood.“What I saw, I couldn’t believe,” saidArroyo, a community volunteer.

He and his wife, a nurse, fled their

Most of the violence is concentratedin the northwest, where Washington hasbranded the lawless tribal belt snakingalong the border with Afghanistan theglobal headquarters of Al-Qaeda andthe most dangerous place on Earth.

A suicide attack at the same armybase in Mardan killed at least 42 sol-diers in 2006 and another attack nearbykilled 13 people in 2008. Pakistan isunder pressure to eliminate militantsanctuaries to help US efforts to winthe war against the Taliban in Afghani-stan and defeat Al-Qaeda. But attackson police and soldiers have spiked sincethe start of a fresh offensive in the tribaldistrict of Mohmand, where the UnitedNations has said around 25,000 peoplehave fled the fighting.

Mardan is around 50 kilometres eastof Mohmand. “We proudly claim thissuicide attack,” Taliban spokesmanAzam Tariq told AFP by telephone froman undisclosed location. “We will con-tinue such attacks on those people whoare providing security to the Americans.These attacks are to avenge the droneattacks and military operations in thetribal areas.” Relations between Paki-stan and the United States have sunk to

Pa. gas...From page 1

‘Schoolboy’...From page 1

a new low since a US official shot deadtwo men in the eastern city of Lahorelast month, and was taken into Paki-stani custody under investigation fordouble murder.

Raymond Davis said he acted inself-defence, fearing the men wereabout to rob him. Washington says hehas diplomatic immunity and shouldbe released immediately. Pakistan In-terior Minister Rehman Malik has con-firmed the American had a diplomaticpassport, but the government says thematter stands with the courts, wherelawyers argue that diplomatic immu-nity be waived in the case of gravecrimes. The military announced sepa-rately Thursday it had successfully testfired a cruise missile capable of carry-ing nuclear and conventional warheads.The Hatf 7 (Babur) had a range of 600kilometres (375 miles), and could carryconventional and other warheads, itsaid.

Pakistan and its chief rival India,which have fought three wars, two ofthem over the disputed territory ofKashmir, have routinely carried outmissile tests since both demonstratednuclear weapons capability in 1998.

Reuters

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A dogwho couldn’t hear has learned somesign language thanks to inmates at aU.S. prison and children at a school forthe deaf. Inmates at a Missouri prisontrained the deaf dachshund namedSparky in sign language and then askedthe Missouri School for the Deaf inFulton to take him in.

Today, Sparky is right at home withthe school’s youngsters, who havetaught him additional sign language.And a second deaf dog, a Boston Ter-rier named Petie, may be on his way tothe school soon. Superintendent Bar-bara Garrison approved bringingSparky to the school.

home with only the clothes on theirback. They planned to return at day-light to see what they could salvage.Jill Arroyo broke down sobbing whenshe recalled her son’s athletic memo-rabilia — likely lost in the blaze — in-cluding DVDs of his high school foot-ball games. “The DVDs are gone. Allhis trophies are gone. All gone,” shesobbed as her husband comforted her.Tricia Aleski, who lives a few blocksaway, said the explosion jangled hernerves. “I was reading a book in theliving room and it felt like a giant kickedthe house. It all shook. Everythingshook,” she said. “I checked the stoveand everything, (to) make sureeverything’s off.”

Jason Soke was watching collegebasketball when he heard and felt theexplosion. It rattled his windows. Hewent to the third floor and looked outand saw flames and smoke. “Yoursenses kind of get stunned,” he said.“It puts you on edge.”

Deaf dog gets sign language training“She really thought it would be a

great learning experience for the kids,”Garrison’s secretary Barbara McGrathsaid in an interview.

Sparky came from the South Cen-tral Correctional Center in Licking,Missouri, which has also offered Petie.Garrison is interested in taking in Petiebut only if she knows it can eventuallybe placed in a permanent home aftersome sign language training, McGrathsaid.

Sparky responds to hand signals tosit, heel, lie down, and stop and is work-ing on additional signs that mean“food” or “outside.”

Sparky and Petie come from thePuppies for Parole program of the Mis-souri Department of Corrections.

Friday, February 11, 2011 7Indonesia TodayInternational

AFP PHOTO / ROMEO GACAD

Supporters of Indonesian radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir display his portrait outside the Jakartacourt on February 10, 2011.

Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA – The terrorism trialof a Muslim cleric who regularlypraises Al-Qaeda’s brand of globaljihad opened in Indonesia Thursdayamid high security and a surge insectarian violence that has left threedead.

Hardline supporters of 72-year-old radical preacher Abu BakarBashir surrounded the south Jakartacourt as hundreds of heavily armedpolice stood by to prevent furtheroutbreaks of mob violence that haveshaken Indonesia this week.

The world’s most populous Mus-lim-majority country — oftenpraised for its pluralism and toler-ance — is still in shock after thegruesome lynching of three mem-bers of a minority Islamic sect byan enraged Muslim mob on Sunday.

Two days later another mob ofIslamic extremists launched an anti-Christian rampage through thestreets of Temanggung, also on themain island of Java, in some of theworst religious violence the coun-try has seen for years.

Wearing his customary white

Global food prices haveclimbed to record highs on shrink-ing supplies of wheat, corn, soy-bean and oilseeds. While rice hasbeen less of a worry thanks toample supplies in the top two ex-porters, Thailand and Vietnam,traders said other Asian govern-ments may soon seek to boost ricestocks too. Adding to gatheringnervousness among governmentsover food supplies, China planssubsidies to boost grain output thisyear, state radio said in a reporton its website.

The impact of Cyclone Yasi inAustralia has exacerbated foodworries. The chairman ofAustralia’s main sugar industrygroup Canegrowers said up to aquarter of the sugar cane crop inthe state of Queensland may havebeen lost.

“Given there has been such awide area of impact from this cy-clone, we are looking at losses onthe outer edges of 5 to 10 percentand close to the center of the cy-clone up to 50 percent of the cropcould be lost,” Alf Cristaudo toldReuters in an interview.

The latest monthly grains re-port from the U.S. governmentthreatened to further stoke con-cerns over crops being increas-ingly used for fuel. The U.S. De-partment of Agriculture slashed itsforecast for corn stockpiles 9 per-cent, projecting the tightest sup-ply since the Great Depression asa record amount of the crop is usedto make ethanol.

Problems with Australia’swheat crop as well as lingeringeffects of last summer’s drought

Associated Press

JAKARTA – In spice-crazed In-donesia, a meal without fresh chil-ies is almost unthinkable.

But prices have soared as muchas 10-fold in recent months — somesay because of climate change —driving up inflation and pulling ev-eryone from housewives to the presi-dent into the debate.

Grow your own, some say. Orwhat about using bottled hot saucesinstead?

With unusually heavy rainfallsdecimating crops, the country’s most

Bashir terrorism trial opens in Indonesiarobes and religious garb, a grinningBashir entered the courtroom tochants of “jihad” (holy war) and“Allahu akbar” (God is greatest)from his followers.

“I’m fine. Prophet Mohammedwas also like me,” he told report-ers. The trial was quickly adjourneduntil Monday after the bespectacledcleric’s defence team complainedthat he had not been given the mini-mum three-days notice to appear incourt.

It was a low-key start to what isthe biggest test of Indonesia’s anti-terrorism laws since the convictionsand executions of three Islamic ex-tremists over the 2002 Bali bomb-ings, which killed more than 200people.

If convicted Bashir could alsoface the death penalty. He claimshe is being framed by the US gov-ernment.

“Abu Bakar Bashir planned andmobilised other people to break In-donesian law by providing fire-arms, munitions, explosive materi-als and other dangerous materialsto be used to carry out an act of ter-rorism,” the indictment says, ac-

cording to a copy obtained by AFP.A senior ideologue for the

Jemaah Islamiyah terror networkblamed for the Bali attacks, Bashirserved almost 26 months for con-spiracy over the bombings beforebeing freed in 2006 and subse-quently cleared of any involvement.

Prosecutors have also unsuccess-fully charged him with involvementin the bombings of churches acrossIndonesia in 2000 and the Marriotthotel in Jakarta in 2003.

