March 10, 2017

Claressa Shields to headline first women’s boxing bout Friday

March 10, 2017 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com

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Overhaulin’

GOP Leaders Claim Momentum as Health Bill Clears Hurdles House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. uses charts and graphs to make his case for the GOP’s long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Thursday, March 9, 2017, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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A2 UP

Friday 10 March 2017

FRONT

US force in Syria to help anti-IS fighters with firepower PHILIP ISSA BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A Kurdish-led force fighting the Islamic State group with the support of U.S. troops will close in on the extremists’ de facto capital Raqqa within a few weeks, but the battle for the city will be difficult, a U.S. military official said Thursday.

Air Force Col. John Dorrian said the U.S. force consisting of a couple of hundred Marines that arrived in the region south of the SyrianTurkish border on Wednesday will not have any frontline roles but will provide artillery fire to support the advance of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

“The intent of their presence is to provide all-

This frame grab shows U.S. forces patrol on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria.

(Arab 24 network, via AP)

weather fire support, artillery fire to support their

advance as they continue the isolation of Raqqa,” he

said. “This is just some added fire power that will be very difficult for the enemy to deal with.”

The deployment reflects Washington’s deeper involvement in Syria under the administration of President Donald Trump and thrusts the U.S. further into a difficult diplomatic entanglement.

Dorrian told The Associated Press by telephone that the U.S.-backed force will close in on Raqqa within a few weeks and warned that the battle for the city will likely be difficult as the extremists are well dug in.

He said a complicating factor is that the U.S. does not have a partner government to work with in Syria as is the case in Iraq.

The U.S. already had some 500 advisers working with the Syrian Democratic Forces in addition to a force of 400 that arrived more recently, Dorrian said. The SDF, a coalition of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters, has been the most effective force fighting IS in Syria. The SDF has been on the offensive in the Raqqa area since November under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition with the aim of eventually besieging the city before storming it.

Dorian said the SDF “made excellent progress and the enemy hasn’t been able to stop them from doing the things that they set out

to do.” He added that SDF fighters have so far captured about 6,400 square kilometers (2,471 square miles) of terrain from IS. “That’s excellent progress,” Dorrian said, adding that SDF fighters have also cut many supply lines used by IS to try to either escape from the city “or to have fighters leave the area and conduct terrorist operations elsewhere away from Iraq and Syria.”

Dorrian said the SDF will need a “few more weeks” to completely isolate Raqqa and a decision will be made about the timing “of the liberation battle to begin.”

The SDF recently withdrew from areas near its bastion Manbij, west of Raqqa, to make room for the Syrian military to deploy last week. Manbij lies 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Raqqa.

“There is a clear coordination between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces,” Syrian lawmaker Omar Osse told the AP Thursday.

But the Syrian government is a pariah to Western states, and Damascus has never approved the presence of their militaries on Syrian soil.

“Any presence of U.S. forces or other forces on the Syrian land, without coordination with the Syrian state, is considered a flagrant violation of the Syrian sovereignty,” said Osse.

The Marine deployment also risks antagonizing U.S.NATO ally Turkey. The SDF is led by the main Kurdish militia the YPG, which Turkey says is a terrorist organization.

Late on Thursday night, Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Turkish troops shelled Syrian army positions near Manbij killing and wounding several troops. The report gave no further details and there was no immediate comment from Turkey.

The incident is likely to increase tensions between Damascus and Ankara, which has been a main backer of opposition forces against the government.q

U.S. NEWS A3

Friday 10 March 2017

GOP leaders claim momentum as health bill clears hurdles

Folders containing amendments to the GOP’s “Obamacare” replacement bill are spread on a conference table on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 9, 2017, as members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee worked through the night.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

ERICA WERNER ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders drove their long-promised legislation to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law over its first big hurdles in the House on Thursday and claimed fresh momentum despite cries of protest from right, left and center.

After grueling all-night sessions, the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees both approved their portions of the bill along partyline votes. The legislation, strongly supported by President Donald Trump, would replace the tax penalties for the uninsured under Obama’s Affordable Care Act with a conservative blueprint likely to cover far fewer people but, Republicans hope, increase choice.

The vote in Ways and Means came before dawn, while the Energy and Commerce meeting lasted past 27 hours as exhausted lawmakers groped for coffee refills, clean shirts and showers.

Angry Democrats protested that Republicans were acting in the dead of night to rip insurance coverage from poor Americans. But Republican leaders sounded increasingly confident

that, after seven years of empty promises about undoing Obama’s law, they might finally be able to overcome their own deep divisions and deliver a bill to Trump to sign.

“This is the closest we will ever get to repealing and replacing Obamacare,” Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said at a press briefing where he arrived in shirt-sleeves to deliver a wonky power-point presentation on the GOP bill, part TED talk and part Schoolhouse Rock.

“The time is here. The time is now. This is the moment.

And this is the closest this will ever happen.”

Leaders are aiming for passage by the full House in the next couple of weeks, and from there the legislation would go to the Senate and, they hope, on to Trump’s desk. The president has promised to sign it, declaring over Twitter on Thursday, “We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!”

Yet at the same time the president is leaving himself a political out, privately telling conservative leaders that if the whole effort fails, Democrats will ultimately shoulder the blame for the problems that remain. That’s according to a participant in the meeting Wednesday who spoke

only on condition of anonymity to relay the private discussion.

Democrats reject that notion, and the entire GOP effort.

“What we have seen is the Republicans’ long-feared and job-killing health bill that means less coverage and more cost to American people,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. “I don’t think the president really knows what he’s talking about.”

The GOP legislation would kill Obama’s requirement that everyone buy insurance by repealing the tax fines imposed on those who don’t. The bill would replace income-based subsidies Obama provided with tax credits based more on age, and insurers would charge higher pre-

miums for customers who drop coverage for over two months The extra billions Washington has sent states to expand the federal-state Medicaid program would phase out, and spending on the entire program would be capped at per-patient limits. Around $600 billion in 10-year tax boosts that Obama’s statute imposed on wealthy Americans and others to finance his overhaul would be repealed.

Insurers could charge older customers five times more than younger ones instead of the current 3-1 limit but would still be required to include children up to age 26 in family policies, and they would be barred from imposing annual or lifetime benefit caps.q

A4 U.S.

Friday 10 March 2017

NEWS

Legal challenges to Trump’s travel ban mount from US states MARTHA BELLISLE JENNIFER KELLEHER Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Legal challenges against President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington state said it would renew its request to block the executive order and a judge granted Oregon’s request to join the case.

The events happened a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said New York state also asked to join his state’s legal effort. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the state is joining fellow states in challenging the revised travel ban.

Washington was the first state to sue over the original ban, which resulted in Judge James Robart in Seattle halting its implementation around the country.

Ferguson said the state would ask Robart to rule that his temporary restraining order against the first ban applies to Trump’s revised action.

“My message to President

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson finishes a news conference about the state’s response to President Trump’s revised travel ban Thursday, March 9, 2017, in Seattle. Legal challenges against Trump’s revised travel ban mounted Thursday as Washington State said it would renew its request to block the executive order. It came a day after Hawaii launched its own lawsuit, and Ferguson said both Oregon and New York had asked to join his state’s legal action.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Trump is — not so fast,” Ferguson told reporters. “After spending more than a month to fix a broken order that he rushed out the door, the President’s new order reinstates several of the same provisions and has the same illegal moti-

vations as the original.”

Robart on Thursday granted Oregon’s request to join Washington and Minnesota in the case opposing the travel ban.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the executive order has hurt Or-

egon, its residents, employers, agencies, educational institutions, health care system and economy.

Trump’s revised ban bars new visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries: Somalia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya and

Yemen. It also temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program.

Unlike the initial order, the new one says current visa holders won’t be affected, and removes language that would give priority to religious minorities.

Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said that the state could not stay silent on Trump’s travel ban because of Hawaii’s unique culture and history. Hawaii depends heavily on tourism, and the revised ban would hurt the state’s economy, he said.

The courts need to hear “that there’s a state where ethnic diversity is the norm, where people are welcomed with aloha and respect,” Chin said.

