edisi 05 desember 2013 | international bali post

Thursday, December 5, 2013

16 Pages Number 233 5th year

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Page 8

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

DPs 23 - 32

EntertainmentWEATHER FORECAsT

Continued on page 6

China demands Britain to return looted treasures

One block of the Strip was briefly shut down as the star pulled up to the casino in a convoy of black Cadillac Escalades.

Spears’ show debuts Dec. 27, just in time for Sin City’s massive New Year’s crowds. She will perform 50 shows each in 2014 and 2015, in a relatively small theater with nightclub touches, including table and bottle service.

Casino executives say the residency will fea-ture her top hits and more recent material, and could be extended if it’s a success.

Wearing a black cocktail dress with a rhinestone top, Spears, who turned 32 on Monday, signed autographs for a few of the more than 1,000 fans who came to see her arrival.

She walked up a red-carpeted stair-case to a soundtrack of her own music, passing a display of her name spelled out in pink, glittery 6-foot (1.8-meter) Styrofoam letters, and accepted a bou-quet of roses. A troupe of sexy, stylized

circus performers vamped behind her.She left after a few minutes to catch a plane

to her home in Los Angeles. She is expected to start theater rehearsals next week.

Spears has released seven platinum-plus albums since she debuted on the music scene in 1999. She has more than a dozen Top 10 hits, including “Toxic,” ‘’Gimme More” and “Oops! ... I Did It Again.”

Her eighth album, “Britney Jean,” was re-leased this week to tepid reviews.

Hollywood actor Ben Stiller was joined by fellow A-lister Tom Cruise Tuesday as he sank his hand- and foot-prints into the courtyard of the famed TCL Chinese Theatre.

The 48-year-old, who plays an infa-mous fantasist in his new movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” said he was making a wish come true by planting his prints into the courtyard at the former Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a famous Hollywood landmark.

“It’s very, very meaningful to me,” he said after a ceremony outside the theater.

“To be in any way a small part of it is really a dream come true for me.”

Stiller, the son of actors and star of films including “Meet The Fockers,” “Little Fockers” and two “Night at the Museum” movies, was introduced at the ceremony by Cruise, his co-star in 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder.”

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” a remake of the 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye, is released in the United States on Christmas Day, December 25.

Millions of tourists throng to the former Grauman’s Chinese Theatre -- before that it was called Mann’s Chinese Theatre -- every year to see the hand- and footprints of generations of Hollywood stars.

The Tinseltown landmark changed its name to the TCL Chinese Theatre at the start of 2013 after the naming rights were bought by Chinese electronics gi-ant TCL.

Britney Spears makes official Las Vegas entrance

Fire-breathers, contortionists, snake charmers and hunky dancers welcomed Britney Spears to the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Tuesday afternoon in a staged event kicking off the pop icon’s two-year las Vegas residency.

This photo provided by RCA Re-cords shows the album cover for Britney Spears’, “Britney Jean,” from RCA Records. AP Photo/RCA Records

Ben Stiller puts imprint on Hollywood landmark

Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

A proposal that New Delhi feels could endanger its efforts to subsidise food in the huge nation “cannot be accepted”, India’s commerce minister Anand Sharma told his counterparts on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

“Agriculture sustains millions of subsistence farmers. Their interests

must be secured. Food security is es-sential for four billion people of the world,” he said.

“Yes, we have rejected it,” he later told reporters, calling it a “final decision”.

His comments appeared to im-peril WTO chief Roberto Azevedo’s hopes that delegates can agree on a

modest package of measures to keep alive the multilateral organisation’s stumbling 12-year-old drive to slash trade barriers.

One by one, delegates to the four-day conference warned that Bali could be the last chance to rescue the WTO’s vision of an open trading environment fair to both rich and poor countries.

“Leaving Bali this week without an agreement would deal a debilitating blow to the WTO as a forum for mul-tilateral negotiations,” US Trade Rep-resentative Michael Froman said.

AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim

Activists shout slogans against the World Trade Organization (WTO) during a protest in Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013. Chances of a breakthrough in global trade negotiations dimmed Wednesday as India refused to budge on food subsidies that are an obstacle to an eleventh-hour agreement at a WTO summit.

India stands firm on food

Gloom at WTO

Agence France-Presse

NUSA dUA - India said wednesday it could not accept a wTo proposal on food security, casting a gloom over a high-stakes conference tasked with salvaging the body’s faltering efforts to liberalise world trade.

Biden in China as air zone tensions simmer

New World Cup ball ‘Brazuca’ unveiled

International2 Thursday, December 5, 2013 15International Activities

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, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp.

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

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

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

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

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

Balinese Temple Ceremony

Calendar Event for November 2 through December 11, 20132 Nov Saniscara Keliwon Kuningan.Pura Taman Pule di Mas-Ubud.Pura Ularan di Takmung-Klungkung.Pura Bukitjati di Gulingan-Kawan Bangli.

6 Nov Buda Wage Langkir.Pura Tanah Lot Kediri Tabanan.Pura Bucabe Mas Ubud.Pura Puseh Desa Ganggang-Canggi Batuan.Pura Pasek Pertukangan Kediri-Tabanan.Pura Pasek Bendesa Gulingan Mengwi.Pura Masceti Desa Sanding-Tampak Siring.Puru Luwur Batur Pucangan Buahan-Tabanan.Odalan Alit di Pura Dalem Takuran di Cemeng-goan Sukawati.Odalan Ida Ratu Sundaring Jagat Penataran Agung Besakih.Mr. Pasek Gelgel Silakarang.Pura Dalem Bangun Sakti Kapal.Pura Dalem Bias Muntig Ped-Nusa Penida.

10 Nov redite Pon Medangsia.Pura Agung Pentilan Kesiman-Denpasar.Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kerambitan Tabanan.

11 Nov Soma Wage Medangsia.Pura Nataran Desa Getas Blahbatuh.Merajan Pasek Gelgel Aan-Klungkung.Pura Pasek Bakbakan Gianyar.

12 Nov Anggara Keliwon Medangsia.Pura Pesimpangan Geria Sakti Manuaba di Yogya-karta-Sumur Lampung Selatan.Pura Luwur Uluwatu Pecatu Kuta Selatan.Pura Penataran Agung Singakerta Ubud.Pura Andakasa Karangasem.Pura Gua Lawah Klungkung.Merajan Kawitan Arya Kubontubuh Gelgel Klungkung.Pura Taman Ayun Mengwi.Pura Suralaya Banda-Klungkung.Pura Dalem Senapati Bebalang-Bangli.Pura Gadung Blahbatuh Gianyar.Pura Pasek Lurah Tutuan.Pura Pasek Gadung Kerambitan Tabanan.Pura Dalem Tugu Gelgel Klungkung.Pura Dalem Banyuning Barat-Buleleng.Odalan Sepen di Pura Puseh.Pura Desa Cemenggaon-Sukawati.Pura Pusering Jagat Pejeng-Tampaksiring.Merajan Pasek Kubayan Mengwi.Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Gegelang-Tabanan.Pura Geria Sakti (Dang Kahyangan) Tulikup Gianyar.Pura Dalem Dauh Ubud.

13 Nov Buda Umanis Medangsia.Pura Gede Perancak-Jembrana.Pura Dalem Dauma-Batuan Sukawati.Pura Nataran Kacangdawa-Klungkung.

Odalan Bhatara Gede Apol di Ubung Denpasar.Pura Puseh Brahmana Kamasan-Klungkung.Pura Kahyangan Jagat Dalem Purwa Denbantas Tabanan.Pura Dalem Sukehet Klungkung.Pura Dalem Muaspatih Guwang Sukawati.Pura Taman Tegalalang.Pura Desa Sanding-Tampaksiring.Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa-Batanbuah-Kesiman.Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Basangkawan.Pura Sahab Nusa Penida.Merajan Agung Gorokgak Dalem Sukawati.

14 Nov Wraspati Paing Medangsia.Pura Ulun Swi Kediri Tabanan.Pura Panti Pasek Gelgel Bitra-Gianyar.

17 Nov redite Keliwon Pujut.Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran-Mengwi.

17 Nov Purnama Kelima.Aci-aci Penaung Bayu di Pura Batumadeg di Besakih.Pura Kentel Gumi di Batur Baangli.Pura Pedarman Agung, Satria Denpasar.Pura Pemerajan Agung - Pemecutan Denpasar.Ngusaba di Pura Kehen Bangli.Pura Desa Pemenang di Lombok.Pura Agung Pasek Gelgel di Sumerta Denpasar.Pura Pasek Gobleg di Kekeran Mengwi.Pura Suranadi di Lombok.Pura Puncak Bukit Tampak Siring.Pura Dalem Puri Agung Kintamani.Pura Dalem Agung Nongan Karangasem.Pura Dalem Ubung-Kupang Dukuh Penebel-Tabanan.Pura Dalem Balingkang Kintamani.Pr. Tampurhyang Pusat Kawitan Mahagota Catur Sanak di Songan Kintamani.Pura Dalem Pulasari Desa Bantas Sudaji Buleleng.Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Lebih.Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Tulamben.Pura Penyusungan Pasek Tohjiwa Selemadeg Tabanan.Pura Pasar Agung Besakih Sebudi Karangasem.Merajan Pasek Gelgel Tengkulak Kaja.Pura Suci Desa Tianyar Kubu Karangasem.Pura Bukit Mentik ring Gunung Lebah Desa Batur Kintamani.Pura Narmada di Lombok.Pura Segara di Ampenan Lombok.Pura Ularan di Seririt Buleleng.