The frail but pugnacious clericdenies committing terrorism him-self but regularly preaches in praiseof Al-Qaeda-style global jihad, andis seen as a hero by many in theradical Islamist movement acrossthe region.

After his release from jail he setup a new group, Jemaah AnsharutTauhid, to work for the creation ofan Islamic state spanning much ofSoutheast Asia.

Police say senior figures in theorganisation provided support to amilitant group that was training tocarry out Mumbai-style attacks onWestern targets and political fig-ures.

Indonesians fired up by soaring chili pricespopular ingredient is hovering atbetween $10 to $11 per kilogram —making it more expensive than beef.

That’s put a serious dent in wal-lets — many people in this nationof 237 million earn less than $200 amonth — but few are willing to cutback.

“Food is tasteless withoutsambal!” said Nining, a mother ofthree, referring to the fiery condi-ment made of the green and red“lombok” chilies.

Rising global temperatures andwild shifts in weather are hurtingpalates elsewhere.

In India, not only has there beena drop in tea production but grow-ers point, also, to subtle, unwelcomechanges in the flavor of their brews.In wine-loving France, it’s grapesthat are suffering. And in South Ko-rea, where torrential rains have ru-ined cabbage crops, it’s kimchi.

But the concern of governments— especially in developing coun-tries where food prices account fora bigger portion of the CPI basket— is the effect such hikes have oninflation.

In Indonesia, the consumer priceindex rose nearly 7 percent in De-

cember, the highest in 20 monthsand nearly 1 percentage point abovethe government’s target, largely be-cause of higher food prices — chilitopping the list.

The ministers of agriculture andtrade responded by asking consum-ers to lay off the hot peppers forawhile or to simply shift to bottledsauces.

But President Susilo BambangYudhoyono had his own idea: Plantthem in your own garden.

For now, food stall vendors in thebustling capital, Jakarta, say theyjust have to accept a drop in profits.

“All I can do now is be patient, Iguess,” said Marliani, serving up aplate of rice with a boiled egg, chiliand a handful of fried beans forwhich she charges 50 cents.

“I can’t raise prices, or I’ll losemy customers.”

And rather than close up shop andhead back to her village in CentralJava province, she’s resigned towaiting for better days.

At the peak of its price in Decem-ber, the red and green chili peppers,or “cabai rawit,” jumped nearly 600percent from $2.20 per kilogram to$15, creating panic nationwide.

Indonesia to boostIndonesia to boostIndonesia to boostIndonesia to boostIndonesia to boostrice stocks amidrice stocks amidrice stocks amidrice stocks amidrice stocks amidglobal food fearsglobal food fearsglobal food fearsglobal food fearsglobal food fearsReuters

JAKARTA – Indonesia ordered hefty rice imports on Wednes-day to boost stocks by a third in the latest sign that governmentsconcerned about rising food prices and dwindling supplies are rush-ing into the market and could drive inflation even higher.

in the Black Sea region haveboosted the role of the UnitedStates on the export market.

In January, global food pricestracked by the United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization hittheir highest level on record. TheFAO said last week its Food PriceIndex rose for the seventh monthin a row to reach 231 in January,the highest level since records be-gan in 1990.

The rising prices have raisedconcerns over inflation, protection-ism and social unrest, factors be-hind the 2008 food crisis, and prod-ded the G20 to promise action.

Indonesia’s government met todiscuss food security on Wednes-day. Chief Economic MinisterHatta Rajasa asked state procure-ment agency Bulog to secure im-ports to gradually boost rice stock-piles to 2 million tonnes from thecurrent 1.5 million tonnes, under-lining fears shortages could causeprice spikes. Traders said othergovernments may also look to in-crease stocks despite ample sup-plies in Thailand and Vietnam.

“Rising supply from the world’stop two exporters is likely to weighprices down. However, there couldbe steady demand from traditionalbuyers such as the Middle East,African countries and demand else-where in Asia that could help sup-port prices,” said KiattisakKallayasirivat of trading firmNovel Agritrade.

Indonesia surprised markets lastmonth by buying nearly five timesas much rice as expected, then sus-pended rice import duties, signal-ing it could look to stockpile more.

8 InternationaFriday, February 11, 2011

Bali Today

“We in the region have been veryselective. If harmful, why should weapprove them? Conversely, if they areuseful, why not?” said the Regent ofGianyar, Tjokorda Oka Artha ArdanaSukawati, on the sidelines of the inau-guration of Chairman of HIPMI Baliin Denpasar, Wednesday (Feb 9). Theman who was familiarly addressedCok Ace argued if the hotel develop-ment was required, so construction ofthe tourism facility should continue.On the way round, if it was not ben-eficial to society, the governmentwould certainly not approve the invest-ment plan.

“The hotel moratorium plan shouldbe observed again thoroughly since itwas only imposed on the three regions,namely Badung, Denpasar andGianyar,” he said. The policy set forthat the beginning of February 2011, saidCok Ace, enabled many opportunitiesthat could be exploited by investors.Moreover, criteria of hotel that wouldbe affected by the moratorium policyremained unclear.

“The policy only applies to bou-tique hotels and starred hotels, right?Which ones can be categorized intoboutique and starred hotels, they stillneed further classification,” he said.

Archaeological researches in Balihave found a number of archeologi-cal heritages, which belonged to pre-historic and historic remains. Prehis-toric remains proved the earliest of thepeople’s life, started from hunting andfood gathering through cultivation upto mastering the advanced technology.Such remains indicated the struggleand the achievement of the people’slife gradually, after adapting and ex-ploring their environment its naturalresources for their life, because thenature was still quite dangerous. Onthe other hands, the remains also dem-onstrated the relationship of the pre-historic Balinese people to those wholived in Java, Sumatera etc, even tothe South-East Asian people.

The most important of the prehis-toric live in Bali is the invention ofthe metallic technology along with themegalithic tradition. During the ad-vance technology the Balinese peoplehave produced several kinds of bronzegoods for ritual purpose such as kettle-drums and for daily uses as well suchas axes etc. Mastering the advancetechnology, Balinese people have suc-ceeded to develop stone moulds in thevillage of Manuaba (Gianyar) for cast-ing bronze kettledrum. The human-mask decoration, showed a remark-able similarities to the decorations ofthe huge kettledrums found in the vil-lage of Pejeng not so far of the east ofManuaba, but the stone moulds ofManuaba are small in its size.

It should be noted here that bronzekettledrums were not only found inBali, but also in Java, and Eastern In-donesian Island. Another bronzemoulds made of clay were also foundin West Java, but not for producingkettledrums, but for making spear-heads, axes, etc. Regarding the hu-man-mask decorations, which werefounds on the kettledrums of Pejeng,on the stone moulds of Manuaba andon the number of the sarcophagi foundin Bali, was regarded as symbol of theleader’s or the ancestor’s spirits. Thepeople believed that the spirit, whowere abode on the top of the moun-tain or on the inaccessible place havethe magic power for protecting the liv-ing society. When Hinduism hasspread widely in Indonesia, the peoplebelieved to the sacred mountain as theplace of the Hindu pantheons and theancestor’s spirit as well. Based on thisconception, then the people built theirtemples on the mountain area such asas Pura Besakih on the slope of MountAgung.

Along with the development of themetallic industry, the megalithic tra-dition increased not only in Bali, butalso in Sumatera, Flores etc. Severalkinds of megalithic remains werefound there namely menhirs, dolmens,menhirstatues, stepped pyramids etc.It is a matter of facts that the mega-lithic tradition have strongly influ-enced the people’s life and it is not sur-prising any more that living megalithictradition could be found until topresent day in Nias, Toraja, Bali and

Three regions denymoratorium policy

IBP/ist

Maya Hotel, one of the hotel in Ubud, Gianyar Regency.

Bali Post

DENPASAR — The measure of Bali Provincial Government to implement the hotel moratoriumpolicy in three regions namely Badung, Denpasar and Gianyar will not run smoothly. After the govern-ment of Badung and Denpasar refused and had the policy reviewed, it is now the turn of GianyarRegency to express its objection against the halt of accommodation development in the region.

According to him, the development oftourist accommodation facilities inGianyar Regency was still required bythe community because it provided sub-stantial multiplier effect for local com-munities.