He noted that the new travel ban order comes just after the 75th anniversary of the Feb. 19, 1942, executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt that sent Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. That order was put in place after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hawaii had an internment camp.q

White House: Trump unaware of Flynn’s foreign agent work STEPHEN BRAUN CHAD DAY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government of Turkey before appointing him, the White House said Thursday.

The comments came two days after Flynn and his firm, Flynn Intel Group Inc., filed paperwork with the Justice Department formally identifying him as a foreign agent and acknowledging that his work for a company owned by a Turkish businessman could have aided Turkey’s government. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called the action “an affirmation of the president’s decision to ask General Flynn to resign.”

At the White House, asked whether Trump knew about Flynn’s work be-

fore he appointed him as national security adviser, press secretary Sean Spicer said, “I don’t believe that that was known.” Pence said in an interview later with Fox News that he also did not know about Flynn’s paid work. Flynn and his company filed the registration paperwork describing $530,000 worth of lobbying before Election Day on behalf of Inovo BV, a Dutchbased company owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. In an interview with The Associated Press, Alptekin said Flynn did so after pressure from Justice Department officials.

The filing this week was the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s first acknowledgement that his consulting business furthered the interests of a foreign government while he was working as a top adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign.q

U.S. NEWS A5 NTSB: Fatal railroad crossing not on tour bus route Friday 10 March 2017

Serena Gilich watches as Buddy Hammett, and Laurie Kuluz place crosses and flowers at the north side of the railroad tracks near the scene of Tuesday’s fatal train-bus wreck at the Main Street railroad crossing in Biloxi, Miss. Glitch is the wife of Biloxi Mayor Andre “FoFo” Gilich.

(John Fitzhugh/The Sun Herald via AP)

J. McCONNAUGHEY S. SMITH Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Texas tour bus hit by a freight train in a deadly crash wasn’t supposed to have taken the road where it got stuck at a rail crossing earlier this week, a federal official said Thursday.

National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said the driver may have followed a GPS set for commercial

vehicle use rather than directions from the tour company, WLOX-TV reported.

Speaking at a news conference, Sumwalt also said two other buses apparently followed the route provided by Florida-based Diamond Tours to the casino where they were headed in Biloxi, Mississippi.

In Texas, survivors and family members of the dead began filing lawsuits as more details emerged of Tuesday’s crash, in

Police: Suspect arrested after Detroit arson fire that killed 5 DETROIT (AP) — Police investigating an arson fire said Thursday they arrested a 55-year-old-man who lived in a Detroit apartment building where a blaze fanned by high winds killed five people and injured four.

Officer Jennifer Moreno said the fire Wednesday may have followed an argument, but police aren’t sure. No charges have been filed.

Deputy Fire Commissioner David Fornell told the Associated Press that investigators have determined the fire was arson. Fornell said wind gusts up to 60 mph at the two-story, brick building made it difficult for fire crews.

“It was like facing a blow-

torch,” Fornell said. “There was a lot of fire in the back, but the fire was being pushed into the building by the wind.”

The Detroit Free Press reports Fornell said authorities believe the man “may have had an argument with the landlord.”

A man who wasn’t breathing was pulled from the building by firefighters and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Fornell said. Four bodies later were found on the second floor of the building, he said.

No identifications have been made due to the condition of the bodies, said Jim Martinez, a spokesman for the county medical examiner. q

which the CSX freight train slammed into the bus at a humped rail crossing on Biloxi’s Main Street.

The NTSB official Sumwalt said a forward-facing camera on the train took clear color photos of the bus leading up to and immediately after the crash, The Sun Herald (http://bit. ly/2n50RUf) reported.

Sumwalt didn’t give details of what the pictures showed and said investigators haven’t yet interviewed the driver. He said the investigation is continuing and a team will be traveling to Dallas to meet with bus owner Echo Transportation, and to Florida to meet with Diamond Tours.

A survivor said Thursday that after bus became lodged on the crossing, the bus driver yelled for all

the passengers to get off shortly before the train hit.

The female passenger was seated right behind the driver.

“He told us to get off, and he was trying to see that everybody got off,” said Justine Nygren, speaking by phone with The Associated Press after returning to her Texas home. “He stuck with the bus, I know that.

He didn’t get off when we did.”

Another bus returned her and seven other uninjured survivors Wednesday night to Bastrop, Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reported (http://atxne. ws/2m4c3Lz). The weeklong trip was organized by a senior citizens’ center in Bastrop, about 30 miles east of Austin.q

A6 U.S.

Friday 10 March 2017

NEWS

St. Patrick’s parade planners to reconsider gay veterans ban

BOSTON (AP) — The organizers of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade have scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday to reconsider their vote to bar a gay veterans group from participating.

The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, and representatives of OutVets met Wednesday, said Ed Flynn, a council member who voted to allow the gay veterans’ group to march.

Flynn is the only member of the council to comment publicly.

Emails and telephone calls to the council’s leadership have gone unanswered.

“I remain hopeful that my colleagues on the coun-

cil will correct this situation and join me in voting for inclusion” at Friday’s meeting, said Flynn, a Navy veteran.

“If this vote does not affirm their right to march in the parade, I will not be marching.”

In a statement on its website Friday, the veterans council insisted it had not officially banned OutVets from the parade.

The council said it told OutVets the rainbow on its banners and logo violate the code of conduct for the parade, which prohibits advertisement or display of one’s sexual orientation.

The council also says OutVets did not submit its parade application before the deadline.

“Since its founding in 1901, the parade has been a celebration of country, community, and the Catholic faith,” the statement said.

“The council is accepting of all people and organizations, but it will not permit messages that conflict with the overall theme of the parade.”

TERRANCE HARRIS Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Every Tuesday at 8 p.m. it’s time for “Wheel of Fugitive” in Brevard County, Florida.

Flashy video graphics shoot across the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page, accompanied by a rock soundtrack and an image of a spinning roulette wheel bedecked with 10 fugitives’ mugshots. Smiling, portly and bespectacled Sheriff Wayne Ivey spins the wheel and, presto -- this week’s fugitive is singled out for attention.

For the past 18 months, Ivey has targeted one fugitive for arrest each week

with the spin of the large green wheel, in the brief videos posted to his agency’s Facebook page .

“Just do the right thing, turn yourself and we certainly appreciate it,” he said in a recent episode. “We’ll see you next time on Wheel of Fugitive.”

He says the humorous, game-show approach has been successful. Many of the pictured fugitives have been turned in via tips from the public and some have turned themselves in, he says.

“We want for them to do the right thing and turn themselves in,” Ivey said.

“A number of them have,

a number of their family turns them in. Usually within a very short period of time their inner circle has alerted them to the fact if they didn’t see it that they are on ‘Wheel of Fugitive.’”

Ivey says the concept has been well received in the community of about 600,000. He judges the response by the number of Facebook comments and shares and also by the comments he receives when out doing public speaking.

“Hardly any place I go speak or I’m at somebody doesn’t say, “I watch the ‘Wheel of Fugitive,’” Ivey said. “They see the value of not only trying to get the

fugitive off the street but engaging the community in doing so.”

Ivey said he initially rolled out the idea of the “Wheel of Fugitive,” inspired by the popular game show “Wheel Fortune,” during a speech to the publicly shortly after he took over as sheriff in 2012. The idea got a warm reception.

Initially, the department offered what it called “Turn Them in Tuesday.” Each week the department presented a single fugitive’s picture and asked the public for its help in pursing him or her. Ivey says his fugitive division saw an 88 percent success rate in removing

In this March 20, 2016 file photo, members of OutVets, a group of gay military veterans, march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston’s South Boston neighborhood. The group said Wednesday, March 8, 2017, it was denied permission to march in the 2017 Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade just two years after organizers made the ground-breaking decision to allow gay groups to participate for the first time.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

OutVets Executive Director and Air Force veteran Bryan Bishop says he was told the group was barred this year because it broke parade rules by displaying the rainbow banner — a symbol of LGBTQ pride and solidarity — which the council considers a symbol of gay sexuality.

The parade has long been embroiled in legal controversy, including a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing members of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council to exclude gay groups on free speech grounds. But with the council’s permission, OutVets was allowed to participate for the first time in 2015.