24 Nov redite Paing Pahang.Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran Mengwi.Pura Pasek Sandra Peguyangan Badung.

26 Nov Anggara Wage Pahang.Pura Batu Madeg (Meru Tumpang Sanga) di Besakih.Pura Hyang Tibha Batuan Sakah.

27 Nov Buda Keliwon Pahang.Pura Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Baturiti Tabanan.Pura Silayukti Padangbai-Karangasem.Pura Aer Jeruk Sukawati.Pura Dangin Pasar Batuan-Sukawati.Pura Penataran di Batuyang-Batubulan.Pura Desa Lembeng Ketewel-Sukawati.Pura Pasek Bendesa Dukuh-Kediri-Tabanan.Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar.Pura Kresek Banyuning-Buleleng.Pura Puseh di Bebandem-Karangasem.Merajan Pasek Kubayan-Gaji.Merajan pasek Gelgel Jeroan Abang-Songan.Merajan Pasek Subrata Temaga.Merajan Pasek Gelgel Bungbungan.Pura Sad Kahyangan Batu Medahu Swana Nusa Penida.Pura Buda Kliwon Penatih-Denpasar.Pura Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem.Pura Pasek Bendesa Tagtag Paguyangan.Pura Pulasari Sibang Gede Abiansemal.Pura Batur Sari Ubud.Pura Penataran Agung Sukawati.

2 Dec Soma Keliwon Krulut.Pura Pasel Gelgel Kekeran Mengwi Badung.Merajan Pasek Subadra Kramas-Gianyar.

7 Dec Tumpek Krurut.Pura Pasek Gelgel Br Tengah Buleleng.Pura Dalem Pemuteran di Desa Jelantik Tojan - Klungkung.Pura Pedarmaan Bhujangga Waisnawa di Besakih.Pura Taman Sari Desa Gunungsari Penebel - Tabanan.Pura Dalem Tarukan di Bebalang Bangli.Pura Benua Kangin Besakih.Pura Merajan Kanginan (Ida Betara Empu Beradah) di Besakih.

8 Dec redite Umanis Merakih.Pura Parangan Tengah Banjar Ceningan Kangin - Lembongan Nusa Penida.Pura Dalem Celuk Sukawati - Gianyar.

11 Dec Buda Wage Merakih.Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar Selatan.Pura Natih Banjar Kalah - Batubulan.Pura Desa Silakarang - Singapadu.Pura dalem Petitenget - Kerobokan - Kuta.Pura Dalem Pulasari - Samplangan - Gianyar.Pura Kubayan - Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar - Selatan.Pura Pasek gelgel Banjar Tanahpegat - Tabanan.Pr. Paibon Banjar Bengkel - Sumerta - Denpasar.Pura Pasek Lumintang - Denpasar.Pr. Panti Penyarikan Medahan - Sanding - Tampaksiring.Pr. Pasar Agung Banjar Dauh Peken - Kaba-kaba - Tabanan.

This year, Archipelago International will announce the opening of another 5 hotels by December, making the total number of hotels in operation 75. They will also reveal plans to open another 30 hotels in 2014, reaching a total of 100 hotels in inventory. The new openings will be in Jakarta, Bandung, Sura-baya, Madiun, Bojonegoro, Solo, Malang, Yogyakarta, Bali, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Lombok and Kupang. Furthermore and fol-lowing this year’s launch of The Alana and Harper hotel brands, Aston Fair spectators will also gain insight into the developmental progress of these two new chains.

The Alana brand is Archipelago’s lat-est upscale designer lifestyle hotel label. In Hawaiian, Alana means “fair, beautiful or offering”. Alana Hotel & Resorts aims

IBP/Courtesy of Archipelago International

Annual Aston Fair held in SurabayaIBP

JAKArTA - The annual Aston Fair trade show was held on Friday 29th November. This tourism event brings together representatives of more than 60 Aston managed Hotels as well as East Java’s Travel Trade and Media Communities. Each year at the Fair, Archipelago International takes the opportunity to announce the group’s future development plans, as well as recapping recent successes and company milestones.

to be truthful to this name, offering high end lifestyle boutique hotels that are sophisticated yet friendly and welcoming. Alana Hotels cater to travelers who appreciate style, personalized service and a stimulat-ing environment. They set themselves apart by presenting an extra dimen-sion of escapism, namely the chance to experience - however briefly - a lifestyle that is glamorous, fashionable and exclusive. The first property to open was The Alana Surabaya, while the next projects are in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Sentul and Bogor.

Meanwhile, Harper brand presents its 3 and 4-star newly built hotels that hold 100 to 250 rooms in city and resort

locations. Rooms are a minimum bay size of 28sqm and a maximum of 40sqm, while suites will be 1.5 times the bay size. City location Harper Hotels will feature execu-tive floors with club lounges and

ladies-only rooms, while all Harper will offer the brand’s proprietary destination restaurant concept, “Rustik Bistro & Bar”. As its name implies, this signature eatery serves up home comfort food paired with

great wine and cocktails in a fresh, light and elegant space. The first Harper to open was Harper Kuta in Bali, with following projects hitting Yogyakarta, Banjarmasin, Bandung, Puncak and Bogor.

Chief of Tegallalang customary village, Pande Wayan Karsa, said on Tuesday (Dec 3) the parking space of Ceking tourist attraction was under construction phase. The customary village began to organize the Ceking tourist attraction by taking a loan worth IDR 4 billion from rural credit agency (LPD) to purchase land with the area of 32.8 ares. The land would later on be used for parking lot. “Currently, the parking lot is under progress by means of heavy equipment,” he said.

The parking area planned at Cek-ing tourist attraction was not far from location of the main tourist attraction offering the beautiful terraced rice fields. The execution was under progress and the completion was approximately 30 percent. His party

targeted it could be completed at the end of 2014 and the parking space would be ready to be used.

Ceking tourist attraction in Tegal-lalang is one of the natural attractions looking very attractive to travelers. Tourist visit per day is quite crowded. Unfortunately, it does not have a park-ing space, so it should take advantage of the road body as the parking space of vehicles. Along the road section of Tegallalang is utilized to park vehicles of travelers coming down to see the beautiful panorama of rice terraces. Along the track, in the west side, a row of four-wheeled vehicles are parked to drop off guests. The road is narrow and winding so such condition makes it more crowded. Such condition has long occurred because there is no solu-

tion given by the government. In recent years, the Ceking tour-

ist attraction is managed by Tegal-lalang customary village through a development board established by Tegallalang customary village. The levies are collected by the officers of customary village, including the ar-rangement of traffic flows in the area so as not to kindle any congestion, considering a part of the road body is used for vehicle parking space.

Gradual arrangement and man-agement are made to prepare the land for vehicle parking space for travelers making a visit to Ceking. On that account, it is expected there will be no congestion in the area due to the parking of vehicles on the road body. (kmb16)

Bali PostMANGUPURA - There was

something unique in the 9th Min-isterial Conference of the World Trade Organizat ion (WTO), Tuesday (Dec 3). Participants of the conference involving 158 na-tions had to march under the heat of the sun in order to get into the hall of the Bali Nusa Dua Con-vention Center (BNDCC).

Hundreds of delegates in queue looked to snake from the inspection door leading to the road in order they could come in to join the opening proces-sion made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Such tight security was complained by delegates. They assessed the security system applied was too excessive. “Why is it so tight and having to line up to get into the hall? The last APEC was not so tight like this,” complained one of the delegates.

As has been known, the WTO is the institution under the United Nations dealing with global rules related to international com-merce. The WTO conference is organized every two years, and

the organization in 2013 is hosted by Indonesia. The 9th Ministe-rial Conference took place on December 3-6, 2013 which was opened by President SBY.

Entourage of the president ar-rived at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, at 11:15 a.m. The officials accompanying the president in this visit, among oth-ers, were Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law and Security Djoko Suyanto, Coordinating Minister of Economy Hatta Rajasa, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam and Minister of Industry MS Hidayat.