“It needs further formulation, espe-cially the category of hotels that wouldbe affected by the moratorium. So far,the government of Bali Province onlyissued the policy on the moratorium ofboutique and starred hotel developmentin the three regions,” he explained.

Cok Ace also added that starred ho-tels needed a clearer description,whether they were large or small. To-day, there were villas but their facilitieswere similar to a starred hotel. On thataccount, the policy should be definedwith further details.

“As the name of foreign investmentimplies, investors can do anything tofind out a possible opportunity withinthe rules. Preferably, before applied, itshould be formulated first in details,”he added.

Previously, the Denpasar Municipal-ity also requested the provincial gov-ernment of Bali to review the morato-rium policy. The reason, Denpasar Mu-nicipality remained to require additionalhotel rooms. Every single regency or

municipality in Bali had a different po-tential. One of them was Denpasar. It hadthe potential of cultural tourism devel-opment that should be supported by ac-commodation facilities in adequate num-bers.

“Denpasar stays to require additionalhotel rooms. When the Bali ProvincialGovernment declared a moratorium, ofcourse it will certainly hamper the entryof investors into the hotel sector devel-opment especially in Denpasar,” saidHead of Denpasar Government TourismOffice, Putu Budiasa.

Over-booking condition happening inDenpasar indicated the demand of hotelrooms in Denpasar surpassed the capac-ity of existing hotel rooms. On that ac-count, the culture-based city remainedto require investment in the hotel roombut in a limited scale.

Denpasar Municipality said it wouldreview the moratorium on the construc-tion of new hotels in the area ofDenpasar. “We must conduct a studyfirst to get precise data if indeed therehave been a surplus hotel rooms inDenpasar area so it will not result in amass product causing the hotel rates tofall. Additionally, we do not want tooffer cheap tourism products inDenpasar,” he added. (par)

Archaeological heritage in BaliEastern Indonesians Islands. In Bali, themegalithic remains, exe the sarcophagiare regarded as sacred monuments andfunctioned for worshipping thje HinduTrinity, the local deities and theancestor’s spirit (Sutaba 1984).

Researches on the advanced tech-nology and on the megalithic traditionin Bali in particular, have made con-clusions that Balinese people have buildtheir social organization headed by theleaders. The well organizations havemade favorable conditions for master-ing the advance technology. Then thesocial and cultural development be-came the solid foundation for facing thenew era when Hinduism arrived in Bali(Sutaba, 1930).

Bali have got Hindu-Budhis influ-ences nearly at the 9 century A.D. asProved by the finding of clay stuphikasand seals beared Budhis formula, nearthe village of Pejeng, Gianyar. Then apillar inscription was rediscovered inBlanjong Sanur (Badung) which men-tioned the name of the king KesariWarmadewa. This inscription wasoriginated from c.10 century A.D. Sincethis period, Hinduism was spreadwidely in Bali and went deeply into thelife of the Balinese people and thensurvived until today. Having well de-veloped social organization and culturallife before the arrival of Hinduism, haveled the Balinese people successfullymodified the new elements in accor-dance with their characters and becamethe new one beared Balinese identity.

The wellknown king of Bali is acouple royal named king Udayana andhis wife Gunapryadharmapati (c.10century A.D), then succeeded by theirfamilies. During the ancient history ofBali, a number of temples were builtnearly in the whole island. In thesetemple several kinds of historical re-mains were preserved e.g. statues, in-scriptions etc. As the follower of Hin-duism, Balinese people regard thetemples including the remains in themas sacred monuments for worshipingthe Hindu pantheons, the local dei-ties and the ancestor’s spirit as well.This religious function was the re-sponsibility of the Balinese people forkeeping the monuments in well con-ditions and the welfare of the livingsociety.

Based on the evidence found inBali there were thousand tamples,which then named Bali as “The Is-land of Thousand Temples” or “TheIsland of Paradise”. Most of the oldtemples are located in the village be-tween the two rivers called Pakerisanand Petanu namely the village ofBedulu, Pejengand Tampaksiring(Gianyar). It is remarkable that thetemples found here originated fromdifferent period, e.g. Pura GoaGajah, Yeh Pulu relief (Bedulu);Pura Kebo Edan, Pura PuseringJagat, Pura Penataran Sasih, PuraUkur-ukuran, rock cut templeKelebutan (Pejeng); rock cutGunung Kawi, Pura Megening, PuraTirtha Empul, Pura Pegulingan etc(Tampaksiring). (BTN/Doc)

Balinese Culture

Friday, February 11, 2011 9al

Base Be Pasih(Spice Paste For Seafood)

INGREDIENTS:450 gr large red chilies, seeded & chopped50 gr cloves garlic, peeled & chopped½ cup spice paste for seafood225 gr shallots, peeled and chopped175 gr fresh turmeric, peeled & chopped200 gr medium-sized tomato, halved and seeded100 gr ginger, peeled and chopped125 gr candlenuts2 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed2½ tsp dried shrimp paste (terasi), roasted150 ml coconut oil2½ tbsp tamarind pulp50 ml water¾ tbsp salt3 salam leaves2 stalks lemon grass, bruised

PREPARATION:1. Combine all ingredients except tamarind pulp,

salam leaves and lemon grass, salt and water in foodprocessor and grind coarsely.

2. Place ground ingredients in heavy saucepan, addremaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat forapproximately 60 minutes or until water is evaporatedand marinade changes to golden color.

Cool before using. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

Denpasar (Bali Post)The plan to open a water park in Badung River (Tukad

Badung) is going to be realized as Denpasar Tourism Agencyhave planned to launch it during the peak of Denpasar City’s19th Birthday this month even though the plan respondednegatively by the Denpasar House of Representatives.

Tabia lalah manis(Chili In Soy Sauce)

INGREDIENTS :

15 bird’s chilies eye

¼ cup sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

¼ cup thin soy sauce (kecap asin)

PREPARATION :

Slice bird’s chilies eyes and mix with the sweet and

thin soy sauce. Do not store for any length of time, as

this sauce tends to turn soft and sour.

(www.baliguide.com/balifood)

Badung River WaterPark Will Commence

IBP/file

Tukad Badung River will become one of thetourism attract ions in Denpasar andBadung area.

Head of the Agency, I Putu Budiasa, in his office lastWednesday (9/2) stated that the water park will be near DamBuagan, Pemecutan Klod which planned to be operated onDenpasar’s birthday 27th February.

The preparation has been finalized from equipments,basic facilities to supporting facilities, “It is done and innear time around 19th or 20th February we will launch it.For this birthday, at least there’s something new as a presentto the Denpasar residents.”

To maximize the program, the Agency bought 6 units ofwater bicycle with duck and seal shapes made from fiber-glass. The bike can be used by two people, “The price forone unit is IDR 16 million.”

Besides that, supporting facilities such as parking areal,toilet, first aid, rubbish bins, shop stands, waiting place, waterbike parking place and many other also prepared. This wa-ter park is made not only just to increase taxes and contribu-tions but also in making people realize to protect their sur-roundings, “At least they will no longer throw rubbish tothe river.” It is mentioned that this is one way for it and abeginning to keep Badung River clean.

Before, Vice Head of Denpasar House of Representa-tives, A.A. Gde Widiada, criticized this plan as it is not ef-fective with some things still not taken control of likerubbishes also water debits haven’t been stabile. (kmb12)

Friday, February 11, 201110 InternationalDestinations

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Beratan Lake is a shallow lake with the high calderaabout 1231m above sea level and it is located at Bedugul,the famous tourist destinations in Bali. This lake havewide 3,8 km2 and also its deepness is up to 22 meters.The water volume in this lake is about 0,049 km3, soBeratan Lake is the closed lake. Tourist can access theBeratan Lake through the dock which have been pro-vided or desist around Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. Inthis place, the visitor can do various activities like do-ing recreation to look around in dock or do the otheroutdoor activities. The various water recreation activi-ties can also be conducted here, for example riding theboat motorize to circle the lake, parasailing, canoeingwith the traditional boat, banana boating, water skiing,and others. Fishing activities are also available in thisplaces for who one love fishing in the lake.

