Ayu, Efa cruise into semifinals in Batam

Matheos Viktor Messakh/The Jakarta Post/Batam

The Indonesian women’s team of Ayu Cahyaningsiam and Efa Sri Susilowati advanced to the semifinals of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volley Ball Tournament in Batam after defeating Elisa Dean and Sara Battaglene of Australia in three sets on Friday.

Indonesian top men’s pair, Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiyansah were also through after beating Casey Grice and Adam Blackburn of Australia on Friday evening 21-12, 22-20.

The Australians secured a rematch with Koko and Andy after previously defeating Pradeep John and Mohan of India 21-18, 21-18.

Ayu and Efa, who defeat New Zealanders Sonia Dunne and Chantal Tung 21-15, 21-11 earlier in the day, survived a late warm-up to defeat the Australians 19-21, 21-14, 15-12.

“They were just really good at bringing up everything, they always managed to scramble tough plays and put it back over when we weren’t ready,” Dean told The Jakarta Post after the match.

Efa said they advanced to the next round as they had nothing to lose, considering that they were relative unknowns.

“We played with no pressure at all and that made us very comfortable. We just need to be careful in the next round because we have never met any of these teams before, and we especially need to be careful against Kazakhstan and Japan,” Efa said.

“Yesterday they were struggling, but today they seemed to have found their form,” coach Slamet Mulyanto said.

Ayu and Efa play for Jakarta Popsivo Polwan in Proliga, Indonesia’s professional indoor volleyball league, but Popsivo missed the league playoffs and allowed the duo to play beach volleyball.

Ayu’s previous partner was Devota Rahawarin, while Efa played alongside Yokbeth Kappasiang. However, Devota and Yokbeth could not play in the tournament because their club, Jakarta BNI 46, qualified for the Proliga playoffs.

Another Indonesian duo, Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti, were eliminated from the tournament, losing to Kazakhstan’s Pilipenko Marina and Samalikova Bakhtygul 21-10, 24-22.

Earlier on Friday, in the men’s division, Indonesians Agung Santoso and Nacy Subagya eased through their first game in the morning with a 21-19, 21-12 victory against Masakazu Ushio and Masakazu Hisasue of Japan, but later in the evening the duo lost to Sam O’Dea and Ben O’Dea of New Zealand.

The New Zealand duo, who are ranked fifth in the world among under-21s, advanced to the elimination round.

Another Indonesian pair, Jonathan Monim and Robertus Yanakaimu, were also dumped from the tournament. The Papuan duo was easily defeated 21-14, 21-14 by Kittipat Yungtin and Teerapat Pollueang of Thailand in 35 minutes.

RI women teams advance along with two men teams

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Batam Fri, 04/23/2010 11:47 AM

Indonesia will be represented by two pairings each in the women’s and men’s divisions at the second round of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volleyball Tournament in Batam following Thursday’s group stages.
Ayu Cahyaningsiam and Eri Sri Susilowati secured a spot in the second round after defeating Malaysia’s Kuck Sea Yeng and Woo Ching Ru on Thursday 21-6, 21-8 in 40 minutes to finish runner-up in the pool C.
Previously, the duo defeated Hong Kong’s Wong Wai Fong and Wong Yuen Mei 2-1 and lost to Thailand’s Julalak Radarong and Maneerat Udomchavee 1-2 in Wednesday’s matches.
The Thai duo is undefeated in three matches and topped pool C.
As runner-up, the Indonesian duo will meet the third-placed team from either pool A, B or D, while the Thais face a relatively easier road as they play the fourth-placed team from either pool A, B or D. The drawing of lots for the single elimination round is held on Thursday night.
The pair follows in the footsteps of Indonesia’s Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti, who also booked a place in the next round, although they will face the top team from another group following two defeats in the group stage.
After being defeated by New Zealand’s Micah Brown and Hannah Croad on Wednesday, the young Indonesian duo suffered another defeat to Thailand’s Prateep Kambut and Aunchalee Yansuwan on Thursday.
“They did not play very well and I think we play at the same level but we lost because we had less passion,” 20-year-old Fitri told The Jakarta Post.
Riris and Fitri still have another match against Australia’s Eliza Dean and Sarah Bataglene in the evening that will decided whether they finish third or fourth in pool D.
In the men’s division, Indonesia’s Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiansyah will have a relatively easy draw because as the pool B winners, they will play the runner up from either pool A, C, D, E, F, G or H. The draw is also held on Thursday night.
Another Indonesian duo, Jonathan Monim and Robertus Yanakaimu, also secured a spot in the elimination round although they were defeated by Thailand’s Sittichai Sangkhacot and Prathip Sukto 6-21, 16-21 on Wednesday.
The Indonesian duo finished second in pool A because there are only two team in the pool. They will play the winner of either group A, C, D, E, F, G or H.
Agung Santoso and Naci Subagya will have to wait for Thursday evening’s game to see whether they advanced to the next round.