As scheduled, the president directly resume his working visit to East Java, precisely to Madura. Some of the counties to be vis-ited by SBY and First Lady Ani will be Sampang, Sumenep and Pamekasan. Aside from having dialog with religious leaders and community leaders of Madura, president and first lady will also perform some site inspections. The working visit to Bali and East Java is planned to last for six days until Sunday (Dec 8). (kmb27)

General Manager and Chief Editor of Bali Travel News (Member of Bali Post Group) cutting yellow rice cone to mark 15th BTN Anniversary that celebrated on Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

IBP/Agung Dharmada

Ceking tourist attraction in Tegallalang is just like the crowded Ubud tourist track and it is often complained due to its congestion. However, in response to the complaints by the circles of tourism businesspeople, the management of Ceking tourist attraction starts to make improvement.

To overcome congestion at Ceking attraction

Tegallalang prepares parking spaceBali Post

GIANyAr - Ceking tourist attraction in Tegallalang is just like the crowded Ubud tourist track and it is often complained due to its congestion. However, in response to the complaints by the circles of tourism businesspeople, the management of Ceking tourist attraction starts to make improvement. Tegallalang customary village provides parking space to address conges-tion in the track of Ceking tourist area. Even, the Tegallalang customary village spends IDr 4 billion for the procurement of parking space.

Queue to get into BNDCC buildingParticipants of WTO forced to sunbathe

3Thursday, December 5, 201314 InternationalInternational Bali NewsScience Thursday, December 5, 2013

PARIS - The last common ancestor of Man and Ape was not a knuckle-walking, tree-swinging hominid resembling today’s chimpanzee, said a study Tuesday chal-lenging some long-held theories of human evolution.

Rather than a prototype chimp as com-monly believed, our common forefather was an ape unlike any that exists today.

From it, humans and modern-day apes evolved into two completely different direc-tions, according to research published in the journal Nature Communications.

“The majority of palaeoanthropologists tend to assume that the last common ances-tor of chimpanzees and humans looked like a chimpanzee,” said anatomical scientist Ser-gio Almecija of the Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York.

“However, there is growing evidence sug-gesting that the... great apes are not ‘living time machines’ reflecting our past, but that they have also evolved since their lineage split from that of humans millions of years ago.”

Almecija and a team from the United States and Spain base their conclusions on the study of a femur from an ape dubbed “Millennium Man” that lived in Kenya some six million years ago.

Theirs was the first study to compare Mil-lennium Man’s physiology not only to humans and living apes, but also fossil apes that lived in the Miocene period some 23 to 5.3 million years ago.

Their analysis placed the tree-climbing, upright-walking specimen, scientific name Orrorin tugenensis, into an evolutionary bracket between the unidentified common human-ape ancestor and the line that led to modern homo sapiens.

This, in turn, filled in some evolutionary knowledge gaps, and showed the common ancestor was likely very similar to Orrorin and very different to modern chimps -- which diverged with humans about 7-6 million years ago.

“Our... reconstruction reveals that some Miocene apes represent a more appropriate model for the ancestral morphology from which hominins (humans and their ances-tors) evolved than do (living) great apes,” said the study.

The last common ancestor, whose identity remains uncertain, most likely walked around on all fours like today’s apes, but leaning on its palms instead of front knuckles, said Almecija.

Like the Miocene apes, it would have had smaller hands and shorter, straighter fingers than modern chimps, and probably did not swing through the trees hanging from branches -- instead shuffling about the canopy on all fours, sometimes upright, grabbing onto branches for support.

The Miocene had a far greater diversity of apes than the world today, said Almecija.

But since they did not look or move like today’s chimp, Man’s closest living genetic relative, they were largely overlooked in the study of human evolution.

“Living apes (chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans) have long and independent evo-lutionary histories of their own, and their modern anatomies should not be assumed to represent the ancestral condition for our hu-man lineage,” said Almecija.

“To understand the origins of human bi-pedalism, scientists should stop assuming a ‘chimpanzee starting point’,” he told AFP.

Such assumptions may lead to “strongly misguided hypotheses on the actual path-way of human evolution,” according to the study.

Strawberries pollinated by bees were of far higher commercial value than fruit that was self-pollinated or pollinated by the wind.

They were heavier, firmer and redder and had a longer shelf life, researchers in Germany found.

Bees are under threat from hive “collapse”, a disorder that some have linked to pesticides and pollution.

According to a 2011 report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), pollination by bees and other insects contributed about 153 billion euros ($204 billion), or 9.5 percent, of the total global value of

Benefit of bees even bigger than thoughtAgence France-Presse

PARIS - Bees have a much greater economic value than is widely known, according to a sci-entific probe into strawberry-growing published on Wednesday.

food production.But such estimates could be far short of the mark, the new study said.

A team led by Bjoern Klatt at the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Goettingen in Germany planted nine commercial strawberry varieties in an experi-mental field.

The plants were either covered with special gauze bags to allow pollination by the wind or other parts of the plant, or were left open for visiting by bees.

The fruits were collected and graded according to standard com-

mercial criteria for attractiveness.They were then put through a

battery of lab tests for objective assessment of colour, firmness and resistance to premature softness or fungal spread.

In seven of the 10 varieties, bee-pollinated fruit were more intensely red than their self- and wind-pollinated rivals.

They were 11 percent heavier than wind-pollinated and 30.3 per-cent heavier than self-pollinated fruits.

They were also firmer, which meant their shelf life was about

12 hours longer than that of wind-pollinated strawberries and more than 26 hours longer than self-pollinated ones.

In commercial terms, this is a big deal, said the study.

More than 90 percent of straw-berries can become non-marketable after only four days in storage. Soft-er flesh exposes them to accidental bruising and fungus infection.

In the 1.5-million-tonne Euro-pean market for strawberries, bee pollination reduces waste by 11 percent, or $320 million, each year, according to the paper.

Add in other benefits, and bee pollination accounted for around $1.44 billion of the market’s value of $2.9 billion, the study said.

Bee benefits may partly be ex-plained by the effects on achenes,

the tiny seeds that dimple the straw-berry’s sides.

Bee-pollinated strawberries had far more fertilised achenes than other fruit, because the insects, with their typical diligence, pol-linated all of the plant, rather than just part of it.

The achenes are important be-cause they control levels of a plant hormone called auxin, which in turn influences a second hormone called gibberelic acid.

Higher levels of the two hor-mones delay fruit-softening pro-teins called expansins.

“Our results showed that crop pollination is of higher economic importance than hitherto thought,” said the probe, published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Human ancestor was less-chimp-like than thought: study

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Chaos, a Chimpanzee, looks through the glass at visitors during his pub-lic debut in the Onstead Foundation Chimpanzee Habitat at the Houston Zoo Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Houston. The last common ancestor of Man and Ape was not a knuckle-walking, tree-swinging hominid resembling today’s chimpanzee, said a study Tuesday challenging some long-held theories of human evolution.

“A multilateral trading system will work only if it incorporates the principles of transparency, justice and opportunity,” Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the opening of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference on Tuesday.

He said the liberalization of global trade would benefit all nations.

“Increased multilateral trade could open new opportunities for economic growth. It could create jobs and in-crease the incomes of workers, as well as benefit consumers, who can purchase more goods at cheaper prices,” he noted.

However, President Yudhoyono reminded delegates to pay attention to weak countries that require support to increase their economic capabilities.

“Helping the weak become strong will benefit all parties and broaden markets. It will improve supply and demand for goods and services and contribute to regional as well as global stability,” he said.

The president invited all the partici-pants to contribute their thoughts and further the negotiations.

“It is time to put words to action. We need regulations based on a mul-tilateral trading system that can be adopted by developing and developed countries. Success in Bali will prove that we did not leave the developing countries behind,” he added.

AntaraDENPASAR - Hundreds of

activists from various international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) staged a demonstration on Tuesday, demanding the dis-solution of the World Trade Orga-nization (WTO), which is holding its Ministerial Meeting in Bali till Dec 6.

“Our mission is to end the WTO because what it offers is against the poor’s interests,” Action Coordina-tor Muamar Kaddafi said.

The demonstrators taking part in the protest were not only from Indonesia, but had gathered from various other countries, such as Thailand, South Korea, Bolivia, Japan, Australia, the United States, Bangladesh and Canada.

Besides spouting anti-WTO

slogans, demonstrators wearing their respective national costumes also raised banners showing their rejection of the WTO.

Their actions marked the open-ing of the 9th WTO negotiations.

“We wish to convey to the countries taking part in the meet-ing that the WTO is an organi-zation that threatens marginal communities, such as farmers, laborers, fishermen and other poor communities,” Nyoman Mardika from the Manikaya Kauci NGO said.

He added that the trade orga-nization had been set up in 1995 and had no function but to spread global liberalism and capitalism.

The stalled discussions, as well as debates between advanced and developing countries, are also a

cause of concern for the activists, who demanded that the WTO leave agriculture alone.

“We wish WTO to leave the ag-riculture sector,” Mardika said.

His call was in line with de-veloping countries’ demand for increased subsidies that has been repeatedly rejected by advanced countries, resulting in the discus-sions around the “Bali Package” never concluding.