Beratan Lake is situated in the plateau area with coolatmosphere surround it. It is an ideal place for relax-ation while enjoy the beautiful panorama of lake. Theaccommodations are also available in this area where isthe perfect place for overnight stay, resting and enjoythe beautiful panoramic of lake with the Ulun DanuTemple as a magnificence. The small scale of agricul-ture activities are likely conducted around this lake andcan be perceived at the same time circle around it. If weencircle it, we can take photograph with the beautifulbackground view or make the picture sketch face inpainting mini studio at the lakeside with a short time asa souvenir.

Beratan Lake

Friday, February 11, 2011 11

BUSINESS

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Fewer U.S.homes entered the foreclosure pro-cess in January than in any monthin more than three years, the latestsign lenders are taking longer tomove against homeowners whohave fallen behind on mortgage pay-ments.

The number of homes that re-ceived an initial default notice fell 1percent last month from Decemberand tumbled 27 percent from Janu-ary last year, foreclosure listing firmRealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

Scheduled foreclosure auctionsalso fell to the lowest level in twoyears, the firm said.

The delays stem partly from fore-closure paperwork problems thatcame to light last fall, leading manylenders to revisit thousands of fore-closure cases, especially in statessuch as Florida that require foreclo-sures to be approved by a judge.

Some lenders that put foreclosureactions on hold temporarily last yearhave since resumed, but at a moremeasured pace, causing a decline inthe foreclosure-related notices sentto households last month. Banks alsohave been letting borrowers whohave missed payments stay in theirhomes longer so they can delay add-ing to their backlog of bad loans.

“We are still seeing the lingeringafter-effects of the documentation is-sues that plagued lenders through the

European stocks, however,were expected to open slightlyhigher, according to financialbookmakers.

Worries about further interestrate hikes in China and whetherauthorities in emerging Asia cantackle inflation without derailinglonger-term growth haveprompted investors to lock inprofits on some of last year’s bestperforming markets.

Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.1 per-cent, while shares elsewhere inAsia slid 1.3 percent, wiping outthis year’s gains to reach lows notseen since late December.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng indexfell 0.7 percent, South Korea’sKOSPI lost 1.8 percent andSingapore’s Straits Times Indexshed 1.2 percent.

Last year’s laggards like theNikkei, however, remained wellin the black for the year as inves-tors rotated into some developedmarkets from emerging ones.

“It’s not like buying in Japa-nese stocks has completelystopped, but investors have beenlooking for a reason to take prof-its and now they’re cautious aboutoverheating in the market,” saidNorikazu Kit ta, s trategist atNikko Cordial Securities.

Despite the generally downbeatmood, there were patchy brightspots in the market. Among them,shares in Australian bourse opera-tor ASX jumped 4.7 percent,while Singapore Exchange gained0.7 percent.

Investors are hoping thatmerger news between majorbourses like the NYSE Euronextand Deutsche Boerse would boostprospects for SingaporeExchange’s $7.9 billion takeoverbid for ASX, which is facing po-litical hurdles in Australia.

Rio Tinto put on 0.3 percentahead of its December half re-

Associated Press

NEW YORK – The dollar lostground Wednesday after a speech byFederal Reserve Chairman BenBernanke suggested that the centralbank will keep interest rates at recordlows and continue its $600 billion bondpurchases.

The Fed chief said U.S. inflationremained tame, while the job markethas improved but remains stressed,with a “more normal” level of unem-ployment still several years away. Thegovernment said on Friday that Janu-ary unemployment fell to 9 percent.

The euro rose to $1.3724 lateWednesday from $1.3627 Tuesday.

Bernanke’s speech “further rein-forces the market’s view that the Fedwill not be hiking interest rates thisyear,” said Michael Woolfolk, a cur-rency strategist with Bank of New YorkMellon in New York.

Lower interest rates tend to weighon a currency, as they make it less at-tractive to investors seeking higher re-turns on their bets. The euro has risenin 2011 as rising prices in Europe havetriggered some hopes that the EuropeanCentral Bank may raise rates soonerthan the Fed. Earlier this month, how-ever, ECB President Jean-ClaudeTrichet said that in the long term, infla-

Asian stocksAsian stocksAsian stocksAsian stocksAsian stocksslump, dollarslump, dollarslump, dollarslump, dollarslump, dollarsubdued aftersubdued aftersubdued aftersubdued aftersubdued aftercautious Fedcautious Fedcautious Fedcautious Fedcautious FedReuters

SYDNEY – Asian stocks suffered a second session of sharplosses on Thursday, while the dollar struggled to make muchheadway after the U.S. central bank chief signaled the recoveryin the world’s biggest economy was still fragile.

sults. After the Australian marketclose, the global miner reported arecord second-half profit thatmore than doubled from a yearearlier.

Investors, however, pushedSingTel shares down 1.6 percentafter the telecom company un-veiled a 2.2 percent fall in quar-terly profit.

Meanwhile, the dollar index,which tracks the greenback’s per-formance against a basket of ma-jor currencies, edged up 0.2 per-cent to 77.786 after a steep de-cline overnight.

Many traders still think the dol-lar is in a holding pattern for thenear term as the euro was alsolacking upward momentum of itsown after the European CentralBank last week quelled expecta-tions of an early rate hike.

The euro traded at $1.3690, re-treating from a one-week higharound $1.3744 set a day earlier.

“It’s difficult for now for theeuro to rise above the peak hitearlier this month. It will need afresh factor to go beyond thatpeak,” said Keiji Matsumoto, astrategist at Nikko Cordial Secu-rities.

Also under pressure, the Aus-tralian dollar hit one-week lowsat $1.0074 even after anothersolid jobs report as investors betthe numbers were not strongenough to make a rate rise morelikely anytime soon.

U.S. crude futures drifted up0.2 percent to $86.87 a barrel, andBrent crude rose above $102, sup-ported by ongoing tension inEgypt and tighter North Sea sup-plies.

Gold edged down to $1,361.30an ounce, well off a lifetime higharound $1,430 hit in December,while copper, which hit an all-time high of $10,160 per tonne onMonday, traded at $9,970.

Bernanke talk on jobs, prices weigh on dollar

tion would likely “remain contained,”tamping down some hopes of a rateboost from the ECB. Investor expecta-tions that European officials are bol-stering their plans to combat Europe’sdebt crisis have also helped the eurobounce back this year from a months-long decline against the dollar.

In other trading Wednesday, theBritish pound rose to $1.6098 from$1.6057, while the dollar edged up to82.39 Japanese yen from 82.38 yen.The dollar dipped to 99.47 Canadiancents from 99.60 Canadian cents, androse to 0.9577 Swiss franc from 0.9634Swiss franc.

Mortgage default notices slow sharply in Januarylast quarter of 2010,” said RickSharga, a senior vice president atRealtyTrac. “In some cases . courtsare being more demanding and moreparticular about what they’ll evenallow to go into foreclosure.”

In Florida, the number of homesreceiving a foreclosure-relatedwarning last month dropped nearly16 percent from December andabout 54 percent from the samemonth last year.

Even with the sharp decline,Florida still had the second-highestnumber of homes in some stage offoreclosure, RealtyTrac said.

While lenders are taking longerto move homes into the initial stageof the foreclosure process, theystepped up home repossessions inJanuary.

Banks took back 78,133 proper-ties last month, an increase of 12percent from December, RealtyTracsaid. The January total was down 11percent from a year earlier, however.

Homeowners in states wherejudges play a role in the foreclosureprocess were less likely to see theirhomes repossessed last month. Inthose states, repossessions declined7 percent from December and 16percent from a year earlier.

Elsewhere, repossessions surged 12percent between December and Janu-ary, although they were down 9 per-cent versus the same month last year.

Banks took back more than 1million homes last year. Despite the

slowdown in the foreclosure process,lenders are still poised to repossessmore homes this year than any othersince the U.S. housing meltdown be-gan in 2006.

About 5 million borrowers are atleast two months behind on theirmortgages.

And many of the factors that havecontributed to the foreclosure crisisare also likely to continue drivingforeclosures, including high unem-ployment, a weak housing market,flat-to-falling home values and tighterlending standards making it tougherfor buyers to qualify for financing.

In all, some 261,333 properties re-ceived a foreclosure-related notice inJanuary, up 1 percent from Decem-ber and down 17 percent from a yearearlier. That translates to one in ev-ery 497 U.S. households.

