MEXICO CITY ~ Mexico reported two more swine flu deaths this week as World Health Organization scientists asked if it had moved too quickly to declare the outbreak a pandemic. Authorities in Mexico said the death toll had risen to 85, and infected cases rose to 4,721 with scientists advancing through a backlog of samples. [...]

In one local poll this week, the majority (52.38 percent) of respondents said they would vote for Megawati Sukarnoputri and her running mate Prabowo in the presidential election on July 8. That’s not surprising, given the former president’s Balinese lineage and the popularity of her party here. But it’s an unclear and unrealistic picture. Incumbent [...]

By Lydia Wilson For The Bali Times KEROBOKAN ~ As parents, we want to ensure that our children are happy and successful when they grow up. The last thing we want is for them to grow up unhappy or depressed about their lives. But most of us have never had any education about parenting. What [...]

CANNES ~ Troubled times mean troubled movies, and this year’s 62nd Cannes film festival saw a slate of disturbing and thought-provoking movies screened on the Riviera. The festival sees itself as mirroring the world. “Cannes,” said its director Thierry Fremaux at the opening, “aims to unveil what is happening around us.” Only a couple of [...]

LONDON ~ Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won this year’s Man Booker International Prize, worth £60,000 (US$95,000). The panel, which comprised writers Jane Smiley, Amit Chaudhuri and Andrey Kurkov, praised the 77-year-old for the originality and depth of her work. “Alice Munro is mostly known as a short story writer and yet she [...]

Micro-blogging service Twitter is heading for another screen – the TV screen. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said in a post on the blog of the San Francisco-based start-up that Twitter had entered into a “lightweight, non-exclusive, agreement” with TV producers Reveille and Brillstein. Stone did not reveal any details about the project except to say [...]

LOS ANGELES ~ The all-star cast of comedy Night at the Museum brought movie theatres to life as it topped weekend box office sales across North America. The reboot – subtitled Battle of the Smithsonian – finds Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Ricky Gervais undertaking more nighttime museum adventures, this time in Washington, bringing in [...]

DENPASAR ~ Bali’s administration in cooperation with the Regional Development Bank (BPD) will make Rp38.5 billion (US$3.6 million) available as low-interest loans to support agribusiness, empowerment of cooperatives, small- and medium-scale businesses (UKMs). “The loans will be extended with a low interest rate for two years for agribusiness development in eight districts and a city [...]

GIANYAR ~ Gianyar’s government ran a forum last Friday to help teachers promote learning about environmental issues from an early age, an official said. The forum in Tampaksiring was opened by Gianyar Regent Tjokorda Artha Ardhana Sukawati, who said it was an opportunity to learn about our increasingly complex environment. “Efforts to prevent the degradation [...]

JEMBRANA ~ A total of 15 accidents were recorded last week on the 76-kilometre section of the Denpasar to Gilimanuk highway running through Jembrana regency, an official said. Jembrana Police chief Ketut Suardana said although most accidents probably happened because of dangerous driving, the condition of the road, poor lighting and lack of road markings [...]

By William J. Furney The Bali Times If there’s one thing atheists and creationists agree on – possibly the only thing they can agree on – it is that they don’t much like each other. They may hold a professional respect for those on the other side, but they loathe their viewpoints on existence. So [...]

By Dr. Robert Goldman For The Bali Times Longevity News and Review provides readers with the latest information in breakthroughs pertaining to the extension of the healthy human lifespan. These news summaries are compiled by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net), a non-profit medical society composed of 22,000 physician and scientist members from [...]