“The Bali Package is a bad agreement for developing coun-tries. We have been forced to accept the deal, which is binding WTO trade, even as farmers are not be subsidized,” he said.

Hundreds of police officers have been deployed to secure the area where the demonstration is taking place.

IBP/Parwata

Indonesia has called for the principles of justice and transparency to be implemented in global trade negotiations to ensure that all parties benefit from any agreement.

Indonesia calls for justice, transparency in global tradeAntara

NUSA DUA - Indonesia has called for the principles of justice and transparency to be implemented in global trade negotiations to ensure that all parties benefit from any agreement.

Reject North-South ApproachYudhoyono has called on all coun-

tries to work as partners and reject the North-South approach, which views countries as competitors divided into two groups.

“We must reject the idea of the North against the South, which em-phasizes differences rather than mutual goals. Both groups must regard them-selves as partners, not competitors,” he noted at the event, which is being attended by delegations from 159 WTO member countries.

Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan is the chairman of the conference, which will continue until December 8. There are also three co-chairpersons, namely, British Trade and Investment Minister Stephen Green, Rwanda’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Francois Kanimba, and Peru’s Minister of Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva Velarde Alvarez.

President Yudhoyono said that both the North and South needed each other for global trade.

He noted that in the past 30 years, developing countries have become the main driver of growth in global trade. Developing countries account for half of global trade, up from 34 percent in 1980, he said.

Global trade needs the participation of all countries,” he added.

He expressed hope that the confer-

ence could produce an agreement to revive confidence in the international trading system, in contrast to the dead-lock in the Doha Round talks.

“The international trading system is at a critical point in its long and chal-lenging history. Continuing stagnation of trade talks risks the erosion of trust by the business community in our abil-

ity to settle negotiations,” he noted.“We must not let that happen. We

have been able to complete several difficult tasks. We are close to ac-complishing an historic achievement. We should take this opportunity to rebuild trust and credibility in this valuable trade negotiation forum,” the president urged.

He noted that trade is an important economic component in efforts to reduce poverty.

He added that in the past 30 years, improvements have been made in the standards of living and welfare of people in various regions, although several people continue to live in poverty.

IBP/Parwata

Hundreds of activists from various international non-gov-ernmental organizations (NGOs) staged a demonstration on Tuesday, demanding the dissolution of the World Trade Or-ganization (WTO), which is holding its Ministerial Meeting in Bali till Dec 6.

NGOs hold demonstration demanding dissolution of WTO

Bali News International4 Thursday, December 5, 2013 Thursday, December 5, 2013 13International RLDW

Bali Post

DENPASAR - The plan of Denpasar Social and Labor Agency to collect levies from foreign worker employment permit (IMTA) early January 2014 is threatened to delay. It happens because until the beginning of December 2013 the regulation draft of IMTA could not be validated. On that account, the Social and Labor Agency expected the discussion on the regulation draft could have been accom-plished so that it could be immediately approved.

The Head of Denpasar Social and Labor Agency, I Made Erwin Suryadarma Sena, said the threat of the IMTA levy

was large enough. To date, the regulation bylaw draft (Ranper-da) could not be ap-proved. “We do hope the House could im-mediately endorse the regulation draft that has been dis-cussed,” said Erwin Suryadarma.

Erwin added that based on the data during the period of 2011-2012, the number of foreign workers in Den-pasar renewing their IMTA averagely reached 200-300 people. Therefore, the regulation draft on the IMTA was very important to be passed. If the delay continued, the levies would be stagnating

as well. “Probably, we cannot collect the levy without the regulations,” said Erwin.

According to Erwin Suryadarma, the regulation bylaw draft about the IMTA renewal levy for foreign workers was being discussed in the House as a follow-up of the Government Regulation (PP) No.97/2012. Even, it had been set forth that every foreign worker would be charged with levy at USD 100 each year. The levy was pegged at USD with the reference to the government regulation so there was no gap when the rupiah exchange rate to the dollar fluctuated.

Erwin Suryadarma further argued the levies at USD 100 to foreign workers in a year averagely reached USD 360,000 or equivalent to IDR 3.6 billion. Even, since January 2013 the local government had been given the authority to collect the IMTA levies. However, Denpasar Municipality could not collect it because there had been no legal instrument. “I hope the legislation bylaw can be passed so the IMTA levies can be charged effectively from January 2014. Otherwise, the levy cannot be taken,” he said.

He explained the results of the IMTA levy collection would be used to improve the quality of local labor. In the future, there could be the transfer of technology so the local workers could compete against foreign labor and the number of foreign workers working in Denpasar could be reduced. “If our workforce has the same skills as that of foreign ones, they could possibly fill in the important posi-tions in private companies as well as star hotel in Denpasar in particular and Bali in general,” he said.

Foreign workers who renewed their IMTA permit in Denpasar until August 2013 reached 225 people. Most foreign workers in Denpasar worked for travel agency, education institution (teacher), trade and services as well as fisheries. (kmb12)

The Head of Denpasar Agriculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Agency, I Gede Ambara Putra, admitted to worry if the approval of the Denpasar Regional Budget 2014 draft continued to delay, Tuesday (Dec 3). His party had designed a wide range of assistance for farmers in Denpasar. It was especially intended for farmers affected by the drought due to the Tanah Putih dam repair at Gerih, Badung. “We have allo-cated seedlings and other assistance to farmers in the subak area experiencing

the drought,” said Ambara Putra. The seedling assistance would be

given to farmers in North Denpasar because so far they were not able to cultivate their land. They land dried out as there was no water running to their rice fields as a result of the irrigation channel repairs in the upstream area. The affected subak area included the Subak Sembung with the area of 115 hectares, Subak Dalem (143 hectares), Subak Pakel I (103 hectares) and Subak Pakel 2 (73 hectares). These subak

areas could have not cultivated their land twice.

Previously, the Division Head of Ag-riculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Production, IB Mayun Surya Wangsa, said that farmers in the four subak areas could have actually been planting rice. However, since there was no water, their cultivated land dried out. “They could not plant rice, let alone crops,” said Mayun.

In general, he said, the impact felt by residents of Denpasar was the reduction of rice production this year. For one hectare of rice field in the four subak area, people could averagely produce 7-8 tons of rice. But now, they had to stop production for two seasons. “The owners of rice field cannot do much because the water becoming a major requirement does not exist,” he said. (kmb12)

Levy collection of foreign workers may delay

IBP/Eka AdhiyasaThe Head of Denpasar Social and Labor Agency, I Made Er-win Suryadarma Sena, said the threat of the IMTA levy was large enough.

Regional budget not been approved

Assistance to Denpasar’s farmers at riskBali Post

DENPASAR - Delay on the approval to the Denpasar Regional Budget 2014 draft by the Denpasar House starts to draw concerns of a number of regional working units (SKPD). It especially happens to the agencies having direct contact to the public. One of them is the Agriculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Agency. Moreover, in 2014 the agency has designed the assistance to farmers who have been affected by the Tanah Putih dam repairs.

IBP/Eka AdhiyasaDelay on the approval to the Denpasar Regional Budget 2014 draft by the Denpasar House starts to draw concerns of a number of regional working units (SKPD). It especially happens to the agencies having direct contact to the public. One of them is the Agriculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Agency.

SYDNEY - Prime Minister Tony Ab-bott Wednesday defended a raid by Aus-tralian intelligence agents on the offices of a lawyer representing East Timor in a spying case, but Timor’s president called it “unconscionable”.

Abbott’s government is under fire after the offices of lawyer Bernard Collaery were raided by the domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), on Tuesday and a range of material seized on a secret warrant.

Also searched were the premises of a former intelligence agent turned whistle-blower in the case against Canberra.

Collaery is representing East Timor’s government in an arbitration hearing at The Hague which accuses Australia of espionage over a controversial Timor Sea gas treaty. He has described the raids as “intimidatory” tactics before a hearing in the case Thursday.

The Labor-Greens opposition called for an explanation from Attorney-Gen-eral George Brandis, with Labor Senator Penny Wong saying the action brought into question the “integrity of the rule

of law”.But Abbott defended the move as in

Australia’s national interest.“We don’t interfere in cases but we

always act to ensure that our national security is being properly upheld -- that’s what we’re doing,” the prime minister said.

“One of the important things that government does is protect national security.”

He later assured lawmakers that “no one’s phone can be tapped, no one’s con-versations can be listened into without a specific warrant”.

“Our intelligence services both here and abroad operate under the very strict-est of safeguards,” Abbott said.

Timor President Xanana Gusmao said the raids were “counterproductive and un-cooperative” and demanded Abbott fully explain why they were carried out.

“Raiding the premises of a legal representative of Timor-Leste (East Timor) and taking such aggressive action against a key witness is unconscionable and unacceptable conduct,” he said in a statement.