The firm tracks notices for de-faults, scheduled home auctions andhome repossessions — warnings thatcan lead up to a home eventually be-ing lost to foreclosure.

At a state level, Nevada registeredthe highest foreclosure rate in the na-tion last month, with one in every 93households receiving a foreclosurenotice. That’s more than five times thenational average.

Arizona posted the second-highestforeclosure rate, thanks in part to a54 percent monthly spike in home re-possessions. While California rankedthird, with one in every 200 house-holds receiving a foreclosure notice.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

Job seekers wait in line to fill out applications for employmentduring a job fair for San Francisco Bay Area grocery store chainMollie Stone’s Market on February 9, 2011 in San Francisco, Cali-fornia. The dollar lost ground Wednesday after a speech by Fed-eral Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that the cen-tral bank will keep interest rates at record lows and continue its$600 billion bond purchases.

Entertainment InternationalFriday, February 11, 201112

The movie, which is up for 10Academy Awards, is screening out ofcompetition for the festival’s GoldenBear top prize, which jury presidentIsabella Rossellini will award to oneof 16 contenders on February 19. TheBerlinale will screen nearly 400 filmsfrom 58 countries including 3D pic-tures from art-house directors such asWim Wenders and Werner Herzog,while Madonna may drop in to unveilout-takes from a new movie she di-rected, “W.E”.

“Margin Call”, the feature film de-but of US director J.C. Chandor star-ring Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore andJeremy Irons and set at an investmentbank at the start of the financial crisis,will launch the competition Friday.

British actor Ralph Fiennes, atwo-time Oscar nominee, is to un-veil his directorial debut,

Agence France Presse

LONDON – Oscar winnerMeryl Streep has undergone a dra-matic transformation for her roleas former British prime ministerMargaret Thatcher in a forthcom-ing biopic about her life called“The Iron Lady.” Streep hasadopted Thatcher’s trademarkbouffant hairstyle, ruby-red lip-stick and pearl earrings for her partin the film about Britain’s longestcontinuously serving premier ofthe 20th century.

Reuters

NEW YORK – Last December,Miley Cyrus took the bong hitviewed around the world. Now the“Hannah Montana” star has ex-pressed regret for her dalliance withthe psychedelic herb salvia, footageof which leaked online.

“I’m not perfect,” Cyrus recentlytold Marie Claire magazine. “I madea mistake ... I’m disappointed inmyself for disappointing my fans.”

Salvia is a legal drug in moststates including California, whereshe reportedly smoked it. She was

Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – LindsayLohan walked into a courtroom toface a felony grand theft chargelooking like a million dollars, onlyto be told by a judge she was nodifferent than anyone else. Lohan’sarraignment on a charge that shestole a $2,500 necklace from anupscale jeweler wasn’t the firsttime a judge threatened to throwthe troubled starlet in jail. But itwas the first time a judge wieldedenough power to keep her lockedup for a long time.

“You’re in a different situationnow that a felony has been filed,”Los Angeles Superior CourtJudge Keith Schwartz said afterthe actress pleaded not guiltyWednesday. “Everybody else hasto follow the law,” Schwartz said,noting that he was giving the ac-tress a tamer version of a lecturehe’d delivered to her attorney be-

Meryl Streep takeson Thatcher role

“The prospect of exploring theswathe cut through history by thisremarkable woman is a dauntingand exciting challenge,” saidStreep, in a statement from thefilm’s producers. “I am trying toapproach the role with as muchzeal, fervour and attention to de-tail as the real Lady Thatcher pos-sesses — I can only hope mystamina will begin to approach herown.”

The movie, due for release laterthis year, reunites Streep, 61, with“Mamma Mia!” director PhyllidaLloyd and also stars veteran Brit-ish actor Jim Broadbent asThatcher’s husband Denis. Othermembers of the cast include Rich-ard E. Grant and comedian JohnSessions.

The script for the film, whichbegan shooting at the end of Janu-ary, covers a broad sweep ofThatcher’s career. Pathe, which isproducing the movie with Film4and the UK Film Council, said itis about “a woman who smashedthrough the barriers of gender andclass to be heard in a male-domi-nated world.” Thatcher, whosenickname gives the film its title, isthe only woman ever to be Britishprime minister.

At the head of Conservativegovernments from 1979 to 1990,she oversaw a transformation of theBritish economy but crushed thetrade unions and took Britain intoa brief war to retake the FalklandIslands from Argentinian forces.

The increasingly frail ex-leader,who is now 85, has suffered a se-ries of minor strokes since leavingoffice and was told by doctors toquit public speaking in 2002. Shespent two weeks in hospital late lastyear after being admitted with flu.

AP Photo/Alex Bailey, Pathe Productions, pa

In this undated image made avail-able in London, Tuesday Feb. 8,2011, by Pathe Productions, two-time Oscar winning actress MerylStreep is transformed for her roleas former British Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher .

Judge tells Lohan she’sno star in his courtroom

hind closed doors and away fromthe dozens of assembled report-ers.

“You’re no different than any-one else. So please, don’t pushyour luck.” Testing the limits — inthe courtroom rather than the bigscreen — has been Lohan’s call-ing card in recent months. She hasarrived late to some hearings on a2007 drunken driving case, andappeared at one with an expletivepainted on her fingernails.

Judges sent her to jail twice lastyear and twice to rehab as well, buther time in custody was shortenedeach time by overcrowding and thefact that she was being held onmisdemeanor charges and bail hadto be set.

During her recent three monthstay in rehab at the Betty FordClinic, Lohan was accused of bat-tery on a worker. Prosecutors arestill considering whether to filecharges.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus sorryabout salvia bong hit

asked, “But do you really think itwas a mistake? Obviously collegekids your age all over America aresmoking bongs with a lot more thansalvia in them.”

The Disney star’s response: “Butthey’re not Miley Cyrus. They’re notrole models. So for me it was a baddecision, because of my fans andbecause of what I stand for.”

Reportedly filmed just five daysafter her eighteenth birthday, thevideo of Cyrus’ salvia bong hit fea-tures the singer/actress declaringthat she was “having a little bit of abad trip.”

‘True Grit’ spurs‘True Grit’ spurs‘True Grit’ spurs‘True Grit’ spurs‘True Grit’ spursBerlin film fest startBerlin film fest startBerlin film fest startBerlin film fest startBerlin film fest start

Agence France Presse

BERLIN – “True Grit”, an Oscar-nominated remake of the classic west-ern, on Thursday kicks off the 61st Berlin film festival, a 10-day extrava-ganza of glitzy entertainment and explosive political fare. US film-makingbrothers Joel and Ethan Coen and stars Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin wereexpected in the wintry German capital to promote the shoot-em-up’s Euro-pean launch at the Berlinale, one of global cinema’s top showcases.

“Coriolanus”, a retelling of theShakespeare tragedy about a Romangeneral who mounts a rebellionagainst the empire.

However festival director DieterKosslick opted for less Hollywoodand more Sundance this year, with20 films from January’s independentmovie showcase in Utah due in Ber-lin, often a key stepping stone to aninternational cinema run. “Kosslickseems to have placed less of an em-phasis on the fame of the directorsand actors this year and that’s a markin his favour,” Lars-Olav Beier, filmcritic for Der Spiegel magazine, toldAFP. “Better to have good filmsfrom unknowns than mediocre filmswith stars.” Iranian film-makerAsghar Farhadi, who won a best di-rector prize for his haunting drama“About Elly” at the 2009 festival,

will be back with “Nader and Simin,A Separation” about an estrangedcouple reunited by a surprise event.

Farhadi faced a production ban byIranian authorities while making thefilm for comments in support of dis-sident director Jafar Panahi, whomthe festival will honour this year. Theban was later lifted. Iranian authori-ties slapped Panahi, widely knownfor award-winning films such as “TheCircle” and “Offside”, with a six-yearjail sentence and a 20-year film-mak-ing ban in December.

He was convicted of “propagandaagainst the system” for making afilm about unrest after the disputedre-election of Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad in June2009. The 50-year-old is free on bailbut cannot travel abroad. In keep-ing with its reputation for politicalengagement, the Berlinale invitedPanahi to serve on its jury and willscreen nearly all of his films as atribute to him in his absence.