The council’s 9-4 vote Tuesday to bar OutVets drew immediate condemnation from politicians, including Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who both said they would not participate in this year’s parade scheduled for March 19. q

fugitives from the streets with that approach.

He believes “Wheel of Fugitive” has a chance to be just as successful -- maybe more. The fugitive division is currently working with the University of Central Florida’s sociology department to compile the success rates for the current program. They should be available around May, Ivey said.

“The reason we believe in it is because for ‘Turn Them In Tuesday’ we were only showing one photograph, but with ‘Wheel of Fugitive’ we show all 10 fugitives before picking one,” Ivey said.q

Florida sheriff seeks out suspects with ‘Wheel of Fugitive’

U.S. NEWS A7

Friday 10 March 2017

Grandfather believes killer of 2 Indiana teens will be found

Grandparents of victim Libby German, Becky Patty, left, and her husband Mike Patty, speak during a news conference for the latest updates on the investigation of the double homicide of Liberty German and Abigail Williams on Thursday, March 9, 2017, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind. (J. Kyle Keener/The Pharos-Tribune via AP)

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — The grandfather of one of two Indiana girls slain last month pleaded with the public Thursday to review evidence police have released and provide authorities with tips that could lead to an arrest.

Mike Patty, whose 14-yearold granddaughter, Liberty German, was killed along with 13-year-old Abigail

Williams, urged people to study two grainy images of a man police consider to be the main suspect in the killings and audio of a male saying “down the hill.”

The photos and audio came from Liberty’s cellphone. Police have hailed her as a hero for recording potentially crucial evidence.

The police tip line for the

Jury selection begins in trial of suspect in PA barracks ambush M. RUBINKAM Associated Press WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — As jury selection began Thursday in the capital murder trial of an anti-government sharpshooter charged in the 2014 ambush slaying of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper, a prosecutor vowed to seek justice and the defense looked for people open to sparing the suspect’s life. Eric Frein, 33, could face a death sentence if he’s convicted in the attack in northeastern Pennsylvania that killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injured Trooper Alex Douglass. He led police on a 48-day manhunt in the Pocono Mountains before his

capture by U.S. marshals.

Frein, wearing a dark suit and tie, chatted quietly with his lawyers and occasionally glanced at his parents, Michael and Deborah Frein, who sat in the gallery.

“We’re looking for fairness.

We’re looking for jurors who can keep an open mind.

Compassion,” his lawyer, Michael Weinstein, told reporters outside the courtroom.

The first round of 104 potential jurors who arrived for jury selection at the courthouse in Chester County, outside Philadelphia, answered questions from the judge about their knowledge of the case and their views on the death penalty.q

case is 844-459-5786. Tips can also be reported by emailing Abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com.

Patty said anyone who has noticed that a friend, relative or acquaintance had recently changed their appearance such as by shaving a beard or who is acting uncharacteristically strange should pass that on to authorities through a tip line. He urged people not to second-guess themselves about whether

something they’ve noticed is significant.

“If you think it could be, but then say, ‘No he’s not like that,’ go with your initial instinct. Let law enforcement run that information and make that determination,” he said during a news conference in Delphi, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

“However small it may seem, it’s extremely vital that we get every tip we can get. Please, we need

your help.”

German and Williams were found dead Feb. 14 in a rugged, wooded area near Delphi. The friends had vanished the day before while hiking along a trail during a day off of school.

Patty said he still believes the killer or killers will be found. His family and Williams’ relatives ache from the loss of the two vibrant teens who were eagerly awaiting the start of the softball season, he said.q

A8

Friday 10 March 2017

WORLD NEWS

Tusk gets 2nd term for top EU job despite Polish objections GEIR MOULSON RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders confirmed Donald Tusk for a second term as their president Thursday, earning the wrath of his native Poland and opening up a new rift at a time when EU unity is essential.

The 27 other EU leaders overrode weeks of objections from the nationalist government in Warsaw, which has a long and bitter rivalry with former Prime Minister Tusk and opposed giving him another term at the EU. Tusk’s supporters portrayed his re-election as head of the EU Council, one of the bloc’s most prestigious jobs, as a sign of stability and continuity for the troubled bloc. Tusk’s future was dealt with in less than an hour as fellow leaders rejected the argument of Poland, an increasingly awkward partner, that a decision should be delayed.

That spared the EU a long debate about its leadership at a time when it

European Council President Donald Tusk, center left, speaks with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, center right, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, March 9, 2017. German Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind Donald Tusk to retain one of the European Union’s top jobs ahead of an EU summit Thursday, despite staunch opposition from his home country of Poland.

(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

is dealing with Britain’s planned departure and a host of other challenges.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said such a dispute would “plunge Eu-

rope into a senseless crisis.”

However, the decision prompted Poland to refuse to approve the summit texts, and raised questions about how lasting a

rift the move would create.

Instead, the conclusions were presented as Conclusions by the Council President “supported by 27 delegations,” which had few legal implications beyond showing Poland’s displeasure. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said it was “very

bad” that Tusk was pushed through over the objections of his home country, adding that “today it applies to Poland, but in the future this may apply to other nations.”

Tusk still felt there was enough unity around him to go on for a second term of 2 ½ years. The council president is responsible for chairing summits, coordinating the work of member countries and making sure the 28 nations speak as much as possible with one voice on the international stage.

“It may sound like a paradox because of the context, but anyway, your decision is an expression of our unity today,” Tusk told leaders after his re-election.

“I will work with all of you without any exceptions because I am truly devoted to a united Europe.” Szydlo, however, said he could not be impartial when it came to dealing with the government in Warsaw.

And the leader of Poland’s governing Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, accused Tusk of disloyalty to his homeland, saying he didn’t have the right to “function under (Poland’s) white and red flag.”q

Putin tells German foreign minister Gabriel he wants better ties: report MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the visiting German foreign minister that he would like to improve ties between the two countries that were soured by the Ukraine crisis.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine put a strain on a traditionally warm relationship.

Putin on Thursday received German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and extended an invitation for Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Moscow. Gabriel had met with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov earlier in the day.

Putin told Gabriel in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that that it is “our

common goal to fully normalize the relations and to make sure all the difficulties we face are overcome.”

Merkel has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which has irked Moscow.

A German diplomat who traveled with Gabriel and asked to be unnamed because he was not authorized to speak publicly described the two-hour talks as “lengthy, good and intensive.”

He said Putin and Gabriel discussed bilateral issues, as well as the conflict in eastern Ukraine and how to ensure compliance with a cease-fire agreement between the Ukrainian government and separatist rebels that Germany and Russia brokered.q

WORLD NEWS A9

Friday 10 March 2017

Kremlin denies violating nuclear arms pact with US

V. ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin on Thursday rejected U.S. claims of Russian violations of a landmark nuclear arms treaty, saying it has respected the pact and will continue to do so.

The controversy over the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty adds another thorn in the side for U.S. President Donald Trump’s declared goal of improving ties with Moscow, coming at a time when his administration is facing questions over alleged contacts with Russia during the U.S. election campaign.

Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday accused Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of “the spirit and intent” of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that “we disagree with and reject any such accusations.”

“Russia has adhered to and will adhere to all its international obligations, including those under the INF Treaty,” he said in a conference call with reporters.

The INF Treaty bans an entire class of weapons — all land-based cruise missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 and 3,410 miles).

The Obama administration had accused Moscow of violating the INF treaty, but Selva’s statement marked the first public confirmation of recent news reports

that the Russians have deployed the nuclear-capable cruise missile.

During earlier bickering over the INF Treaty, Russia has sought to turn the tables on the U.S. with claims of perceived U.S. violations.

Trump has said little about the INF treaty, but he has criticized another arms pact, the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty that limited the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to no more than 1,550 deployed warheads for each country, saying it offers Russia an advantage.

The bickering over the INF treaty comes at a time when Russia-U.S. ties have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and other disputes. U.S. allies in Europe have voiced concern about what they perceived as aggressive Russian intentions and its military buildup.