“It is behaviour that is not worthy of a close friend and neighbour or of a great

nation like Australia.”In a statement to parliament, Brandis

confirmed that premises belonging to Collaery and those of an unnamed former officer of the Australian Secret Intelli-gence Service (ASIS), the country’s for-eign intelligence agency, were raided on Tuesday and “documents and electronic data” seized.

The retired ASIS officer-turned-whistleblower is Collaery’s key witness, and will allege that the spy agency used an Australian aid project to renovate East Timor’s cabinet offices as a front to in-stall listening devices in the walls during crucial gas treaty talks in 2004.

East Timor accuses Australia of spying to gain a commercial advantage during negotiations on a deal called Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea, or CMATS. It argues in The Hague that the 50-50 profit-sharing deal of Aus$40 billion (US$36 billion) in proceeds from the vast gasfields between their two na-tions should be torn up.

“If this had happened in Wall Street... people would go to jail. This is inside trading to get extra revenue. It had noth-ing to do with protecting our country,” said Collaery.

Cameron travelled to the south-western city of Chengdu on the third day of what embassy officials said was the largest ever British trade mission to the country.

British officials say 5.6 billion pounds ($9.2 billion) worth of deals have been signed so far on the trip, but Cameron has been derided by both Chinese state-run media and the country’s sharp-tongued Inter-net users.

The prime minister last Friday set up his own microblogging page on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, attracting more than 230,000 followers by Wednesday.

He invited netizens to ask ques-tions, saying that he would aim to reply during the visit.

One of the most popular ques-tions was posted by a prominent Chinese think-tank, the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, which is headed by former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan and includes as its members many top government officials and lead-ing economists.

“When will Britain return the illegally plundered artefacts?” the organisation asked, referring to 23,000 items in the British Museum

which it says were looted by the British Army, part of the Eight-Nation Alliance that put down the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the 19th century, a popular uprising against the incursion of European imperial powers in China.

To the Chinese, the ransack-ing of the Forbidden City, and the earlier destruction of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860 -- about which one British officer wrote: “You can scarcely imagine the beauty and magnificence of the places we burnt. It made one’s heart sore to burn them” -- remain key symbols of how the country was once dominated by foreign powers.

Even now the ruling Communist party appeals to nationalism to bol-ster its popularity.

Beijing was outraged by Cam-eron’s meeting with the Dalai Lama -- who it condemns as a dangerous separatist -- last year, which led to a diplomatic deep-freeze between the two nations.

Despite the trip being billed as a trade mission, it has widely been seen as an attempt to repair some of the damage caused to China-British relations.

WASHINGTON - Two skydivers collided in mid-air and died Tuesday after plummeting to the ground with collapsed parachutes in the southwestern United States, police said.

The accident happened at a skydiving facility in Arizona when the daredevils were about 200-300 feet (60-90 metres) above the ground, Police Sergeant Brian Jerome of the town of Eloy told the Arizona Republic newspaper.

One of the divers died on the scene and an-other was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Jerome said both were believed to be non-Americans.

Andrew Baker, another diver in the air at the time, said the accident happened while some 200 people were staging a simultaneous jump and trying to hook up in mid-air.

The people killed were experienced skydiv-ers, the newspaper said, quoting acquaintances of theirs.

Eloy is about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south-east of Phoenix.

China demands Britain to return looted treasuresAgence France-Presse

BEIJING - British Prime Minister David Cameron faced demands for the return of priceless artefacts looted from Beijing in the 19th century on Wednesday, the last day of his visit to China.

AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, speaks with curator Zhang Hongx-

ing during his visit to the “Masterpieces of Chinese Painting: 700-1900” at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Cameron faced demands for the return of priceless artefacts looted from Bei-

jing in the 19th century on Wednesday, the last day of his visit to China.

Australia defends ‘national security’ raids in Timor case Two dead

in skydiving accident

Bali News Thursday, December 5, 2013 5InternationalThursday, December 5, 201312 International

Bali PostSINGARAJA - PT Indonesia Power

of Pemaron gas- and steam-fueled power plant (PLTGU) unit will still operate die-sel engines to meet the electricity needs in Bali. Operations of the diesel will likely be discontinued after the Java-Bali sub-marine power cables can be operated or until the Celukan Bawang steam-fueled power plant can successfully be oper-ated.

Manager of Indonesia Power for Pema-ron Business Unit, I Nyoman Purwakanta, said on Tuesday that Indonesia Power faced a dilemma. It happened because the peak load of electricity use in Bali per day could reach 700 megawatts. Meanwhile, the supply of electricity through the sub-marine cable was only 200 megawatts from the two lines available.

According to him, previously the sub-marine cable would be increased to four lines. But when rolling the cables in June and July, the installation failed due to very

strong sea currents. “It is purely caused by natural factor. When installed by force, it will be more hazardous,” he said.

Purwakanta could not provide cer-tainty when the operation of diesel engine would be discontinued. PT Indonesia Power of Pemaron Business Unit was still waiting for the successful installa-tion of the submarine cables and Celukan Bawang power plant operation. “If the Celukan Bawang gas-fueled power plant or two lines of submarine cable can be successfully installed, the electricity supply will be safe. The diesel can be drawn,” he said.

Previously, the Commission B of the Buleleng House questioned about the op-eration of diesel engines in the Pemaron gas- and steam-fueled power plant during the hearing in the House recently. The operation of diesel engine was considered disturbing the environment especially the sound of engine disturbed the surrounding communities. (kmb15)

The elite two-storey residential project is under construction. At least, it consists of approximately four units. According to informa-tion, the housing project has been reprimanded by the Badung Mu-nicipal Police (Satpol PP). Even reportedly, the officers immediately confiscated the carpenter tools used in the project. However, until now the project activity is still ongo-ing.

When asked for his confirma-tion on the existence of the project, the headman of Dalung, I Nyoman Triasa, acknowledged the land plotting had no license or it was illegal. He claimed the developer had requested permission to vil-lage authority, but the request was rejected.

“Developer asked for permis-sion but we did not dare to issue a recommendation or approval,” he said. Village authority did not give approval, he said, because the location was a wetland. As per the rules, the construction in wetlands was not allowed.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Com-mission A of the Badung House, I Wayan Regep, said that many

housing development projects in Badung annexed wetlands or paddy fields. The other examples were the Buangga Residence and the hous-ing projects at Anggungan hamlet, Carangsari village. Ironically, the follow-up by local government seemed unclear. “Land conversion from wetland to housing has been going on rampantly. Unfortunately, the government seems weak in addressing the abuses occurred,” he said.

According to him, the govern-ment should not tolerate any of-fender. A reprimand, he judged, was not enough. “At the moment, the government needs to take tougher action so that no entrepreneurs are playing with the rules. The entre-preneurs dare to violate because the government does not take firm action against previous violations. Surely, it is worrying. How can we enforce the rule if the government seems to close its eyes?” he asked.

Meanwhile, the relevant agen-cies in Badung could not be asked for their confirmation regarding the housing projects. They included various projects accused of taking over wetlands in Badung. (kmb25)

IBP/DedyA luxurious housing project at Untal-untal hamlet, Dalung village, located near the Badung Civic Center is alleged to have violated and does not have any permit.

Again, housing project annexes wetland in Badung

Bali PostMANGUPURA - A luxurious housing project at Untal-untal hamlet,

Dalung village, located near the Badung Civic Center is alleged to have violated and does not have any permit. It happens because the housing project in the west of the Badung Religious Affairs was built on wetland. On the other hand, village authority has never issued any recommendation to developers.

IBP/File PhotoPT Indonesia Power of Pemaron gas- and steam-fueled power plant (PLTGU) unit will still operate diesel engines to meet the electricity needs in Bali.

Termination of diesel engine Gas- and steam-fueled power plant awaits addition of submarine cable

PARIS - From the royal diadem worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding to an outsized maharaja’s necklace, hundreds of glimmering treasures go on show this week in a major Paris exhibit on Cartier.

“Jeweller of Kings and King of Jewel-lers” was how King Edward VII dubbed the house, half a century after Louis-Fran-cois Cartier founded what would become the world’s largest jeweller in 1847.

It was certainly to Cartier that the Ma-haraja of Patiala turned when he travelled to France early last century from India’s Punjab laden with treasure.

“He arrived in Paris in 1928 with chests packed full of antique jewels and asked Cartier to rework them in a modern style,” the curator of the Cartier collection Pascale Lepeu told AFP.

The result, one of the pieces on display: a necklace of five diamond-studded chains large enough to cover his whole chest.

The show running until February 16 under the famous glass roof of the Grand Palais exhibition hall is the largest ever devoted to Cartier.

With items dating from the 19th century to the 1970s, it highlights the styles that influenced the house over the years, from Marie-Antoinette to the Art Deco move-ment, to Russian, Indian and Chinese trends.

Most of the 600 pieces on show belong to the house, which decided in the mid-1980s to start buying back historic pieces, at auction or from antique dealers.