The festival will also feature araft of hard-hitting documentariesincluding a film about the jailedRussian former oil tycoon MikhailKhodorkovsky.

International Friday, February 11, 2011 13Science

Activision Blizzard Inc., which alsoproduces the “Call of Duty” series, isending the “Guitar Hero” franchiseafter a run of more than five years. Themove follows Viacom Inc.’s decisionin November to sell its money-losingunit behind the “Rock Band” videogames. Harmonix was sold to an in-vestment firm for an undisclosed sum.Harmonix, incidentally, was behind thefirst “Guitar Hero” game.

Game industry analysts have longlamented the “weakness in the musicgenre,” as they call it — that is, theinability of game makers to drum updemand for the products after an ini-tial surge in popularity in the mid-2000s. Music games are often moreexpensive than your typical shoot-’em-up game because they require guitars,microphones and other musical equip-ment. While extra songs can be pur-chased for download, this hasn’t been

Agence France Presse

ROME – A rush to drill in the gas-rich Mediterranean may do perma-nent damage to the sea’s wildlife asit takes at least a millennium for anecosystem to grow, the World Wild-life Fund warned Wednesday. Drill-ing in the Mediterranean’s easternregion shared by Turkey, Israel andEgypt, “could cause irreversible dam-

Agence France Presse

BEIJING – A Chinese websitethat helps parents find missing chil-dren has become a sensation, shin-ing a light on child abductions andthe growing power of Twitter-likeInternet services in China. Themicroblogging site swept into thenational spotlight earlier this weekwhen it was used to help reunite ayoung father with his six-year-oldson, who had been missing for threeyears after being kidnapped.

The emotional reunion of PengGaofeng, 30, with his son PengWenle, was captured on video andthe footage quickly went viral onthe Internet. The boy’s identity wasstill to be confirmed by DNA tests.Since then, parents of missing chil-dren have seized on the site, which

AFP/File

File photo shows a Chinese parent holding up playing cards with pho-tos of missing children. The families each paid 600 yuan (US$75) tohave their child’s photo placed on the cards, complete with descrip-tions and personal detail, in Xian, northern China’s Shaanxi province.

China blog spotlights missing-child problemhad 170,000 followers as of Thurs-day. Six more children have beenfound so far, according to reports.

The microblog was set up in lateJanuary on leading portal Sina.comby Yu Jianrong, a professor of ruralissues who has gained a reputationfor activism on behalf of China’sdowntrodden classes. The blog en-courages people to snap pictures ofchild beggars and orphans and up-load them in the hope that parentsmay see their missing child andtrack them down.

Abductions and human traffick-ing have become serious public con-cerns after a string of revelations,including a shocking 2007 scandalin which thousands were forced intoslave labour in brick yards and minesacross the nation. Mounting outragespurred a government crackdown,

which according to state media re-sulted in thousands of adult and childvictims being rescued.

In one recent case, the operator ofan unlicensed shelter for disabledpeople in southwestern China sold atleast 70 mentally ill workers to workas slaves in factories across the coun-try. However, there is a widespreadpublic lack of confidence — oftenexpressed on the Internet — in au-thorities’ willingness to fully addressthe problem. Some parents searchingfor children have told state media thattheir attempts had been routinelythwarted by inertia and indifferencefrom officials and police. One fol-lower of the missing-child blogposted a comment saying it was upto citizens to look out for their ownrights, as the government could notbe counted on to do so.

AFP/NASA/File/Nasa

Drilling may killMediterranean ecosystem: WWF

age” to its biodiversity, said SergiTudela, head of WWF’s Mediterra-nean Fisheries Programme.

The area hosts rare and millennia-old species such as deep-sea sponges,worms, mollusks and cold water cor-als, and therefore are “particularlyfragile and vulnerable to external in-terference,” he added in a statement.

Once a deep-sea floor has beendrilled, “it can take a millennium ormore before the unique micro-ecosys-tem grows again, so the most fragileand valuable species and under-seaareas must be left untouched by gasdevelopment.”

The recently discovered Levia-than gas field, 135 kilometres offthe Israeli coast, is the world’s big-gest deep-water gas discovery in adecade, with an estimated volumeof 16 trillion cubic feet of gas. Ear-lier this year the West Nile Deltagas field was discovered, lying inEgyptian waters 80 kilometres offAlexandria.

The green group called on ahandful of Mediterranean countriesand the European Union to ban in-dustrial development and drilling indeep-sea areas where thebiodiversity is rich.

This NASA Terra satelllite imagereleased in 2003 shows a true-colorimage of the The Nile River Delta.

FILE - This filescreen grabreleased byActivisionshows “BandHero” a pop-oriented entry inthe “GuitarHero” series.ActivisionBlizzard Inc.said Wednesday,Feb. 9, 2011, thatit is ending the“Guitar Hero”franchise after arun of more thanfive years.

Iconic ‘Guitar Hero’ video game gets the axIconic ‘Guitar Hero’ video game gets the axIconic ‘Guitar Hero’ video game gets the axIconic ‘Guitar Hero’ video game gets the axIconic ‘Guitar Hero’ video game gets the axAssociated Press Writer

NEW YORK – These days, guns are more popular than guitars, atleast when it comes to video games. The company behind “GuitarHero” said Wednesday that it is pulling the plug on one of the mostinfluential video game titles of the new century.

enough to keep the games profitable.Activision’s shares tumbled after

the announcement, but investors ap-pear more concerned with thecompany’s disappointing revenueforecast than the demise of the rockergame. As far as investors go, discon-tinuing an unprofitable product isn’tthe end of the world, even if “GuitarHero” fans disagree.

“In retrospect it was a $3 billion ormore business that everybody neededto buy, so they did, but they onlyneeded to buy it once,” said WedbushMorgan analyst Michael Pachter. “It’smuch like ‘Wii Fit.’ Once you have it,you don’t need to buy another one.”

“Guitar Hero” was iconic and of-ten praised for getting a generationweaned on video games into music.But its end after a mere half a decadeis a big contrast to other influentialvideo game franchises, such as the 25-

AP Photo/Activision

year-old Mario series from Nintendo.“Call of Duty” first launched in 2003,two years before “Guitar Hero.”

In a conference call, Activision saidits restructuring will mean the loss ofabout 500 jobs in its Activision Publish-ing business, which has about 7,000employees. But the company’s overallwork force numbers are not going to

change much because it is hiring peopleelsewhere.

Activision did better than expected inthe fourth quarter, which ended in De-cember, but that already was anticipated.After all, it launched “Call of Duty: BlackOps” in November. That game, which ismostly set during the Vietnam War, made$1 billion after just six weeks in stores.

Its latest “World of Warcraft” gamehas also been doing well.

Bobby Kotick, Activision’s CEO,said the company’s big franchises“have larger audience bases than everbefore and we continue to see signifi-cantly enhanced user activity and en-gagement for our expanding onlinecommunities.”

Friday, February 11, 201114 InternationalSport

It followed France’s impressive 2-1 winagainst England in November and suggeststhat Blanc’s bid to restore Les Bleus to formerglories after their World Cup humiliation isfirmly on the right track. France have nowwon their last five games since the shock 1-0loss at home to Belarus in their Euro 2012qualifying opener, but Blanc warned that stel-lar showings in friendly games would ulti-mately count for nothing.

“Our objective is qualification for Euro2012 and these wins will bring us no points,”said Blanc, whose side currently top theirqualifying group by a point from Belarus.“But I hope these two matches against En-gland and Brazil will give us more confidenceon an individual and collective level. “Forwhat comes ahead, the big qualifyingmatches, I hope we will be able to draw onthis.” Benzema’s goal, a tap-in from JeremyMenez’s right-wing cross, was reward for aperformance full of exuberance from the RealMadrid striker, who has endured a difficultsecond season in the Spanish capital.

Apparently not trusted by Real coach JoseMourinho, Benzema slipped further down theclub’s pecking order of strikers whenTogolese international Emmanuel Adebayorarrived on loan from Manchester City lastmonth. The former Lyon starlet’s showingagainst Brazil was brimming with panacheand neat touches, however, and he said it hadbeen an unforgettable night.