Moscow has responded

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, March 9, 2017. The Kremlin on Thursday rejected U.S. claims of Russian violations of a landmark nuclear arms treaty, saying it has respected the pact and will continue to do so.

(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

with its own grievances, saying the U.S.-led missile defense and the deployment of NATO’s forces near Russian borders threaten Russia’s security.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks

in Moscow with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel that Russia is only responding to “being encircled with NATO’s weapons and NATO’s units.” Gabriel called for dialogue to ease tensions. Lavrov also

pointed at the WikiLeaks dump of purported U.S. intelligence, noting that it has highlighted the CIA’s reported capability to imitate an electronic trace usually left behind by hackers from other nations.q

French ambassador says he won’t serve if Le Pen is president PARIS (AP) — France’s ambassador to Japan has said publicly that he would refuse to serve as a diplomat if Marine Le Pen were elected president.

Ambassador Thierry Dana sharply criticized Le Pen and her nationalist policies in a commentary in Le Monde newspaper. The National Front shot back Thursday, saying that Dana should anticipate Le Pen’s coming victory in the April 23 and May 7 presidential

votes, and “immediately leave public service.”

Le Pen, who wants to pull France out of the European Union, and put a ceiling of 10,000 on immigration, shares the lead in recent polls with independent centrist Emmanuel Macron.

Dana cited a Feb. 26 speech by Le Pen in Nantes in which she suggested that some civil servants were allegedly working against her, and said they could be held liable once

the Socialist government is “swept away.”

Le Pen specifically mentioned judges, in an apparent reference to multiple corruption probes by investigative judges into her National Front party, her entourage and, in one case, herself. She has been called in for questioning on Friday, but has said she will not be available during the presidential campaign.

The ambassador to Japan said in his commentary that

“I cannot loyally defend your positions” and “would refuse to serve” if she wins.

Conservative candidate Francois Fillon also faces corruption charges for using public funds to pay his wife and two children as parliamentary aides — but not giving them any work.

But while the weight of the allegations left Fillon fighting for weeks to maintain his candidacy and pushed him into third place, Le Pen has not suffered.q

A10 WORLD

Friday 10 March 2017

NEWS

Twin suicide bombing kills 26 at a wedding north of Baghdad

Three roadside bombs laid by Islamic State group militants explode in a western Mosul neighbourhood, killing one of the Iraqi engineers attempting to diffuse the devices. Iraq, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. A twin suicide bombing struck a village wedding north of Baghdad as the wedding party gathered in the evening hours, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, a government spokesman said Thursday.

(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

SINAN SALAHEDDIN Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — A twin suicide bombing struck a

village wedding north of Baghdad as the wedding party gathered in the evening hours, killing at least 26

people and wounding dozens, a government spokesman said Thursday.

The attack, which took

place late Wednesday, began when one suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden belt walked into the wedding party assembled in an open area in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Baghdad.

The bomber detonated his explosives, only to be followed by the second attacker who blew himself up when people had gathered to help the victims of the first explosion, provincial spokesman Ali al-Hamdani told The Associated Press. He said 26 people were killed, most of them children, and up to 67 were wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the Islamic State group, which has staged similar attacks in the past. The wedding party was for a family that had been displaced from Iraq’s western Anbar province and that is affiliated with a major anti-IS tribe there.

IS had captured Tikrit during its blitz across Iraq in the summer of 2014 when the Sunni militant group seized nearly a third of the country’s territory. Iraqi forces drove the militants from the city in April 2015, but IS has since then managed to launch deadly attacks in and around Tikrit.

IS has also used large-scale attacks in an effort to distract from its losses as Iraqi forces battle to retake all of Mosul, the country’s second-largest city, from the group. Iraqi forces in Mosul have over the past week fought their way into the heart of the western part of the city, separated by the Tigris River from the eastern sector, capturing a government complex and the city’s antiquities museum where IS had destroyed priceless relics. Mosul also fell to IS in the summer of 2014, along with Tikrit and large swaths of northern and western Iraq, but now remains the militant group’s last significant urban area in the country.q

Turkey warns US relations at risk if Kurds help retake Raqqa JOSH LEDERMAN Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The United States risks major damage to its relationship with NATO ally Turkey if the U.S. includes Kurdish forces in the fight to retake Raqqa, the Islamic State group’s de facto capital, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday.

Turkey and the U.S. are locked in a heated dispute about U.S. plans to liberate Raqqa, with Turkey insisting its own military and allied forces in Syria should mount the fight and that U.S.backed Syrian Kurds should be excluded. Though the U.S. has been hoping to include both Turkey and the

battle-hardened Kurdish forces, Yildirim insisted Turkey wouldn’t be part of any operation including the Syrian Kurdish force known as the YPG, considered by Ankara to be terrorists who threaten Turkey’s security.

“If the U.S. were to prefer terrorist organizations over Turkey in the fight against IS, that would be their own decision, but that wouldn’t be something we would consent” to, Yildirim told The Associated Press.

The prime minister also took issue with President Donald Trump’s use of the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” and said “we would be actually happy if our friends were to be a bit more cau-

tious about this issue.”

In an earlier exchange with visiting foreign journalists, Yildirim said ties between the two countries would be significantly undermined, though he declined to name any specific steps Turkey — a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS — might take in response.

In the past, Turkey has hinted it could cut off access to Incirlik air base, home to coalition warplanes.

Though no decision has been formally announced, the U.S. has been sending signals that it is inclined to rely on the Kurdish forces, who have proven the most effective local force at battling IS. U.S. officials have said that Turkey, which has

troops in Syria and is aiding other Syrian opposition fighters, has thus far failed to show that it has a force sufficiently large and capable to liberate Raqqa, the largest remaining IS stronghold.

Yildirim insisted Turkey has proven its mettle, pointing to victories by its Operation Euphrates Shield in liberating northern Syrian towns of Jarabulus and al-Bab. Yet in al-Bab, in particular, Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters suffered heavy casualties in a grueling threemonth fight to liberate the city from IS. “They know what our capabilities are,” Yildirim said.

“We’ve exchanged military

info, and diplomatically speaking this message was also passed along.”

Turkey views the main Kurdish force — the People’s Protection Units, or YPG — to be terrorists because of their ties to Turkey’s outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which the U.S. also considers to be a terrorist group. But the top American commander for the fight against IS has said he’s seen “zero evidence” the YPG has posed a recent threat to Turkey.

Yildirim said Turkey is still awaiting a U.S. decision on Raqqa, and there are signs such a decision could come soon. q

WORLD NEWS A11

Friday 10 March 2017

Death toll rises to 34 in fire at youth shelter in Guatemala

JOSE LOPEZ SONIA PEREZ D. Associated Press SAN JOSE PINULA, Guatemala (AP) — A blaze that killed at least 34 girls at a shelter for troubled youths erupted when some of them set fire to mattresses to protest rapes and other mistreatment at the badly overcrowded institution, the parent of one victim said Thursday.

Officials said they are still investigating who started the fire Wednesday at the long-criticized shelter on the outskirts of Guatemala’s capital. It houses troubled and abused boys and girls as well as juvenile offenders. Nineteen victims were found dead at the scene, and 15 more succumbed one by one to their grisly injuries at hospitals in Guatemala City. Several more girls were fighting for their lives, some with severe burns over more than half their bodies.

The fire started when someone ignited mattresses in a dormitory that held girls who had been caught the day before during a mass breakout attempt, authorities said. On Thursday, distraught parents haunted hospitals and the morgue, passing scraps of paper scrawled with the names of loved ones they hoped to find. Geovany Castillo said his 15-year-old daughter Kimberly suffered burns on her face, arms and hands but survived. She was in a locked area where girls who took part in the escape attempt had been placed, he said.

“My daughter said the area was locked and that several girls broke down a door, and she survived because she put a wet sheet over herself,” Castillo said.

“She said the girls themselves set the fire,” he said,

adding: “She said the girls told her that they had been raped and in protest they escaped, and that later, to protest, to get attention, they set fire to the mattresses.”

Another surviving 15-yearold girl said that male residents had apparently been able to enter at least some of the girls’ dormitories before the fire. She and others took refuge on a roof for fear of being attacked and saw the fire break out in a nearby building.