It tracked down the maharaja’s neck-lace in 1998.

Others are high-profile loans, including from Queen Elizabeth II who made avail-able the tiara Cartier created in 1936 for the British royal family, which the queen lent to Prince William’s bride for their wedding last year.

Known as the “Halo” and set with 739 brilliant and 149 baton diamonds, it was bought by George VI before his coronation for the Duchess of York, now the Queen Mother, who presented it to Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.

Also on loan from the queen, an excep-tional 23.6 carat pink diamond, gifted to Elizabeth for her wedding and set into a flower-shaped brooch by Cartier.

And 18 of Cartier’s so-called “Mystery Clocks” -- whose diamond hands appear to float in thin air -- have been brought together for the first time for the exhibit.

“These are the essence of Cartier,” Lepeu said. The first was created in 1912, at a time when it took a year to build just one.

The auto industry has been steadily climbing out of a deep and painful down-turn after the 2008 financial crisis sent sales spiraling to levels not seen in decades.

Improved consumer confidence, eco-nomic growth and the need to replace ageing vehicles has fueled growth which accelerated this year.

But the promotions offered in Thanks-giving ‘Black Friday’ sales gave sales an unexpectedly big boost in November.

Total industry sales jumped nine percent from November 2012 and hit an annualized pace of 16.4 million vehicles, according to Autodata.

That’s up substantially from the 15.2 million pace set in October and the fastest pace since February 2007.

“Industry sales in November picked up af-ter Thanksgiving contributing to the best sales

pace of the year,” said Toyota’s Bill Fay.The strong figures in November weren’t

only due to great bargains, General Motors said. Economic factors like a booming stock market, combined with enticing new product offerings, point to sustain-able gains.

“We feel very good about the direction of the economy and our own momentum,” GM sales chief Kurt McNeil said in a conference call.

GM sales were up 14 percent at 212,060, the best November results in six years.

Toyota sales rose 10 percent to 178,044 vehicles in November.

Ford’s sales rose seven percent to 147,021 vehicles while its retail division posted its best November performance since 2004.

Chrysler reported its best November

sales since 2007 with a 16 percent jump to 142,275 vehicles.

The third largest US automaker has now racked up 44 consecutive months of sales gains following a painful restructuring under bankruptcy protection.

Nissan’s sales rose 11 percent to 106,528. Korean automaker Hyundai saw a five per-cent gain to 56,005 while Kia sales grew four percent to 45,411.

Honda was one of the few carmakers to buck the trend as sales fell four percent from the record it set in November 2012 to 116,507 vehicles.

Volkswagen also saw a downturn, with sales dropping 16 percent to 30,727.

Luxury cars were also in demand, with Mercedes up 14 percent at 36,386 units and BMW up a more modest two percent at 31,752.

Cartier the ‘King of Jewellers’ shines in Paris expo

AP Photo/Elaine ThompsonIn this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 file photo, cars are lined-up in a dealership lot in Seattle. US auto sales clocked their fastest pace in nearly seven years as holiday deals boosted already strong demand, industry data showed Tuesday.

US auto sales hit fastest pace since 2007Agence France-Presse

CHICAGO - US auto sales clocked their fastest pace in nearly seven years as holiday deals boosted already strong demand, industry data showed Tuesday.

BUSINESS

Thursday, December 5, 2013 Thursday, December 5, 20136 11International International

From page 1

INDONESIAW RLD

BEIJING - US Vice Presi-dent Joe Biden arrived in Beijing Wednesday to raise concerns over a Chinese air zone ramping up re-gional tensions, looking to bolster ties while also underscoring alli-ances with Tokyo and Seoul.

His trip -- which began in Japan and ends in South Korea -- fol-lows weeks of furore after Beijing declared an “air defence identifica-tion zone” (ADIZ) covering East China Sea islands disputed with Japan.

Biden waved from the door of his aircraft before walking down the steps at Beijing airport, where he was greeted by military guards and driven away in a large convoy, an AFP reporter saw.

The decades-old argument be-tween historic rivals Beijing and Tokyo flared after Japan bought some of the islands from their pri-vate owners in September 2012.

Since then, China has sent ships

and aircraft to nearby waters while Japan has scrambled fighter jets on hundreds of occasions, raising concerns of an unintended clash.

At a joint press conference Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Biden said he would raise Washington’s con-cerns over the air zone “in great specificity... when I meet with the Chinese leadership”.

“We, the United States, are deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea,” Biden said.

A US official said it was espe-cially important “that we continue to amplify our messages that we are and always will be there for our allies”, adding that “there is a way for two major powers, in the US and China, to build a different kind of relationship for the 21st century”.

Beijing provoked widespread anger late last month by declaring an ADIZ in which all aircraft had

to obey Chinese orders or face unspecified “defensive emergency measures”.

Washington, Tokyo and Seoul all sent military or paramilitary planes into the zone in defiance of Beijing’s rules, while the US reiterated its security pact with Japan.

Biden is set to meet China’s President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Li Yu-anchao, and will fly on Thursday to South Korea to meet President Park Geun-Hye and mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, third from left, and

U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, second from

left, meet visa applicants at the U.S. Embassy Consular Section in Beijing Wednes-

day, Dec. 4, 2013.

In the day’s only significant dem-onstration, hundreds of protesters descended on the national police headquarters in Bangkok’s glitzy downtown shopping district, where police allowed them to cut barbed wire and pull away sections of a concrete barrier. The demonstrators withdrew shortly afterwards.

The overwhelming mood was calm in the capital, as demonstrators joined Bangkok authorities to clean up the area around Democracy Mon-ument, where tens of thousands have camped out in more than a month of rallies against the embattled govern-

ment of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The area is a focus for the celebra-tions on Thursday for the 86th birth-day of King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- a date normally observed in a spirit of calm and reverence for the ageing monarch.

Some debris has been cleared at battle-scarred areas around key government buildings which saw ugly clashes with police earlier in the week.

Protest leaders say they have not abandoned their campaign to over-throw Yingluck’s administration and

curb the political influence of her bil-lionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago.

Authorities were not worried about the gathering at the police head-quarters, said Paradorn Pattanatabut, head of Thailand’s National Security Council, on Wednesday.

King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-serving monarch, is treated as a near-deity by many in Thailand and any violence on his birthday would be viewed as a serious sign of disrespect.

The elderly monarch has suffered

from a range of ailments in recent years. In August, he left the Bangkok hospital where he had lived for sev-eral years and moved to his coastal palace in the seaside town of Hua Hin with Queen Sirikit.

At the main rally site on Wednes-day, protesters began to sweep up rubbish in preparation for the royal festivities.

Thailand’s long-running political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based elite backed by the mili-tary and the palace against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin, a billionaire businessman-turned-populist politician.

The demonstrations, aimed at toppling Yingluck’s government and replacing it with an unelected “people’s council”, are the biggest and most violent since dozens of

people were killed in a crackdown on mass pro-Thaksin rallies in Bang-kok three years ago.

The rallies were triggered by an amnesty bill, since abandoned by the ruling party, which opponents feared would have allowed Thaksin to return to his home country. He fled in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction he contends is politically motivated.

Police raised the death toll in the clashes so far to five people Wednesday, confirming the remains of a young man were found on a bus set ablaze during political un-rest in a Bangkok suburb over the weekend.

Protest leader Suthep Thaug-suban, a former deputy premier, late Tuesday said the fight to unseat the government was not over.

Temporary Thai truce on eve of king’s birthdayAgence France-Presse

BANGKOK - Thailand’s anti-government protesters and security forces on Wednesday observed a temporary truce as the nation prepared to mark the birthday of the revered king, after police stepped back in a dramatic move to calm violent clashes.

AP Photo/Trisnadi

Activists wear masks and have their body painted during a protest against WTO that’s currently holding its ministerial conference on the resort island of Bali, in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013.

“We will carry out the six con-tinuation steps, as announced by the president on November 26, to begin the matter’s settlement process,” con-firmed Marty during the meeting in the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Marty stated that there are plans for the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to come to Indonesia to settle the matter, but the exact date and time remain uncertain.

“I think the plan will be carried out this week. She might be here tomor-row or the day after. We are still await-ing confirmation,” added Marty.

The foreign affairs minister said that the meeting with Australian For-eign Minister Julie Bishop is the first of six steps outlined by the President earlier.

Indonesia is currently awaiting an explanation from the Australian government regarding the problems faced by a number of Indonesian representatives after the wiretapping issue surfaced.

“I think now that this is the Aus-tralian government’s decision, they

should take steps to correct all those things that have happened. We are now waiting for their explanation of whatever occurred and their attitudes in responding to the case,” affirmed Marty.

The new ministry will carry out the next step of the road-map after receiving the expected explanation from the Australian government on the wiretapping case.

“If I have no explanation from their side (Australia), we can consider mov-ing on to the next stage: the Indonesian and Australian relations code of con-duct compilation,” added Marty.