Koko, Andy spike their way into second round

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Batam Thu, 04/22/2010 11:34 AM

Indonesia number one beach volleyball pair Koko Prasetyo and Andy Ardiansyah put on a good show to outlast Adam Blackburn and Casey Grice of Australia in the first round of the Asia-Pacific Beach Volley Ball Tournament in Batam on Wednesday. The tandem, ranked 31st in the world, needed 43 minutes to stop the Australians with 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) and went directly through to the second knock-down round as there were only two teams in the pool.
Even with the local crowd cheering support, the Australians dominated the game from the start with one or two points ahead, and only gave the change to Koko and Andy to equalize at 11-11, 14-14, 16-16 and 18-18.
Later, two blocks by Andy gave a morale boost to the Indonesians before a spike form Koko closed the first game 21-19. A spike from Andy ended the second set contest at 20-18.
“They had a strong serve, so we needed some time to anticipate their play,” Koko told The Jakarta Post after the game.
“That’s why we were trailing in the first set. But when we learned that they were not as good in defense, we were able to control the game,” he said.
Andy/Koko won a gold medal in the 2007 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games before going on to win at the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali last year.
Earlier on Thursday, Indonesian juniors Jonathan Monim-Robertus Yanakaimu surrendered to Thailand’s Sittichai Sangkhachot-Pratip Sukto 21-6, 21-16.
In the women draw, Indonesia’s Ayu Cahyaning Siam-Eri Sri Susilowati survived a first-set loss to defeat Hong Kong’s Wong Fai Wong-Wong Yuen Mei with 19-21, 21-5, 15-8.
In a previous match, Indonesia’s Riris Irawati and Fitri Wijayanti were defeated by New Zealand’s Micah Lindsay Brown and Hannah Croad 2-0 (21-19,21-16).
“In each set, Riris and Fitri made a lot of mistakes they should have not made, especially in their spike. This should not have happened, they were supposed to be consistent,” Indonesian coach Slamet Mulyanto told the Post.
The New Zealanders were happy with the results.
“It’s really important to come first in your pool, because otherwise when you are through to the next round you’ll face a very hard team. But if you can win your pool, you have an easier team. Our goals is to be number one in our pool,” Brown told the Post after the game.
“We really wanted to win, and our serving and diving is better and stronger,” he said.
“I know they play quite well. They are lovely people, so it’s hard when you play people you like,” Brown said of Riris and Fitri.
The first day of the tournament featured 12 macthes in women divisions and 10 matches in men’s.