“I saw the smoke in the place,” she said. “It smelled like flesh.”

The state-run Virgin of the Assumption Safe House has long been the subject of complaints about abuse, inadequate food and crowded and unsanitary conditions behind its 30foot wall. The shelter was built to hold 500 young residents but housed at least 800 at the time of the fire.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales issued a statement blaming the disaster

Relatives of a youth who resided at the Virgin of the Assumption Safe Home wait for the release of the names of those who died in a fire at the shelter, outside the morgue in Guatemala City, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Officials say they are still investigating who set the blaze that killed at least 31 girls and young women and left ten others battling for their lives, with severe burns that in some cases covered more than half their bodies.

(AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

on the courts for ignoring a request by his administration to transfer juvenile offenders out.

“Before the fire, the government had asked the appropriate authorities to immediately transfer youthful of-

fenders to other detention centers, to avoid greater consequences,” the president’s office wrote.q

Town’s peace statue to Colombia’s Santos draws fire BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Opponents of Colombia’s peace process are angry that a city has erected a statue of President Juan Manuel Santos to honor his efforts to end Colombia’s half-century armed conflict.

The mayor of Belen de los Andaquies dedicated the life-size bronze statue of the Nobel Peace Prize winner last month on the 100th anniversary of the town, which was hard hit by the conflict.

Santos appears holding a peace dove and the accord he reached last year with the Revolutionary

Armed Forces of Colombia.

“Here the change is felt,” Mayor Edilmer Ducuara said.

Opponents accuse Ducuara of violating a decree against monuments to sitting public officials.

They also point out that 60 percent of the town rejected the peace deal in a referendum.

The dispute is, in many ways, a microcosm for the continued friction over the peace deal meant to end Latin America’s longestrunning dispute. Colombians narrowly rejected the deal in a national referendum in October. A re-

vised agreement was later passed by Congress but the country remains divided and Santos’ approval rating has plummeted.

Ducuara said no government funds were spent on the monument.

Colombians have chimed in on the statue with satire and criticism online. A petition on Change.org demanding the statue be removed garnered more than 400 signatures. Some of the critics poke fun at the statue’s awkward appearance, and the dove with oddly oversized wings.

“Is it a falcon attacking the president? A stork?”

quipped Daniel Samper Ospina, one of the country’s most prominent political satirists, in a column.

Sculptor Anibal Castillo, a 38-year-old Colombian, said he spent 45 days working on the piece.

He said the statue of Santos was a true “homage to peace.”

Those signing the Change. org petition were less exalting.

“The peace Colombians long for does not exist,” wrote Alejandrina Ramirez, one of the signers. “It’s a joke. We won’t let Santos continue to be held up on a pedestal.” q

A12 WORLD

Friday 10 March 2017

NEWS

After lengthy mission, UN peacekeeper pullout looms in Haiti DAVID McFADDEN Associated Press CITE SOLEIL, Haiti (AP) — A few dozen Brazilian troops wearing the blue helmets of the U.N. military force stroll through a dense warren of shacks in Haiti’s most notorious slum, facing no greater threat than a few barking dogs along some of the same streets where pitched gunbattles between gangs and peacekeepers used to be a daily occurrence.

Years of easygoing patrols like the one on this recent afternoon in the steamy seaside district of Cite Soleil is a clear sign to many both in Haiti and around the world that it’s time to wrap up a U.N. force that has been cycling through this Caribbean country since a 2004 rebellion engulfed Haiti in violence.

“We have a secure and stable environment,” Col. Luis Antonio Ferreira Marques Ramos, deputy commander of the Brazilian peacekeeper contingent, told The Associated Press. “The important thing is to leave in a good way.”

With a steady downsizing of Haiti peacekeeping operations in recent years and the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump pushing for cutbacks, the U.N. is looking at sending home 2,358 soldiers from 19 contributing countries, perhaps within months. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said during a recent trip to Haiti that the

U.N. peacekeepers from Brazil patrol in the Cite Soleil slum, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It took U.N. troops three years to gain control over the sprawling district of Cite Soleil, but it’s now placid even though its residents still live in desperate poverty.

(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

military component “is likely to disappear in the relatively near future,” though officials have not spoken publicly about the roughly 2,200 foreign police who accompany them.

Washington, the Haiti mission’s main check-writer, is also applying pressure as it reviews all 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions. A diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conversations were private, has told the AP that the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has spoken about winding up the Haiti peacekeeping operation, which is known by its French

acronym, MINUSTAH. “MINUSTAH in Haiti is a very good example of a mission that has basically done its job. So we’ll be very happy for that one to close down,” Britain’s U.N. ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, said at a news conference at the world body’s headquarters in New York.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to decide on a reconfiguration of the $346 million-a-year U.N. mission in mid-April after reviewing Ladsous’ recommendations.

Still, sending troops packing does not mean the end of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Operations such as UNICEF and the World Food Program also would remain.

And analysts say officials are considering keeping the civilian staff in place along with a U.N. police component to continue building up and training the Haitian National Police.

“This would be unprecedented in U.N. peacekeeping history. Normally, police only serve in peacekeeping missions with military support and backup. But it’s a creative option to reduce the mission’s size and cost as MINUSTAH gradually works toward a full exit,” said Aditi Gorur, who researches peacekeeping

issues as a director of the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank.

The U.N.’s first-ever “stabilization” mission came to Haiti in 2004 following a rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and had the chronically troubled country on the brink of collapse. There were daily deadly clashes among gangs loyal to Aristide’s faction, rebels and ex-soldiers, and rogue police. A wave of killings and kidnappings followed, aimed at destabilizing a U.S.-backed interim government.

For years, uniformed U.N. troops provided the only real security.

But these days, Haiti’s police do most of the heavy lifting and the mood has changed. It took U.N. peacekeepers three years to gain control over the sprawling district of Cite Soleil, but it’s now placid even though its residents still live in desperate poverty.

AP journalists recently joined a few dozen U.N. peacekeepers and four Haitian police officers on an uneventful foot patrol and checkpoint duty in a Cite Soleil neighborhood once controlled by gangs.

“The job was well done!”

Brazilian Capt. Leandro Vieira Barboza told the Haitian officers during a pep talk following the joint patrol.

Continued on Page 27

Board rejects Puerto Rico fiscal plan as unrealistic

DANICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor clashed on Thursday with a federal control board overseeing the island’s finances after it rejected his fiscal plan for the U.S. territory’s economic future as being unrealistic and too optimistic.Gov. Ricardo Rossello said his administration is willing to meet with board members to talk about disagreements over financial data but warned he would not support a plan that contains erroneous information.

“Every decision we take based on faulty data that affects the people of Puerto Rico is just unacceptable,” he said.

“We need to have a level head. We need to think about what the implications are.”

Rossello spoke with reporters just hours after the board issued a letter rejecting his plan and demanded that he submit a revised one by Saturday morning. The board said the plan does not ensure funding for essential public service nor does it provide a path to restructuring debt

and pension obligations to reach a sustainable level.

“Specifically, the proposed plan is based on unrealistic projections of economic growth, substantially underestimates spending, and reflects overly optimistic revenue projections,” the board said.

It also said that based on an analysis, it found the government’s expenditures could be understated by $60 million to $510 million and the liquidity projection by $300 million.

It said general fund expenses should be increased by $585 million and that the

government should reduce expenditures in legislative and executive branches and consolidate schools to reflect a drop in students as an exodus to the U.S. mainland continues.

The letter comes less than 24 hours after the board urged Rossello’s administration to take emergency actions to offset a critically low cash flow.

It recommended the government impose a furlough for certain government workers, slash professional services contracts by 50 percent and cut health care costs.

The board is expected to approve a 10-year fiscal plan on Monday that many believe will be amended to include additional austerity measures. Rossello did not say specifically whether he would submit a revised plan

by Saturday, stressing that he preferred to first meet with board members to talk about whether there’s a need for amendments.