“We all enjoyed it tonight,” said Benzema.“It’s a great victory against a great team. It’sa real pleasure to play against Brazil. I’ve fol-lowed them since I was really young.

Agence France Presse

DUBLIN – Kenny Miller celebrated be-ing handed the Scotland captaincy by scor-ing in a 3-0 Nations Cup win against North-ern Ireland at Lansdowne Road here onWednesday. Miller, now with Turkish sideBursaspor, gave the Scots an early lead be-fore James McArthur made it 2-0 before thebreak, with Kris Commons adding a thirdgoal after half-time.

Both sides were hit by injuries and with-drawals but Craig Levein, the Scotlandmanager, told Sky Sports: “The most pleas-ing thing was the way they played as a team.“All the effort they put in made the gameeasier, that was what pleased me the most.”

McArthur was a late replacement forScott Brown, who was injured in the warm-up, and Levein added: “It couldn’t havebeen easy for him. It can’t be easy to comein at the last second and stamp your author-ity on the game but I thought James did it.”Northern Ireland manager Nigel

Agence France Presse

COPENHAGEN – Frank Lampardbelieves England’s future is beginning tolook brighter after many of FabioCapello’s new selections made a big im-pact in Wednesday’s 2-1 friendly victoryover Denmark.

Lampard was named captain for the firsttime in his international career as he wonhis 84th cap but it was relative new boysAshley Young, Darren Bent, Jack Wilshereand Scott Parker who made a real impactin Copenhagen and gave Capello encour-agement that his team is finally getting overtheir World Cup hangover.

Bent scored only his second goal forEngland in his eighth appearance as heequalised Daniel Agger’s early opener andthen Young, only recently converted fromwinger to striker by Aston Villa, hit thewinner in the Parken Stadium - his firstever for England.

Arsenal teenager Wilshere made his

France coach Blanc level-headedFrance coach Blanc level-headedFrance coach Blanc level-headedFrance coach Blanc level-headedFrance coach Blanc level-headeddespite success against Brazildespite success against Brazildespite success against Brazildespite success against Brazildespite success against Brazil

AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE

France’s forward Karim Benzema (R) tries to kick the ball past Brazil’s defender DavidLuis (C) during the friendly football match France versus Brazil on February 9, 2011at the Stade de France in St Denis, near Paris.

Agence France Presse

PARIS – France coach Laurent Blanc sought to cool expectations sur-rounding his side’s potential after seeing them extend their winning run tofive consecutive games with a 1-0 defeat of 10-man Brazil. A goal from starperformer Karim Benzema nine minutes into the second half was the dif-ference between the sides at the Stade de France on Wednesday, afterBrazil’s Hernanes had been sent off following an ugly high kick on Benzema.

“Playing against them was a dream, so toscore and then to win at the end makes mevery happy.” Brazil had looked confident inpossession in the game’s early stages andcaused France several moments of unease withtheir pressing, until the dismissal of Hernaneschanged the game.

Mano Menezes, who experienced his firstdefeat as Brazil coach against Argentina in No-vember, said he had no complaints about theLazio midfielder’s red card. “The action wasquite hard. I’ve not seen it again,” he said.

“For a friendly match it was a bit hard. Itwasn’t necessary. It was a mistake byHernanes. He didn’t see Benzema, who camein quickly.”

Menezes fielded a youthful side contain-ing just three players — Julio Cesar, DaniAlves and skipper Robinho — who featuredprominently at the World Cup. They struggledto get back into the game after Benzema’s goalbut Menezes insisted that the defeat was notcause to push the panic button and turn to moreexperienced campaigners.

“I have no doubts about my strategy,” hetold the post-match press conference. “Ofcourse you take risks at the beginning. But itwould be too easy to call on players like Kakaand Ronaldinho.

“It might resolve certain problems but that’snot what we’re looking for. We’re looking to-wards the future and in (the) 2014 (World Cupin Brazil) I don’t want to find myself withoutthe right players.

“Matches like this, away from home in frontof big crowds, will give the players experienceand help them forge a stronger spirit.”

Lampard says England’sfuture brighter

full debut and showed real promise whileParker also made an international returnas a second-half substitute and now be-comes a trivia question king after winninghis fourth cap, each one while he was play-ing for a different club; Charlton, Chelsea,Newcastle and West Ham. England nowgo to Cardiff for a Euro 2012 qualifieragainst Wales next month and Lampardbelieves spirits should be high.

Lampard said: “I was very proud to leadthe team out - it was very nice for me per-sonally. “I have had a lot of caps to get tocaptain the team for the first team but I amvery proud and pleased it ended in a win.

“It was an important win too - with thisgame you will always have the qualifier inmind next month. We are happy to get thewinning habit - it’s been a long time thatwe have been apart and with a slightly dif-ferent team I think we have got a good mo-mentum now. “fter going 1-0 down, weshowed good character, passed the ballabout and won the game.

Scots treble sinksNorthern Ireland

Worthington was heartened ahead of hisside’s Euro 2012 qualifiers despite this loss.

“We are disappointed with the defeat butI am looking forward to Serbia andSlovenia,” Worthington said. “The plus fac-tor is you have nine, 10 players to come backin who have a wealth of experience to addto the group. Hopefully they will all be fit.

“Credit to Scotland. They were strong andthey were hungry and ran out strong win-ners.” Miller scored from close range be-fore McArthur’s cross found the top corner,with Commons making it 3-0 after a finepass from Steven Naismith.

The Nations Cup is a four-team tourna-ment also featuring the Republic of Ireland,who beat Wales 3-0 in the inaugural matchhere on Tuesday.

The new tournament is a league format,with al l s ix matches being staged atLansdowne Road (the rest will take place inMay). It is envisaged all future editions willbe held in the one country on a rotationalbasis.

Friday, February 11, 2011 15International Sport

Bulls teammate Ronnie Brewer,who was drafted by Utah in 2006,stole the ball from Jazz point guardDeron Willliams with 7.9 secondsleft and sank a pair of free throws toseal the victory. Boozer also had asteal late, but overall had a roughtime in his return to Utah. He had anumber of his shots blocked and fin-ished with 14 points and six re-bounds.

“It was a little bit of everything,”Boozer said of the nasty receptionhe received. “I’m just happy wewon. We had two losses in a row. Itwas a grind-out game that we didn’thave a good rhythm for but we justkept fighting, playing hard. Some-times when you keep grinding,things go your way a little bit.”

Derrick Rose scored 29 pointsfor Chicago. He also had seven as-sists and three rebounds, and a steal

Agence France Presse

SAN JOSE, California – Top seedand defending champion FernandoVerdasco of Spain and French secondseed Gael Monfils breezed into thesecond round of 600,000-dollar SAPOpen ATP hardcourt tournament.Verdasco rolled over US wild cardRajeev Ram 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes tobook a second-round match Thursdayagainst Croatian Ivo Karlovic, whosmashed 19 aces in defeating Ameri-can Ryan Sweeting 6-4, 6-4.

Monfils, who has never won anATP event outside Europe, de-feated US wild card Bradley Klahn6-3, 6-2 to book a second-rounddate with American RobertKendrick, who earlier eliminatedRussia’s Igor Kunitsyn 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Lithuania’s Richard Berankis

Associated Press Writer

ANNECY, France – French Presi-dent Nicolas Sarkozy will travel toAnnecy on Friday to meet with theIOC evaluation commission inspect-ing the Alpine city’s proposed ven-ues for the 2018 Winter Games.Sarkozy will meet with the commis-sion members in Annecy following atrip to the Haute Savoie region to dis-cuss the economy, his office saidWednesday.

Annecy is the first stop on thecommission’s tour, which will con-tinue with visits to the other candi-date cities, Pyeongchang in SouthKorea, and Munich, Germany. Thepanel, chaired by IOC memberGunilla Lindberg of Sweden, startedits work on Wednesday with meet-ings with Annecy officials.

Several topics including the bid’slegacy, the Games’ concept, the ven-ues, the Olympic villages, accom-modation, transport and environ-ment were on the agenda. Accord-ing to the IOC’s rules, the 11 mem-bers of the commission are not al-lowed to speak with media duringtheir visit and will only deliver theirimpressions during Saturday’s clos-ing press conference.