Batam Beach Volley Ball tourney sets new standards

Matheos Viktor Messakh, The Jakarta Post, Nongsa, Batam Wed, 04/21/2010 12:07 PM

After a year of preparations, the first Batam Open Asia-Pacific Beach Volleyball Tournament finally will kick off on Wednesday, with some top beach volleyball players form 12 Asia-Pacific countries set to take part. Twenty-three men’s teams and 16 women’s teams from powerhouse countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Japan, India and Hong Kong have arrived to for the tournament, which has been endorsed by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).
“We have been preparing for this event for about a year and it has been quite a struggle to get this event off the ground. We first got approval from the National Sports Council [KONI] and later also got approval from the AVC and this very first event in Batam finally included in the Asian Circuit,” tournament chairman Djoko Pramono said.
The tournament, which runs from April 21-24, will be unique. Unlike other beach volleyball contests, this will be held on man-made courts purpose built on a cliff at the Turi Beach Resort in Nongsa, Batam, with a nice view to Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. The other unique aspect of this competition is that it will be played at night.
“I’m very impressed with the venue. I’ve been to a lot of events in the past 20 years and coming to this venue and seeing what has been done here is fantastic, … it has something different to other events,” AVC technical delegate Harrison Blair said.
“When Pak Djoko first mentioned to me about hosting the beach volleyball tournament here in Batam, the first thing I asked him was ‘what kind of beach do we need, because we don’t have a lot of beach space here ... and here we are playing beach volleyball on a cliff, overlooking the sea, overlooking the two countries Singapore, and [Malaysia]. That’s quite symbolic,” Asia Pacific Beach Volley Ball chairman Michael Wiluan said.
AVC Beach Volley Ball Council secretary Hercus Andrew was also impressed with the preparations.
“We had a planning meeting this year, and one of the main objectives was is to improve the quality of tournaments. I have to say my first impression is very strong, that this is a very big improvement on tournaments we’ve had in previous years,” Andrew said.
Boasted to be a “potential” tournament to help build a development plan in the lead up to the next Olympic Games, the event is expected to draw at least 1,000 locals during weekdays and up to 2,000 on the weekend.
The tournament, which provides a total of US$ 30,000 in prizes, will start with a group-stage play at the beginning, before moving into single elimination format, in which teams are divided based on rankings. From there it will move into a straight knock-out competition through to the final.
Indonesia will feature three men teams and three women’s team including champion couple Koko Darkuncoro-Andy Ardiyansah.
“The Indonesian men have been doing very well so far, and probably would be considered favorites for the semifinals. With a lot of support from locals, they would be strong candidates,” Andrew said.

Indonesian rugby looking for organic growth

Matheos Viktor Messakh
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The 15-year-old boy runs pass the try line, triumphantly throwing the ball to the ground. His joyed is fueled by the mistaken belief that he has just scored five points for his team. But this is rugby not American football.
Instead of cheering, spectators, supporters and officials laugh and the boy stands around wondering why the referee has judged his play a fault.
“He watches too much American football perhaps,” Denny, the chairman of the Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club (JBRC), told The Jakarta Post during the tournament last week.
Britmindo Schools Rugby Sevens is a competition hosted by Labschool Kebayoran Baru and JBRC, featuring five high schools in Jakarta that have been introduced to the sport. The two-day tournament was part of the club’s efforts to popularize rugby sevens.
Rugby is a new entrant in the Indonesian sports world. It only officially took form when the Indonesian Development Rugby (IDR), a rugby club, was established in May 2004 by expatriates and rugby fans.
In the same year the IDR morphed into the JBRC and pioneered national rugby. Club players are also regularly selected to represent the Indonesian National 15’s (the Rhinos) and the Indonesian National Sevens, (Harimau or Tiger).
In December 2005, the rugby enthusiasts who established the IDR set up the Indonesian Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
The IRFU board made rugby development in Jakarta and outlying provinces a priority. A huge step was taken when the board appointed David Nye a full-time rugby development officer in May 2007.
Nye was tasked with going to schools and universities with the aim to developing and aiding the grassroots growth of rugby.
He handed over the program to Sam Refshauge, who continues to hold regular training sessions at schools and universities in Jakarta throughout the year for all levels of players from juniors to first-15 competitive teams.
Later, the JBRC and the IRFU worked together to spread rugby to the wider community. They sent experienced players such as Iswahyudi and Stevie Prawita to get involved in coaching at schools and universities in Greater Jakarta.
Starting with five schools, rugby is now being taught in 15 high schools and university in Jakarta including Darunnajah Islamic school, SMAN 3 senior high school, SMA Lab School Kebayoran, Cita Buana high school, Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Sekolah Global Jaya, Trisakti, Tarumanegara University and Jakarta State University.
Schools such as SMA 3 high school and Darunnajah have gone a step further by including rugby in their sports curriculum.
In January 2009, the IRFU began hosting an annual Schools Rugby 7’s tournament that attracted 14 teams from 11 schools, an increase from the five team tournament in the first year.
The inclusion of rugby sevens by the International Olympic Committee on Oct. 9, 2009, into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has also helped popularize the sport.
Following the IOC’s move, the Indonesian Sevens national team was formed and actively participates in tournaments around Asia.
“We are looking ahead to larger events and we see the inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics as a good opportunity. We are campaigning to introduce it to more young people and hope that this becomes the breeding ground for national players,” Denny said.
The IRFU is also hoping that with the growth of the game in Indonesia, rugby sevens would also be included in the 2011 SEA Games, to be held in Indonesia.
Despite its brief existence on the international scene, Indonesian rugby is building a reputation in regional tournaments.
In only its second year participating in international rugby, the Rhinos won the Asian Division 6 Championships in Brunei Darussalam in 2007, improving on their runner-up finish the previous year.
In 2008 the Rhinos won the regional division (division 4) of the Asian 5 Nations, gaining promotion into division 3.
The team finished fourth at the Asian 5 Nations tournament in Manila in 2009 and will host the 2010 tournament in June.
Although the national team has gained international recognition, the IRFU has a lot of work to do at home. It is not formally acknowledged by the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) despite gaining full membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union in December 2005.
“Since we have fulfilled all the basic requirements such as have at least 10 provincial rugby unions and have been holding international tournaments, the KOI will hopefully formally recognize us during its meeting on April 27,” IRFU deputy chairman Tito Vau said.
Tito said the IRFU had set a goal of selecting a national under-20 team to represent Indonesia in 2011 by this year.
IRFU claimed that rugby was now played regularly in 12 provinces in Indonesia by hundreds players numbering and a growing number of supporters.
“Six years ago there were less than 100 rugby players in Indonesia and more than 70 percent of them were expatriates. The IRFU now identifies more than 600 players, of whom 70 percent are Indonesian,” Tito said.
The same optimism was also expressed by national team flanker Daniel Rahadian Nugroho.
“Five years ago, it was difficult to tell people that rugby is a very fun game, but now it seems that people are starting to view the game differently,” he said.
Daniel, who joined the national team in May 2005, has participated in dozens of international tournaments and has won several titles, including recognition from the IRB in 2006 as the youngest player to play in an IRB test match.