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had developed a road-map with six steps to restore ties with Australia after the wiretapping of the phone lines of the president, the first lady and several other senior state of-ficials was revealed.

The first roadmap step to be taken is to commission the Minister of Foreign Affairs or a special envoy to discuss at length sensitive issues related to the Indonesia-Australia relations post-withdrawal.

Second, after a Memorandum of

Understanding is drawn up and a consensus from both sides is reached, a thorough discussion of the protocol and code of conduct is expected to follow.

Third, President Yudhoyono will examine the draft protocol and code of ethics to ensure that the code is good enough and adequately responds to Indonesia’s concerns in the aftermath of the wiretapping case.

Fourth, once the protocol and the code are prepared, they can be authen-ticated in the presence of government leaders, with President Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot in attendance.

Fifth, the two countries will prove that the protocol and the code have met the requirements and been imple-mented.

Sixth, after the two countries, particularly Indonesia, have restored trust and the protocol as well as the code of conduct have actually been implemented, the bilateral cooperation that brings mutual benefits, includ-ing military and police cooperation between the two countries, can be extended.

JAKARTA - An Islamist militant who broke out of jail during a prison riot in western Indonesia has been recaptured in Malaysia and handed over to Indonesian authorities, police said Tuesday.

Fadli Sadama was among 200 inmates who in July fled the Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan city after prisoners set the overcrowded facility ablaze in a riot that left five people dead.

“With the recapture of Fadli Sadama, all four terrorists who escaped have now been rearrested,” national police spokesman Agus Rianto told reporters, saying Sadama was recaptured “several days ago”.

Sadama was detained in a joint operation between Indonesian and Malaysian police, Rianto said, adding he had been brought back to Indonesia and was being questioned.

“We are also investigating whether he was involved in the riots,” he said.

Malaysia had initially deported Sadama in December 2010. He was jailed in Indonesia for 11 years in 2011 under anti-terrorism laws for his role in several bank robberies to finance terrorist activities, including one in 2010 in which a policeman was shot dead.

Anti-terror officials also accuse Sadama of having links with the Pattani United Liberation Organisation separatist group in southern Thailand.

Sadama was also believed to have been a courier for Noordin M. Top, the late Malaysian bombmaker from the Jemaah Islamiyah group who was the mastermind of several deadly bombings in Indonesia.

Fugitive Indonesian militant recaptured in Malaysia

Wire-tapping case

Six corrective step in progressAntara

JAKARTA - Marty Natalegawa, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, will ensure that the government follows the six road-map steps in handling the wiretapping case by the Australian intelligence.

“And if that happens, the un-fortunate truth is that the loss would be felt most heavily by those members who can least af-ford it.”

The WTO launched the “Doha Round” of talks in Qatar in 2001, seeking to overhaul the world trading system by setting a global framework of rules and tearing down barriers.

But protectionist disputes be-tween rich and poor countries -- as well as the WTO’s insistence that

any accord be unanimous -- has made a deal frustratingly elusive.

Meanwhile, alternative re-gional pacts between major trad-ing nations including the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pushed by Washington have emerged, threatening the WTO with obsolescence.

Azevedo has said it would be “tragic” if such arrangements carry the day, saying they cannot ensure the interests of the world’s poorest countries are taken into

account.Chances for success in Bali

have increasingly centred on In-dia’s position on food security.

India passed a landmark Na-tional Food Security Act in Au-gust that will expand the buying of grain from farmers at subsidised rates, and sell it to consumers at prices reduced even further.

Facing tough elections next year and pressure from powerful farmers’ unions and opposition parties, the ruling Congress Party

government has hardened its stand on the issue.

It fears that a WTO rule limit-ing subsidies to no more than 10 percent of agricultural production could threaten its efforts to feed its legions of poor.

The Bali package would exempt India from any WTO challenges on subsidies for about four years, but New Delhi wants a blanket exemption until a permanent solu-tion can be negotiated.

Pulling back from the Doha

Round’s lofty goals, the “Bali package” being considered this week focuses on a few specific issues including the agricultural subsidies, proposals to simplify customs procedures, and measures to aid least-developed countries.

The WTO hopes a modest agreement can keep Doha on life-support for a later push.

Delegates on Wednesday called for intensified efforts in Bali to bridge gaps, but no new proposals were made public.

Gloom...

Thursday, December 5, 2013 7SportsThursday, December 5, 201310 InternationalInternationalDestination

The name of Bukit Jambul was given when the Dutch colonial coming to Indonesia. At that moment the tourist saw a high hill in the south way that related the Regency of Klungkung and Besakih. In the top of mountain, there is holy place named Puncak Sari Temple. Uniquely, the temple surrounded by many big trees. From the top of mountain, the visitor can see rice the beautiful panoramaof ricefield. The

combination view of high hill and big trees make it named Bukit Jambul ( crest hill)

Bukit Jambul is located in Pesaban Traditional Vil-lage, Nongan, Rendang Subdistrict. It is 8 km from Klungkung Regency and 51 km from Denpasar, while from Besakih Temple it is just 15 km. In this tourism area, there are many restaurant and others facilities such large parking area. Bukit Jambul is very popu-lar as a good place to feel and explore the harmony combination of hills, rice field, valley and sea.

IBP/File Photo

Bukit Jambul

Associated Press

MIAMI — Miami’s ten-game NBA winning streak came to an end with a 107-97 home-court defeat at the hands of Detroit on Tuesday, with the Pistons having seven players score in double figures as they hung on against a Heat comeback in the fourth quarter.

Among the day’s other games, a makeshift Memphis outfit beat Phoenix, Dirk Nowitzki helped Dallas extend its domi-nance of Charlotte, and Oklahoma City made it eight-straight wins with a narrow victory over slumping Sacramento.

Detroit’s Kyle Singler top scored with 18 points in a team effort by the Pistons, who led by 18 points and saw that whittled back to three in the fourth quarter but held firm for an impres-sive victory. LeBron James and Michael Beasley each scored 23 for Miami, which was without guard Dwyane Wade, who again was nursing a sore knee.

The Heat shot a season-low 44 percent. Memphis’ Jon Leuer scored a career-high 23 points as the understrength Grizzlies cruised to a 110-91 win over Phoenix. Ed Davis added 21 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis, which had to deal with injuries to front-line starters Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

Like the Pistons, Memphis had seven players finish in double figures and shot 55 percent from the floor to end a run of four successive home defeats. Marcus Morris led the Suns with 18 points. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki recovered from a rough start to score 25 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, guiding the Mavericks to a 89-82 win over Charlotte.

Nowitzki, who was 1 of 10 from the field in the first half, and Monta Ellis took over late after struggling most of the game. They scored the last 19 points to help the Mavericks outscore Charlotte 29-15 in the fourth.

Al Jefferson scored 19 points for the Bobcats, who are 0-10 in Dallas and 1-17 overall against the Mavericks; the worst record in the league for one team against another

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant had 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Thunder to an eighth-straight win, downing Sacramento 97-95. The Thunder built a 17-point lead early in the fourth, but had to hold off the Kings and Isaiah Thomas, who scored 21 of his 24 points in the final period and missed a jumper with 1 second left that would have sent the game to overtime.

Thousands of athletes, officials, fans and media will converge for the Games, which are slowly getting under way ahead of the opening cer-emony on December 11.

Two years after the end of military rule and the lifting of Western sanc-tions, Myanmar is hoping to shine in the international spotlight during the 22-day event.

But officials are also keen to avoid the spectacle of empty venues in the new national capital, Naypyidaw, and any security threat from Myanmar’s various rebel groups.

Logistical hurdles also loom in-cluding an expected lack of hotel rooms to accommodate the expected 6,000 athletes and 3,000 media, plus officials and fans.

While not quite on the scale of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China’s bold statement of arrival, the Games mark an important moment for Myanmar’s image and prestige.

Myanmar, a founding member of the competition, has not played host since 1969, since when its deteriorat-ing economy has forced it to take a back seat.

The country is now desperate to put on a good show for its neighbours

at the tournament, which is held every two years and is one of the region’s sporting highlights.

As final preparations continued around Naypyidaw, the capital built under military rule, Vice President Nyan Tun called on athletes to “strive for a golden age of Myanmar sports”.

He said the onus was on “improv-ing the reputation of the country and making history to be regarded as sporting heroes”, according to an official release.

Myanmar is one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, with about a third of the population of in poverty, meaning expectations are set reason-ably low.

But Myanmar will hope to im-prove on the last edition in Indonesia in 2011, which was plagued by cor-ruption and delays and finished with a deadly stampede among fans at the men’s football final.

Chief among organisers’ concerns will be flare-ups in ethnic unrest after bomb blasts and clashes in parts of the country in recent weeks.

Organisers have tried to fill seats at the brand-new venues in Naypyidaw (“Royal City of the Sun”) by offering

free tickets for all events apart from football.