“This doesn’t need to be a battle,” he said. “We need to remember who gets to pay the price if this gets done in an incorrect manner. And it’s the people of Puerto Rico.” q

LOCAL A13

Friday 10 March 2017

Loyal Guests Honored at the Casa del Mar Beach Resort

ORANJESTAD - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a very nice couple who are loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba at the Casa del Mar Beach Resort as Goodwill Ambassadors. The symbolic honorary title is presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 20-to-34 consecutive years.

The honorees were Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Marion Sudac, celebrating over 30 years visiting Aruba!

Thomas and Marion are regu-

lar guests of the Casa del Mar Beach Resort, and they love the island very much because of the friendly people, the safety, the weather, the beaches, the restaurants and the diversity of the island. Aruba feels like a second home to these special guests and the people here are like a family to them. The certificate was presented by Mr. Ricardo Cores representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with General Manager Bob Curtis and Shahaira Morris from the Casa del Mar Beach Resort.q

A14 LOCAL

Friday 10 March 2017

Incredible Indonesian Buffet at Café the Plaza Will Delight Your Senses! perfectly.

Although some dishes may be a bit hot, others are mellow. All are delicious. The dishes will be served in a unique style: on your table on burners to keep them warm, hereby creating a festive and romantic atmosphere.

We’d like to take you through Saturday’s menu.

It starts off with Soto Ayam, a clear chicken soup. The buffet has as main courses Babi Kecap (braised pork with a sweet soy sauce), Sateh Ayam (grilled chicken saté), Dragin Pedas (spicy beef with coconut), Sweet Chili Loempia (egg roll), Sambal Telur (sambal egg), Sambal Buncis (green beans with samORANJESTAD - Looking gorgeous, smelling delicious,

but tasting even better: that is what the upcoming

Indonesian Table Buffet at Café the Plaza is promising.

A rainbow of colors, a wide variety in tasty dishes and lots of side dishes will be available for the lover of Indonesian cuisine on Saturday, March 11.

This feast for the senses will start a 5pm; if you wish to come over for the buffet later in the evening, please keep in mind that the buffet is available until 11pm.

Indonesian cuisine is very popular in Holland and for a good reason: the ingredients are fresh and they complement each other

bal), Nasi Putih (white rice), Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and shrimp crackers, sambal, seroendeng, peanut sauce and atjar tjampoer to season, enhance and complement the abovementioned dishes. Dessert is Pisang Goreng, Indonesian Banana fritters.

Please make your reservations as early as possible via cafetheplaza@ arubawineanddine.com or at 583-8826 for the fantastic Indonesian Buffet on March 11. q

Editor’s Note of Correction: (Aruba Today) - In a story published March 9 entitled “Irregularities Cited Within the Board of Caribbean Palm Village,” the Aruba Today reported erroneously the name of former

Treasurer as Randolph de Cuba. The correct name is Randolph Croes.

Additionally, it is confirmed that the subject matter of the story is now being handled in the courts.q

LOCAL A15

Friday 10 March 2017

Ron & Cathy Came Back Four Times to Hear Xavi Croes Sing at Sopranos PALM BEACH - Ron and Cathy Staffa from Chicago, Illinois, flew to Aruba for an extended Valentine’s getaway of three (3!) weeks. It was their first time on the island, and they loved every minute of their time here. While strolling by, they noticed the marquee of The Sopranos Piano Bar. It called out to Ron and Cathy, as did the live music they could hear coming from inside the popular bar.

A few drinks later, they were lifelong fans of piano man Xavi Croes, whom they call ``talented and very entertaining.’ To make a long story short, Ron and Cathy came back 4 times to Sopranos to hear him sing again and again.

The Sopranos Piano Bar is located in the Arawak Garden, a cozy plaza filled with great restaurants and kiosks. It is in walking distance of the major hotels on the hi-rise strip and every night it is party time at Sopranos, so come on down and see it for yourself.

We hope Ron and Cathy will be coming to Aruba many more times now that they have got their first taste of the island. See you soon!q

A16 LOCAL

Friday 10 March 2017

ECLAC: Women’s Labor Participation Rate Has Stagnated around 53% in the Region and Gender Bias in the Labor Market Persists -In the framework of International Women’s Day, the United Nations organization also indicated that women’s unemployment rates are systematically higher than those of men.

CHILE - The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) called for the creation of quality jobs that duly recognize women’s abilities, levels of instruction and productivity, in the framework of International Women’s Day commemorated every March 8.

Although labor market indicators showed a positive trend over the past decade, the labor participation rate for women has

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena.

stagnated at around 53%, and 78.1% of women who are employed work in what

ECLAC defines as low productivity sectors, where the pay is worse, social security

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coverage is low, and there is less contact with technology and innovation.

Likewise, women’s unemployment rates are systematically higher than those of men, according to a document prepared by ECLAC’s Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Between 2002 and 2013, the unemployment rate in Latin America cumulatively fell by 2.8 percentage points, but starting in 2015, that trend has reversed.

According to the report Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2015 the unemployment rate reached 7.4%, with women being the most adversely affected: 8.6% of women were unemployed compared with 6.6% of men.

In the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, based on preliminary data for 2016, the unemployment rate increased an average of 0.5 percentage points versus the previous year: the increase for women was 0.7 percentage points while for men it was 0.3 points.

“The labor indicators for Latin America and the Caribbean continue to show large gender gaps between men and women with regard to access to opportunities and rights.

The inequalities are rooted in a social system that reproduces stereotypes and preserves a sexual division of labor that limits women’s labor integration,” explains ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena.

These structural factors, according to the United Nations senior official, pose an obstacle to overcoming poverty and inequality in the region, as well as to women’s attainment of economic autonomy – even more so if one considers the current context of economic contraction.

Although the rates of unemployment for women and men vary depending on the country, the gen-

der gap is always favorable to men, except in Mexico, where male unemployment exceeds that of women by 0.1 percentage points, according to ECLAC. Countries such as Belize and Jamaica show gaps in excess of 7 percentage points.

Unemployment rates have remained particularly high among people with lower incomes. In the first quintile in 2013, 14.9% of women were unemployed (compared with 10.5% of men).

In the third quintile, female unemployment was at 7% with male unemployment at 4.9%, while in the highest-income quintile these percentages fall to 3% and 2.5%, respectively.

For ECLAC, employment policies should be capable of modifying the current structure of inequality, confronting the existing gender bias in the labor market. It also calls for the recognition and redistribution of time spent on unpaid labor, so that the responsibility of caring for children, dependent persons and older adults does not fall exclusively on women.

In the framework of International Women’s Day, ECLAC is also publishing the first report in a new series of GEO Studies entitled Gender Equality Plans in Latin America and the Caribbean: Roadmaps for Development (Spanish only).

The report analyzes the processes for designing these plans, their links to national development strategies and the budget visibility of gender equality policies in countries such as Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

One of the chapters addresses in depth the objectives, contents and strategic pillars of these plans with regard to women’s economic autonomy.q

SPORTS A17

Friday 10 March 2017

With 6 races left, Shiffrin closing in on overall title PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer With every race, Mikaela Shiffrin draws closer to a couple of things she just can’t stop thinking about: An overall World Cup title.

That much-needed vacation in Maui.

No time to imagine the beach, though. Still too much work left to do on snow.

The Olympic slalom champion has a 178-point lead over Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia with six races remaining — all on U.S. slopes. There are two events this week at Squaw Valley in California, before the season concludes next week with the World Cup Finals in Aspen, Colorado.

For most of the season, Shiffrin refused to give her chances at an overall crown much thought.

Lately, the skier from EagleVail embraces the possibility.

“I was worried people would think I am too ambitious, or the overall is too lofty of a goal for me.

But obviously it is a very reasonable goal,” Shiffrin wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “I’m not worried what other people think about it anymore.”

This week, she and her fellow racers tackle the Red Dog course at Squaw Valley, which hosts a World Cup event for the first time since 1969. She’s quite familiar with the hill, too, having won a giant slalom title at the 2014 U.S. championships. There’s a GS race Friday, followed a day later by the slalom — her specialty.

Then, it’s off to Aspen for the season finale.

No extra nerves, Shiffrin said, even if it’s close to her hometown.

Continued from page 18

United States’s Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup combined race, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017.