Photo credit: Indonesian Rugby Football Union (IRFU)

Australian "Ned Kelly" painting sells for record

Pauline Askin
SYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) - Australia's most expensive painting, a Sidney Nolan "Ned Kelly" work, was given away on Wednesday only days after setting the nation's art record.

Caption: This photo released by auction house Menzies Art Brand shows a reproduction of Sidney Nolan's 'First Class Marksman', a painting of the famed Australian bank robber and bushranger Ned Kelly which has sold for 5.4 million Australian dollars ($4.9 mln) on March 25, smashing the previous record for an Australian artwork sold at auction in Sydney.(AFP/HO/File/Menzies Art Brand)

The painting, titled "First-Class Marksman", of Australia's iconic outlaw sold at auction last Thursday for A$5.4 million (US$4.96 million).

Less than a week later the previously anonymous buyer, the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation, stepped forward and donated the painting to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
"They've bought this really signature Nolan work for us, which we are absolutely thrilled about and it was A$5.4 million and it looks fantastic on our wall," said Clare Martin, the gallery's media manager.
Dubbed the missing Nolan, art market experts say the painting reached a staggering price because it was the only work in the Ned Kelly series that remained in private hands. The other 26 are at the Australian National Gallery in Canberra.
Sidney Nolan is considered Australia's most internationally acclaimed artist. Nolan died in 1992.
"First Class Marksman" depicts Kelly wearing a square metal helmet over his head, which he used as armour to protect himself from police, and pointing a rifle into the Australian bush.
"I think this sale certainly puts us on the world stage and indeed a record for Australian art," Litsa Veldekis, chief executive officer of Menzies Auctions in Sydney, told Reuters.
The previous record for a Sidney Nolan piece, titled "Death of Constable Scanlon", sold for A$1.3 million in 2000. The highest price for an Australian painting prior to Thursday's auction was in 2007, when Brett Whiteley's "The Olgas for Ernest Giles", sold for A$3.4 million.
The Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation was set up by surrealist painter James Gleeson, who died in 2008, and his longtime partner Frank O'Keefe to acquire and give to the Art Gallery of New South Wales works of lasting importance.
(Reporting by Pauline Askin; Editing by Alex Richardson)
GetRTR 3.00 -- MAR 31, 2010 14:13:05

Wanted: Investors to turn Saddam's villas into gold By Sabah al-Bazi

TIKRIT, Iraq, March 31 (Reuters Life!) - Saddam Hussein made his palaces a desert paradise, but now his hometown is seeking foreign investors to turn the late dictator's playground into a tourist mecca.

Local officials see the 76 abandoned Saddam villas sprawled across hundreds of hectares (acres) as a potential gold mine for Tikrit's cash-strapped Salahuddin province.

"These villas only need rehabilitation and a few other things to turn the whole area into a wonderful tourism site," Jewher Hamad al-Fahel, the head of Salahuddin's investment commission, told Reuters Television.