Secretary of state for tourismFrederic Lefebvre said after the meet-

AP Photo/George Frey

Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, looses control of the ball as the Utah Jazz’s Derron Williams, left,and C.J. Milles defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City,Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011. The Bulls beat the Jazz 91-86.

Rose scores 29 toRose scores 29 toRose scores 29 toRose scores 29 toRose scores 29 tolift Bulls over Jazzlift Bulls over Jazzlift Bulls over Jazzlift Bulls over Jazzlift Bulls over JazzAssociated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY – All the attention was focused on Carlos Boozer as handmade signs shouted“Whozer?” and boos rained down on the former Utah Jazz All-Star forward. When it countedmost, two other former Jazz players came up big for the Chicago Bulls in Wednesday night’s 91-86 victory over Utah. “It felt good to hit a big shot,” said Kyle Korver, who hit a 3-pointer with2:17 remaining to give the Bulls an 87-83 lead.

with 1:05 remaining that gave Chi-cago control of the game. “He’sbeen playing like that the whole sea-son,” Boozer said of Rose. “It’s whywe keep chanting his name for MVPbecause he’s been phenomenal allyear.” Al Jefferson led the Jazz with28 points, while Paul Millsap added20 points and 14 rebounds. “Wewere there,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloansaid. “We just couldn’t close thedoor.” Sloan kept reporters waitingmore than half an hour after thegame as he met with his assistantsand general manager KevinO’Connor. And the Jazz announcedthat Thursday’s practice had beenabruptly canceled.

After a 15-5 start, the Jazz are now31-23 and have dropped threestraight at home. Asked if it was timefor a shake-up, Sloan hedged.

“I don’t think there’s any great

need for panic,” he said, before add-ing that his general manager is al-ways evaluating players and movesthe team can make. “We’re not look-ing to trade anybody. We’re lookingto make our team hopefully betteron the floor.” It didn’t help that threeformer Jazz players came back tohaunt Utah.

Boozer was a two-time WesternConference All-Star in Utah, butthere were always questions aboutteam chemistry with him in SaltLake. He made it be known hewanted out, and eventually signed asa free agent with Chicago after lastseason.

His first game back in Utah elic-ited the most media attention sur-rounding the Jazz since the NBAplayoffs. He was booed during in-troductions and every time hetouched the ball.

French president to promoteAnnecy Olympic bid

ings that the commission memberswanted to make sure the accommoda-tions would be of high quality, describ-ing this as “very important for the suc-cess of Olympic Games.” “Theywanted proofs that what is written inour bid book regarding services, ac-commodation and catering is what weare going to deliver,” Lefebvre said.“And we gave them guarantees.”

Annecy officials are adamant theyhave the capacity to welcome fans andothers in all categories of hotels. How-ever, Annecy’s bid book contains 530hotels, which could be seen as a ma-jor handicap by the commission, withthe IOC likely to favor more concen-trated projects.

“We are aware of this and we willneed to optimize our transportationsystem,” said Barbara Martins-Niot,the accommodation expert for theAnnecy bid.

Annecy officials said about240,000 hotel rooms would be avail-able during the Games and that “95percent of the rooms are already avail-able for the IOC, and 89 percent forother groups.”

Evaluation commission membersare set to start their inspection onThursday with visits of the snowboard,freestyle, cross-country and Nordicskiing venues in La Clusaz, Le GrandBornand and Semnoz.

Top seeds Verdasco,Monfils advance at San Jose

won the final five games to outlastAmerican Donald Young 6-4, 5-7,7-5 and become the event’s firstquarter-finalist.

Young, a 21-year-old US southpawranked 146th in the world, led 5-2 inthe third set and served for the matchin the ninth game but surrendered thelast of his six double faults and waseventually broken.

Berankis, a 20-year-old who is downone spot from his career-best rankingof 73rd set last week, broke again for a6-5 edge and held to finish off Youngafter two hours and 23 minutes.Berankis will next face Canada’s Mi-los Raonic, who ousted US veteranJames Blake 6-2, 7-6 (7/4).

Last year at San Jose, Berankis camethrough qualifying to become the firstLithuanian to reach an ATP quarter-fi-nal before falling to Verdasco.

FernandoVerdasco, ofSpain, watcheshis shot on therun againstRajeev Ram, ofthe UnitedStates, duringthe first roundof the SAPOpen tennistournament,Wednesday,Feb. 9, 2011, inSan Jose, Calif.Verdasco beatRam 6-3, 6-2.AP Photo/George Nikitin

Friday, February 11, 201116 SportI N T E R N A T I O N A L

Capirossi, who left Suzuki afterlast season, admitted he is as fired upas always and says he would quit oth-erwise. And the Pramac rider madeit clear he is determined to continueracing next season, while aiming toscore his centenary podium in 2011.

“I’m too proud to just be a bitplayer: should I realise I’m not ableto get results anymore, I will realisethat the time to quit has come,”Capirossi was quoted as saying byGazzetta dello Sport. “But one wayor another, I will get on next year’s1,000cc bikes, and then I will per-haps find a role to stay at the top: Ihave a couple of offers.

“In the meantime I’ve changed mytraining, aiming for strength andstamina. It will be tough, but I’ll tryto get my 100th podium which I’vebeen chasing for two years.”

Team-mate Randy de Puniet isalso aiming to enjoy a strong season

NICK Heidfeld will test forRenault at Jerez later this week asthe outfit evaluates a replacementfor the injured Robert Kubica. TheGerman has emerged as the lead-ing contender to stand in for Kubica,who could be out for the remainderof the season as the result of theserious injuries he picked up in arally crash at the weekend.

Although Renault has five re-serve drivers, and is giving its leadone Bruno Senna a first test in itscar this week, the team has madeno secret of the fact that it will needan experienced driver to lead itsteam if Kubica is sidelined for along time.

Heidfeld has held talks withRenault over the last 48 hours andagreement has been reached for himto run at Jerez at some point thisweek. Vitaly Petrov will test, as origi-nally scheduled, on Thursday andFriday before Senna and Heidfeldare given mileage over the weekend.

Renault team owner GerardLopez said earlier today that the teamwould wait until after testing beforedeciding on who will partner VitalyPetrov this year - and Heidfeld’s

Renault to evaluate Heidfeld at Jerezchances will depend on how he com-pares pace-wise against Senna.

“We must wait for the Jerez testsnow, and thankfully the Barcelonaones too, and see how the car is go-ing, and how the driver - who willstart the season and maybe ending ittoo - is doing. We don’t know,” hetold IVG.it

“There are drivers who have hadgood races, for example NickHeidfeld. We all know that Nick is

rather good, but we don’t know whatlevel he is in now, we don’t knowhow he does with our car. Same goesfor Vitantonio Liuzzi, same goes - Idon’t know -for Bruno Senna, wholast year was in a team with a carthat could do nothing.”

Heidfeld has been left without aseat after being replaced at Sauberat the end of last season by SergioPerez, who brought valuable spon-sorship backing from Mexico.

Capirossi eyes 100thpodium in 2011

Loris Capirossi says he will do his best to make sure he achieves his 100thpodium in the world championship as he starts a new era with the Pramac Ducatiteam. The veteran Italian, the most experienced rider in history, goes into his22nd season in the championship hoping to end a two-year podium drought.

after being one of the surprises oflast year before he was sidelined bya leg injury.

“I am happy with this new ad-venture in Ducati,” he said. “I amback ‘Italian’ again, as in the past Ihave already ridden an Italian bike.I really enjoyed riding with myDucati, even if sometimes it is stilla bit hard to control, especiallywhen cornering.

“Last year, despite the bad leginjury, I have achieved good results.Now the most important thing forme is knowing that the leg has notgiven me any problems and in thesefirst tests I was able to push hard.

“The goal is certainly to be re-peated this season. With my work andmy engineers we are confident thatthis goal is easily attainable. Alreadyin a few days we will face a new testin Sepang and I am sure that we canalready improve our results.”

Italian rider Loris Capirossi of Pramac Racing leaves the pit-lane during the MotoGP pre-season test on the Sepangcircuit in Sepang near Kuala Lumpur on February 1, 2011.

AFP PHOTO/ Saeed Khan