Associated Press

A18 SPORTS

Friday 10 March 2017

Shiffrin

Continued from page 17 She’s trying to join Phil Mahre, Tamara McKinney, Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn as the only Americans to win the overall crown.

“I hope I am able to free my mind and just race, rather than feeling pressure,” Shiffrin said in the email.

When closest rival Lara Gut of Switzerland tore her ACL in February, the overall title appeared inevitable for Shiffrin. But Stuhec has caught fire to close the gap. The remaining schedule favors Shiffrin, though, with four of the six remaining events either slalom or giant slalom. Stuhec has one top-10 World Cup finish this season in the two disciplines, while Shiffrin has 13.

“By the time I get to World Cup Finals, I’m just going to be riding the wave of this winter, excited to be finishing the season in my home country and home state, and happy to share the last racing moments of this season with U.S. fans,” said Shiffrin, who turns 22 on Monday.

Winner Mikaela Shiffrin of the US poses on the podium after the women’s alpine combined competition at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017.

Associated Press

As tempting as it may be, Shiffrin resists looking back on a season full of accomplishments, including a 3-for-3 performance during the technical races in Semmering, Austria, and winning her first career World Cup Alpine combined in

Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Those are reflections for another time.

“Right now, I find my motivation in the future — a ‘What more can I do?’ sort of thing,” said Shiffrin, who recently tested out the hill

for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and said it should be “a blast” to race. “If I start reveling in the past, it would become all too easy to be complacent.”

In between races, Shiffrin’s found time to unwind. One of her favorite moments was simply hanging out in the hotel restaurant with some of the other World Cup racers after a city event in Stockholm.

“I know that sounds odd because I see a lot of them at every race, but we are usually so focused we don’t get many chances to just hang out, so that was pretty fun,” Shiffrin said.

There’s also this: Leaning out a taxi window and waving the American flag as the driver honked the horn going down a crowd-

ed street in St. Moritz, Switzerland, after winning her third straight slalom title at world championships.

“At first, I was a bit uncomfortable because I didn’t want to bother everyone in town, but then I realized most of those people came to see the races and the athletes and just want to see us having some fun,” Shiffrin said.

Once the final event is over, Shiffrin plans to head to Hawaii with her family for some relaxation.

“It is so nice when we all are moving at the same speed, in the same place, and get to spend some time together for a little bit — and that is what Maui is for us,” Shiffrin said. “I’m hoping it becomes a routine of sorts.”q

SPORTS A19

Friday 10 March 2017

Shields hoping to create bright future for women’s boxing NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — In only her second fight as a professional, Claressa Shields is set to make history.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will become the first woman to headline a fight card on premium cable when she faces Szilvia Szabados on Friday night on Showtime. After making a name for herself with her Olympic achievements, the 21-year-old Shields is eager to become the type of star women’s boxing could certainly use.

“I’m definitely carrying women’s boxing right now.

I’m the one with the torch,” she said recently. “I’m the one that — whenever I say something, everybody respects it, and it’s the truth.”

Chatty, engaging and a bit cocky, Shields is the type of fighter who could be a marketing dream for a sport that needs one. The Flint native comes from a state with plenty of boxing history, and after winning gold in London and Rio , she turned pro.

“I think there are so many great, good women that came up before me, but I always said to myself as an amateur, in order for women’s boxing to actually grow and to be given any respect, I said I felt like I had to go pro,” she said.

There also wasn’t much left to accomplish at the amateur level.

“It was a big decision, but I felt like it was time,” she said. “I know that going back to the Olympics was an easy feat for me. I’ve been there before, I’ve done it before. I don’t really see any competition in the amateurs, even now. I still keep up with the girls ... none of the girls at 165 can do anything with me.”

Shields made her pro debut in November on the undercard of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. She won a decision over Franchon Crews in a four-round super middleweight fight.

Friday’s six-round fight against Szabados (15-8) will

be for the women’s NABF middleweight championship, and it will take place at Detroit’s MGM Grand — a chance for Shields to fight in her home state.

“I haven’t fought near home in a lot of years, so to have the fight here in Detroit and also being the main event, it feels great to have my city coming out and to have Detroit and Pontiac and Lansing and everybody coming out to the fight,” Shields said. “It’s a big deal.”

In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, Franchon Crews, left, and Claressa Shields battle during a women’s super middleweight boxing bout in Las Vegas.

Associated Press

Shields said Szabados, of Hungary, is a strong fighter — but when asked for a prediction, Shields replied almost matter-of-factly.

“We’re not gonna go all six. I plan to get her out of there, third or fourth round,” Shields said. “My coach wants me to do it first or the second, but I want to, you know, show my skills a little bit on Showtime, so maybe third or fourth.”

Shields says at some point she’d like to fight on payper-view for a world title, and if her career goes anything like she envisions, she’ll have a chance to draw quite a following.

That would be a welcome development not just for her, but for the sport of women’s boxing.

“It seems like as you’re an amateur, you don’t really get the respect that you should get, being a woman boxer,” Shields said. “So if I go pro and I do it and I fight on TV and I look great, and I outbox the men on the card, then we have some legacy going, and we can kind of make women’s boxing stick.”

NOTES: In the co-featured bout, Nikolay Potapov (160-1) of Russia challenges Antonio Nieves (17-0-2) of Cleveland in a 10-round fight for the NABO bantamweight championship.q

A20 SPORTS

Friday 10 March 2017

NBA Capsules

Celtics defeat Warriors, Jazz beat Rockets

Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas (4) looks to pass away from Golden State Warriors’Stephen Curry, left, and Zaza Pachulia (27) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif.

Associated Press

budgetaruba@setarnet.aw

The Associated Press OAKLAND, California (AP) — Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points as the Boston Celtics beat Golden State 99-86 on Wednesday night, spoiling the Warriors’ lone home game in a nearly threeweek span.

Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot just 4 for 17 from 3-point range as Golden State struggled again without injured star Kevin Durant, who spoke before the game wearing a bulky brace on his injured

left knee and using crutches.

Curry had 23 points, and Thompson 25 as the Warriors’ 10-game home winning streak was snapped — nearly a year after Boston ended a 54-game home win streak for the Warriors.

JAZZ 115, ROCKETS 108 HOUSTON (AP) — Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward each scored 23 points to help Utah beat Houston for its fourth straight victory.

James Harden had 35 points for the Rockets. They dropped their second in a row.

The Rockets trailed by double digits for much of the game as they struggled from 3-point range. Houston was just 8 of 32 to end a streak of 18 straight games with at least 10 3-pointers.

The Jazz won two of the three meetings, the first time since the 2011-12 season that they’ve won a season series over the Rockets.

RAPTORS 94, PELICANS 87 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jonas Valanciunas had 25 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto beat a New Orleans squad that played without All-Star forward Anthony Davis during the second half.

The Pelicans announced that Davis hurt his left wrist, an injury that appeared to occur when he crashed to the court during the team’s possession in the first half.

Davis was fouled by Normal Powell as he tried to catch an alley-oop pass.

Davis, who shoots righthanded, made two free throws after the foul, but never emerged from the locker room after halftime.

The Pelicans said X-rays did not reveal any broken bones, but that Davis, who did not speak to reporters after the game, had a contusion and would be reevaluated daily.

DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans.

TIMBERWOLVES 107, CLIP-

PERS 91 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — KarlAnthony Towns had 29 points and 14 rebounds as Minnesota beat Los Angeles.

Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points, and Ricky Rubio had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Timberwolves. They were wellrested after having their game against Portland on Monday night postponed because of condensation on the court.

DeAndre Jordan had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers.

Chris Paul had 10 assists but scored just seven points on 3-for-9 shooting.

SPURS 114, KINGS 104 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Manu Ginobili had 19 points while David Lee added 18 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio rallied without Kawhi Leonard to beat Sacramento.

San Antonio won its ninth straight and extended its NBA record for 50-win seasons to 18 straight.

Tyreke Evans had a seasonhigh 26 points for Sacramento. The Kings have lost six straight.

BUCKS 104, KNICKS 93 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half to help Milwaukee rally to beat New York.

The Bucks extended their winning streak to four games and moved to within a half-game of Chicago for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Antetokounmpo also added 13 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Derrick Rose led the Knicks with 26 points.