Saddam built big at Tikrit, his tribal stronghold about 150 km north of Baghdad. He put up six villas at his birthplace, the village of al-Awja, alone and made the Tikrit palace complex his largest.

Boasting artificial lakes and date orchards, the site totals 136 buildings and covers more than 400 hectares, according to the US Army. American troops used it as a base until turning it over to Iraqi authorities in November 2005.

Now many of the sand-colored structures, often domed and turreted and with marbled interiors, sit decaying near the Tigris River. Some still show heavy damage from the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that overthrew Saddam.

SMOOTHING THE WAY

Salahuddin Governor Mutasher Hussein Allawi said he was eager to smooth the way for foreign investment in the villas since his budget was too small to rebuild decrepit infrastructure quickly.

"Iraq needs huge investment companies, because the devastation that took place after 2003 is something terrible", he said.

Foreign tourists to Iraq are overwhelmingly Muslim pilgrims visiting holy sites, with a handful of visitors drawn to ancient ruins.

The number of religious visitors hit 1.25 million last year, more than doubling since 2007 as violence has eased, according to a Tourism and Antiquities Ministry spokesman.

Iraqis seeking an in-country getaway tend to go to mountain areas in the north.

Tikrit's would not be the first Saddam mansion to be turned into a resort. A guesthouse at a hulking palace at Babylon, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, has become a popular spot for honeymooners.

Central and southern Iraq hold about 160 Saddam mansions, 60 in Baghdad alone. Those in the mainly Kurdish north have yet to be tallied.

On a bustling Tikrit street, resident Abdulla Mohammed said he welcomed foreign investment.

"Salahuddin's security situation is good compared with other provinces, we are upbeat about the future," he said.

Salahuddin province's stance underscores Iraq's eagerness for outside investment. Deputy Industry Minister Adel Karim told Reuters Iraq could offer production-sharing deals with state companies to draw foreign investors.

(Additional reporting by Aseel Kami, writing by Ian Simpson, editing by Paul Casciato)

GetRTR 3.00 -- MAR 31, 2010 16:13:14

Man rams car into parked plane in Nigeria

Ani Akpan
CALABAR, Nigeria, April 1 (Reuters) - A man who claimed to have been sent by Jesus to punish sinners rammed his car into a parked plane at an airport in southeastern Nigeria , an aviation spokesman said on Thursday.
No one was hurt in the incident on Wednesday and the spokesman said Nigeria had no problem with security.
The United States put Nigeria on a list of countries needing to improve security after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was arrested on suspicion of trying to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner in December using explosives hidden in his underwear.
"There is no problem at all at our airports, no cause for alarm, as we have the necessary security on the ground," said Akin Olukunle, spokesman for the Federal Airport Authority.
He said the driver had broken through two security gates at Calabar international airport and rammed his car into the Arik Air plane before soldiers arrested him.
The suspect was heard yelling that all Nigerians were sinners and must repent or perish, a reporter who was at the airport said. The man, who is from Nigeria's southeastern state of Akwa Ibom, said he had been sent by Jesus Christ.
Authorities were questioning him in Calabar.
The crew of the plane, which had arrived from Lagos and was on its way to the capital Abuja, were not injured and no passengers were on board at the time.
"Our men rushed to the scene and evacuated crew members on board," Olukunle said. "We have beefed up security."
A bomb squad found no explosives in the car and flights continued despite the incident.
(Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Angus MacSwan)
APR 1, 2010 17:24:50

Unpaid Spanish air hostesses strip in protest

Adriana Ricardo
MADRID, March 31 (Reuters Life!) - Flight attendents owed up to nine months' wages by a grounded Spanish airline have posed nude for a calendar to draw attention to their plight, one of the cabin crew turned models said on Wednesday.
The calendar, numerous excerpts of which appeared in the Spanish media, shows the Air Comet attendants, all female, posing provocatively in and outside airline cabins, and in one case on top of a jet turbine.
"We are just demanding our rights to receive what is ours, we each have eight or nine months of unpaid salaries," attendant Adriana Ricardo, who appears in the calendar, told Reuters.
Air Comet, run by the embattled chairman of Spain's main employers' association CEOE, Gerardo Ferran, filed for administration in December after a British court impounded nine of its aircraft at the request of German bank HSH Nordbank.
(Reporting by Jonathan Gleave, editing by Paul Casciato)
MAR 31, 2010 22:16:15

Club gears up rugby sevens for youth

Matheos V. Messakh , Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 04/01/2010 2:03 PM | Sports

Global Jaya Bintaro high school scored a 19-10 win over Labschool Kebayoran Baru to mark its status as the first high school to win the first Britmindo Schools Rugby Sevens after two rounds Wednesday.