However, with residents in short supply at the sprawling and far-flung capital, whose huge boulevards are often devoid of traffic, swathes of empty seats are likely.

And although officials insist prep-arations are complete, worries persist over how Myanmar will accommo-date all the visitors.

Naypyidaw will host most of the Games, while the former capital Yangon, 300 kilometres (190 miles) south, has men’s football, body-building, weightlifting and kempo, a martial art.

Competition is already under way in an eclectic roster which ranges from Olympic staples such as swim-ming and athletics to home-grown disciplines all but unknown outside the region.

Chinlone, a Myanmar sport involv-ing delicate foot control of a wicker ball, is one of the opening events, as is the Indonesian-origin martial art of pencak silat.

Vovinam, an acrobatic Vietnamese fighting sport, is another on the list and among the 460 gold medals on offer, 11 are for petanque, a legacy of French colonialism in the region.

For the formal opening ceremony on December 11, up to 30,000 spec-tators including heads of state will be present at Naypyidaw’s Wunna Theikdi Stadium.

AP Photo/Khin Maung WinIn this photo taken on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013, daily wage cleaners walk on a road near Wunna Theikdi Sta-dium in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar will host the 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from Dec. 11 -22 in Naypyitaw, Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung beach.

Worries for Myanmar as competition startsAgenca France-Presse

NAYPYIDAW - Empty seats and security concerns top the list of worries as Myanmar gears up for the Southeast Asian Games, the biggest sports event ever held in the former pariah state.

Pistons beat Heat 107-97 to end ten-game streak

AP Photo/Lynne SladkyDetroit Pistons’ Rodney Stuckey (3) commits an offensive foul as he attempts a shot over Miami Heat’s Chris Ander-sen, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Miami.

98 InternationalThursday, December 5, 2013 International Thursday, December 5, 2013

The word “Brazuca” has a dou-ble meaning, used as a term for Brazilians living abroad — includ-ing its many footballers — but also as slang used to describe national pride or anything “Brazilianish.”

Manufacturer Adidas said the

ball offers “breakthrough innova-tion” featuring what it calls a “revo-lutionary six-panel design.”

The ball is decorated with a ribbon design in shades of blue, gold and green, which Adidas said symbolizes the traditional “wish

bracelets” worn in Brazil.The ball makes its real debut on

June 12 in the opening game in Sao Paulo, and will be used until the final July 13 in Rio de Janeiro.

“The FIFA World Cup match ball is the icon of the tournament

as the centerpiece of every goal, every play and every touch,” said Ernesto Bruce, director of football for Adidas America. “Adidas has a rich legacy at the World Cup, providing the official match ball for every tournament since 1970.”

Some World Cup balls are more popular than others, with players often complaining about the feel of a new ball or the way it moves in the air. Goalkeepers often say

they have trouble tracking the new models, which seem to move faster at every World Cup tournament.

Adidas manufactured a ball named “Jabulani” for the 2010 in South Africa, which was heavily criticized by some players who said its movements were unpre-dictable.

The “Brazuca” was unveiled at a ceremony at Parque Lage in Rio’s lush Botanical Garden.

COSTA DO SAUIPE - Global football chief Sepp Blatter insisted preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil were on track Tuesday despite construction delays and a deadly ac-cident which mean three stadiums will miss an end-of-year deadline to be ready.

As the football world geared up for Friday’s eagerly-anticipated draw, governing body FIFA revealed three of the tournament’s 12 venues would not be able to meet the Decem-ber 31 deadline for completion.

One of the venues, Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao stadium, was the scene of a fatal accident last week which claimed the lives of two work-ers who were crushed to death when a crane toppled over.

In addition, the completion of stadiums at Curitiba and and Cuiaba is now set for Febru-ary, just four months before the finals kick off in June.

FIFA President Blatter however played down the significance of the construction delays, saying he was confident Brazil would be successful hosts of their first World Cup since 1950.

“We have just received a report. There are some small delays in construction of stadia. But so small that with one exception (Sao Paulo) we can say everything is ready,” said Blatter.

The issues are “so small we can close our eyes,” he added.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said the stadium in Curitiba, which has been lag-ging behind schedule more than the other venues, would not be ready until the end of February.

The Arena Amazonia in Manaus, in the heart of the tropical rain forest, also remains under construction, as does the one at Cuiaba.

Brazilian sports ministry executive secre-tary Luis Fernandes indicated that the stadiums lagging behind would be ready “in late Janu-ary, or late February.”

On Wednesday, Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo will be among officials fronting pre-draw events where the hosts will stress they can overcome doubts about transport links, hotel prices and urban crime.

Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and the Civil Aviation authority will also address complaints about unreasonably high prices.

Other concerns focused on accommodation capacity with some 600,000 foreign tourists expected to attend the month-long event start-ing June 12 in Sao Paulo.

There is also a shortage of domestic flight links between venues as the government mulls whether to allow foreign airlines to run domes-tic routes to ease the strain.

Some countries are also worried about the sheer size of the country, as some teams may face an onerous travel schedule with matches as far south as Porto Alegre, cold in the Bra-zilian winter, but also in tropical Manaus, and sultry Fortaleza some 3,000 kilometres (1,900 miles) away.

An image of Brazuca, the 2014 World Cup official soccer ball, is

projected during a 3D presentation at its unveiling in Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013.

Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO — The new ball for next year’s World Cup — called the “Brazuca,” in honor of Brazil, of course — was unveiled at a ceremony Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro.

World Cup on track despite stadium setback

Associated Press

LONDON — Gareth Bale took first place in The Associated Press global foot-ball poll on Tuesday after scoring his first hat trick for Real Madrid.

The Spanish team, which beat Valladol-id 4-0, was second in the team vote, seven points behind English Premier League leader Arsenal.

Aaron Ramsey scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Cardiff and was second in the player vote, 49 points behind his fellow countryman Bale.

“Wales’ two poster-boys, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, both shone on yet another scintillating weekend of football,” Sam Tighe of Bleacher Report in the United States said. “The former grabbed his first hat trick in Real Madrid colors and added a beauty of an assist, while the latter experienced a rather sweet homecoming by notching twice at former club Cardiff City.”

Bale’s form particularly impressed this week’s AP panel of 20 global football writ-ers as Madrid was without Cristiano Ron-aldo, who has injured his left hamstring.

Arjen Robben and Bayern Munich both polled third in their respective rankings. Munich beat Eintracht 2-0 to remain at the top of the Bundesliga, with Robben scoring both goals.

Munich has yet to lose in the league this season, winning 12 and drawing two of its 14 games and is four points clear of Bayer Leverkusen in second. Pep Guardiola’s side also beat CSKA Moscow 3-1 away as it continued its defense of the Champions League title.

“It’s almost as if form doesn’t matter. Bayern Munich will win,” Tom Timmer-mann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said. “There may be teams that are prettier, but there are no teams that are more effec-tive and more dependable. All they do is win.”

For producing the surprise result of the weekend, Athletic Bilbao was only fourth after beating Barcelona 1-0 at home.

Iker Muniain scored in the 70th minute at San Mames Stadium, leaving Barcelona defeated for the first time in La Liga this season. Muniain was ninth in the player poll.

“Who wins at the new San Mames?

Even Barcelona did not beat Athletic Bil-bao there,” Leonardo Bertozzi of ESPN Brazil said. “Muniain scored the winning goal for 1-0, which broke the Catalan’s unbeaten record in the league.”

It was the second defeat of the week for Barcelona, which also lost 2-1 to Ajax in the Champions League midweek. Ajax went on to beat ADO 4-0 at home in the Dutch league and was sixth in the club vote.

In the player vote, Wayne Rooney was fourth after scoring both goals as Man-chester United twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Tottenham.

Rooney also assisted in four of United’s five goals as it thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 away in the Champions League to se-cure its place in the knockout stage.

“The England man is showing his very best form,” Julian Bennetts of Hayters news agency in England said. “Roy Hodg-son must hope it stays that way until the World Cup.”

Rooney headed off Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored twice in his side’s impressive 4-0 win over Lyon. PSG was eighth in the club vote.

AP football poll

Bale top player, Arsenal 1st

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

AP Global Football Players:

1. Gareth Bale, 163 points.2. Aaron Ramsey, 114 points.3. Arjen Robben, 105 points.4. Wayne Rooney, 86 points.5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 62 points.6. Arturo Vidal, 41 points.7. Samir Nasri, 35 points.8. Fernando Llorente, 27 points.9. Iker Muniain, 24 points.10. Diego Costa, 21 points.

Teams:

1. Arsenal, 125.2. Real Madrid, 118.3. Bayern Munich, 112.4. Athletic Bilbao, 85.5. Borussia Dortmund, 79.6. Ajax, 74.7. Juventus, 66.8. Paris Saint-Germain, 59.9. Manchester City, 50.10.Manchester United, 40 tie with Atletico Madrid, 40