In the match for the third and fourth place earlier in the evening, SMA 3 high school defeated Al-Chasanah 29-0.

Britmindo Schools Rugby Sevens is a rugby sevens competition held by Labschool Kebayoran Baru and Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club (JBRC) to introduce and develop rugby among the youth.

The two-day tournament includes SMA 3 high school Jakarta, Labschool Kebayoran Baru, Global Jaya Bintaro high school and Al-Chasanah high school Tanjung Duren.

The girls division will be held Thursday with participants from the same schools.

The tournament was part of the club effort to introduce rugby sevens among the youth especially after Oct. 9 2009 when the International Olympic Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"We are looking ahead to a bigger event now and see the inclusion of rugby seven in the Olympics as a good opportunity. We want to take it further to introduce it to young people, hopefully we can also include it in the Southeast Asian *SEA* Games," said Denny, chairman of the Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club.

The Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club was developed in 2004 by Indonesian Rugby Football Union as a pioneer of the National Rugby team in Jakarta and surrounding areas.

They have been holding regular training sessions throughout the year for all levels of players, from juniors to the first 15 competitive teams.

The club has players who have been involved in coaching at schools and universities in Greater Jakarta including Darunnajah Islamic school, SMAN 3 high school, SMA Lab school Kebayoran, Cita Buana, Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Sekolah Global Jaya, Monash College Jakarta, Trisakti University, Tarumanegara University and Jakarta State University.

Rugby is now played regularly in 12 provinces in Indonesia with players numbering in the hundreds, along with a growing number of supporters.

Youth tournament return after 14 years

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/17/2010 9:31 AM | Headlines

Having missed out on hosting the South East Asia Youth Baseball Softball (SEAYBST) since 1996 for security reasons, Jakarta has welcomed the event that gathers together prodigal young players from across the region and Australia.

Hosted by the Jakarta Youth Baseball Association (JYBA), the annual baseball and softball tournament runs from March 21 to 27 at the Senayan baseball and softball field in Central Jakarta, and includes teams from Perth, Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila.

The organizers say 27 teams comprising all-star players from each city will take part in the event, as will more than 200 tournament officials, coaches and parents.

Teams from Jakarta are already hitting the diamond for training, while 20 other teams will be arrive Saturday and Sunday.

“The competition here is going to be very strong,” tournament director Tom Thrasher told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

“Singapore and Manila are always very good, Perth and Bangkok are always dangerous, and we think this year the Jakarta teams are very, very competitive.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them do well, and we hope to see them in the championship game on Saturday.”

The field is split up into five age-based draws: boys and girls from 11 to 18 will play in the Minor Boys Baseball (up to 13 years old), Major Boys Baseball (up to 15 years old), Senior Boys Baseball (up to 19 years old), Major Girls Softball (up to 15 years old) and Senior Girls Softball (up to 19 years old).
Each team will play at least one game on every day of the tournament, which culminates with the championship games on the final two days of the event.

Jakarta has seven teams participating in the tournament, while Manila has six, Singapore has five, Bangkok has three and Perth has six.

The rosters of the Jakarta teams include Americans, Japanese and Indonesian players.

“I like baseball because it’s fair,” said 13-years-old Divaresa Abil during a final training session at the Senayan baseball diamond Tuesday.

“The failure of one player is the team’s failure. You can’t blame any individuals. That’s what I mean by fairness in baseball.”

Teammate Ahmad Abda’oe said he was very excited about being part of the country all-star team.
“I believe our team is good and I hope we make it into the championship game on the final day,” said the 13-year-old.

The tournament was conceived by the South East Asian Youth Baseball and Softball Association in 1991. The five founding countries take turns hosting the event.

“Besides the competition at the tournament, the fact that we have 27 international teams participating, and that they represent the best youth players in Southeast Asia, we’re very proud to host the tournament in Jakarta for the first time since 1996,” Thrasher said.

“We’re in a great position to be able to host it now. We’ve been working for nearly a year for the tournament. We believe we’re now on the road toward hosting it on a regular basis.”

Last year, Singapore ended Manila’s three-year reign as overall tournament champion by topping three of five divisions in the event. Singapore swept the three boys’ draws, while Manila ruled the girls’ draws.

Female porn director swaps sex for British politics

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - A woman who has directed 300 "female-friendly" sex films is to test the liberal-mindedness of British voters and run for parliament in an election due within weeks. Anna Arrowsmith, 38, whose works under the name Anna Span include "Be My Toy Boy," "Hoxton Honey" and "Uniform Behavior," is standing for the opposition Liberal Democrats in the Kent constituency of Gravesham in southeast England.

Why I'm here

A Syrian Kurd girl (left) reacts, during a sit-in to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2004 riots in north east Syria which killed 25 Syrian Kurds, in front the European Union offices, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 12, 2010. Lebanese police have forcefully prevented about a dozen Syrians from holding a sit-in in front of the European Union offices in Beirut. Friday's sit-in was to mark 2004 bloody clashes between Syrian Kurds and security forces that left at least 25 people dead and some 100 injured. Placards read, "Why I'm here, Syrian Kurd children victims of the elimination of racism'. AP/Hussein Malla

Ngesex dingin-dingin berujung maut buat pasangan Rusia

MOSCOW, (Reuters Life!) - Seorang laki-laki dan perempuan Rusia yang berhubungan intim dalam sebuah mobil yang diparkirkan dalam sebuah garasi sempit dilaporkan meninggal akibat racun carbon monoxide, kantor berita Interfax melaporkan Selasa (16/3).
"Seorang laki-laki dan seorang perempuan masuk ke dalam Volkswagen mereka untuk berhubungan intim... Besar kemungkinan kedua sejuli ini menghidupkan mesin untuk mendapat kehangatan," demikian kata Interfax, mengutip sebuah sumber kepolisian Moscow. Selama masa "kedekatan intim", pasangan dari sebelah selatan Moscow ini, menghirup gas dan meninggal, tambah sumber tersebut.
Banyak orang Rusia memarkir mobil mereka dalam garasi besi berbentuk kotak dekat rumah mereka, yang pas buat membungkus mobil mereka.
(Laporan Amie Ferris-Rotman, editing oleh Paul Casciato)

Getting to the finals is more important, says minister

Matheos Viktor Messakh , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 01/26/2010 12:04 PM | Sports

Actually qualifying for the soccer world cup would be preferable to hosting the event, says State Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng.

The only way to get Indonesia onto the world soccer stage is to raise our team’s performance,” Andi said Monday at a press conference to unveil the FIFA World Cup Trophy at the Hotel Mulia in Jakarta.

“Only if we qualify for the finals will the rest of the world recognize us.

“We support the decision by the PSSI [Indonesian Soccer Association] during their recent congress in Bandung to intensify soccer development from very early on,” he went on.

“For us, the most important thing is to focus on the game’s development and improve our performance. It would be a point of pride to qualify for the World Cup finals, wherever they are held, and a source of shame should we keep losing.”

Andi’s remarks come in stark contrast to those previously made by PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid on Indonesia’s prospects for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The latter has repeatedly decried the lack of facilities through which the sport can be developed at an international level, blaming this for the national team’s string of poor results.

“The squad doesn’t even have its own training grounds,” Nurdin said at Monday’s press conference.

The PSSI has announced its bid to host the 2022 World Cup, despite the country’s relatively poor infrastructure, underperforming national team, and far stronger candidatures by other countries.

Others also gunning to host the 2022 finals are Australia, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Russia, joint bidders Belgium and the Netherlands, England, joint bidders Spain and Portugal, Mexico and the United States.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is currently in Jakarta as part of a round-the-world tour organized by FIFA and longtime sponsor Coca-Cola, ahead of the 2010 finals in South Africa.

It arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on Sunday, and goes on display to the public Tuesday at the Jakarta Convention Center, before heading for Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The tour kicked off Sept. 21 last year at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, and will cover five continents and 134,000 kilometers before arriving in South Africa on May 4.

The sports minister said he hoped the trophy’s presence in Jakarta would help ignite the country’s spirit for the game.

“We’re not just supposed to embrace the excitement surrounding the World Cup, but also be inspired by it,” Andi said.

“My hope is one day we’ll qualify for the finals, and maybe even win.”