HEAT 108, HORNETS 101 MIAMI (AP) — Dion Waiters scored 24 points while Goran Dragic added 22 points and 10 assists as Miami beat Charlotte to move within a half-game of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.q

SPORTS A21

Friday 10 March 2017

Tiger Woods to miss Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill

DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods won’t be at the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week and still doesn’t know when he will play again.

Woods announced on his website Thursday night that ongoing rest and rehabilitation on his back will keep him away from Bay Hill and the tournament he has won a record eight times.

Woods said he was particularly disappointed because of a week at Bay Hill to celebrate the life of the tournament host.

Palmer died in September at 87.

“This is the one event I didn’t want to skip,” Woods said.

It will be the fourth consecutive year that Woods does not play Bay Hill dating to his two-shot victory in 2013 that returned him to No. 1

in the world. That was the 77th victory of his PGA Tour career. Woods won twice more that season, but none since then.

He has plunged to No. 713 in the world due to playing only 19 times on the PGA Tour dating to the start of 2014 because of injuries.

And he didn’t offer much insight into when he would play next.

“Presently, I have no timetable for my return to golf, but my treatments are continuing and going well,” Woods said.

Woods was out of competition for 15 months because of two back surgeries in the fall of 2015. He played his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week of December, returned to the PGA Tour two months later at Torrey Pines (missed cut) and then withdrew after a 77 at the Dubai Desert Classic with back spasms.

Woods withdrew from the Genesis Open at Riviera — he even canceled his press conference — and the Honda Classic.

“We’re not talking about an extended break,” his agent, Mark Steinberg at Excel Sports Management, said in Los Angeles.

And yet that’s what this appears to be.

Woods withdrew from Dubai on Feb. 3. The Masters, which starts April 6, would be his next logical option. Woods is not eligible for the Dell Match Play in two weeks, and he has never played the week before the Masters.

When he stepped away because of the scandal in his personal life in Thanksgiving 2009, Woods did not play for roughly five months until he showed up at Augusta National. He shot 68 the first round and tied for fourth.

In this Monday, March 25, 2013 file photo, Tiger Woods, left, and Arnold Palmer share a laugh during the trophy presentation after Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla. Associated Press

But he was coping with back issues in 2010.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is set for a big week of emotions and celebrations, featuring a bronze statue to be unveiled near the first tee, and Palmer’s cart parked behind the 16th tee of Bay Hill, his fa-

vorite spot to watch.

Woods noted that both his children were born at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, and he said he thought of the King as a “close friend.”

“He will be greatly missed and can never truly be replaced,” Woods said.q

NHL Capsules

Penguins beat Jets 7-4, Bruins defeat Red Wings 6-1 The Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nick Bonino had a hat trick while Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-4 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Justin Schultz and Jake Guentzel also scored while and Matt Murray made 31 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins in the start of a five-game trip. Chad Ruhwedel had three assists and Mark Streit and Conor Sheary each had two.

Three of Pittsburgh’s goals came in a 57-second span in the second period, including two on the power play.

Connor Hellebuyck, making his 12th straight start, was pulled midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 15 shots for the Jets. He was replaced

by Michael Hutchinson.

Shawn Matthais, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien and

Nick Bonino (13) and the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate Bonino’s goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Associated Press

Marko Dano scored for Winnipeg.

BRUINS 6, RED WINGS 1 BOSTON (AP) — David Krejci scored twice and Drew

Stafford had his first with Boston during a four-goal first period against Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.

Brad Marchand had his team-leading 31st and 32nd goals while David Pastrnak added a score and Tuukka Rask made 26

saves. Boston is 9-3 since interim coach Bruce Cassidy replaced the fired Claude Julien on Feb. 7.

Niklas Kronwall had his first goal of the season for Detroit.

SENATORS 5, STARS 2 DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Fredrik Claesson scored his first NHL goal and added an assist to help Ottawa beat Dallas for its fourth straight victory.

Ottawa moved within four points of first-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division.

The Senators’ winning streak began after they acquired Viktor Stalberg and Alexandre Burrows near the trade deadline.

Craig Anderson made 35 saves and tied the Ottawa franchise record with his 146th victory.

Stalberg and Cody Cedi also each had a goal and an assist while Chris Wideman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had goals. Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza scored for Dallas.q

A22

Friday 10 March 2017

SPORTS

Israel reaches 2nd round of the WBC with Mensch power JIM ARMSTRONG AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — With a little help from “The Mensch on the Bench” mascot, Israel is into the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

Just 41st in the world rankings, Israel beat thirdranked South Korea 2-1 in its opening game and then defeated fourthranked Taiwan 15-7 on Tuesday. On Thursday, Israel beat the Netherlands 4-2 to finish in first place in Pool A with a 3-0 record.

Next up for Israel is the second round in Tokyo with a chance to advance to the semifinals.

South Korea won the bronze medal at the 2006 WBC and silver in the 2009 edition and was one of the pre-tournament favorites to win a medal again. Israel’s third base coach Pat Doyle, right, passes by his team mascot, The Mensch on the Bench, Beating them on home soil during at the first round game of the World Baseball Classic at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 9, 2017. was a huge upset.

Associated Press But Israel’s 73-year-old manager, Jerry Weinstein, Cody Decker brought The jor or minor league experi- — Josh Zeid, Nate Freisaid he’s not surprised by Mensch with him from ence. Some of the familiar man, Nick Rickles and Ike home and he’s been a big names include pitcher Davis — the 2017 WBC will the early success.

Jason Marquis, formerly of be their third appearance “The only unknown was hit in South Korea.

Mensch means a person the Cincinnati Reds, and with Israel. They were all the caliber of the compeof integrity or honor.

The catcher Ryan Lavarnway, part of the team that nartition,” Weinstein said. “We never doubted our abil- Mensch on the Bench who has MLB experience rowly missed qualifying ity. Our strengths are that started during Israel’s qual- with Boston, Baltimore and for the 2013 WBC, and all Atlanta. played in the qualifiers in we are a well-balanced ifying round in New York.

“He’s on the team,” WeinThen there is pitcher and September. team. We can pitch and stein said.

“Everybody Israel citizen Shlomo Lipetz, The WBC’s “heritage rule” have pitching depth; we brings something to the the only player on the rosstates that players eligible have team speed, team team and certainly The ter with no MLB affiliation. for citizenship of a country power and can catch the Mensch is a unifying factor The players wear yarmulmay play on that country’s ball. We’re a very close for the ball club.” kes, or Jewish skullcaps, team. This will be the first knit group.”

The team is getting plen- Israel’s roster is made up during the playing of the time that American Jewish baseball players will ty of inspiration from its almost entirely of Jewish- Israeli national anthem.

American players with maFor some of the players represent Israel in a world popular mascot. Infielder

championship.

In January, eight members of the team visited Israel for a week to learn about the country and meet Israeli fans. They toured Tel Aviv, Jerusalem’s holy sites, the Dead Sea, and met local Israeli baseball players.

Israel was the final country to qualify for the 2017 WBC and is making its first appearance in the tournament.

According to the Israel Association of Baseball, there are about 1,000 active baseball players in the country.

American immigrants started playing baseball in Israel in the 1970s. In December 1986, the Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) was formed as a nonprofit organization to develop and promote baseball.

The Israel Baseball League started in 2007 but only lasted one season.

Decker, who is currently in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, is hoping the team’s success in the WBC will translate into a baseball boom in Israel.

“The growth of Israeli baseball over the past four years since the initial qualifier in 2012 has been huge,” Decker said. “So who knows what it can be in another four years.

We’ve done a lot with this and we’re just hoping to keep it going.”q

Greipel wins stage 5 of Paris-Nice; Alaphilippe keeps lead BOURG-DE-PEAGE, France (AP) — German cyclist Andre Greipel won the fifth stage of the Paris-Nice in a sprint finish on Thursday, while Julian Alaphilippe comfortably retained his lead.

Greipel positioned himself behind the wheel of Arnaud Demare of France and surged past him as Arnaud Demare, of France, celebrates on the podium after pulling on the overall leader’s jersey after the third stage of the Paris Nice cycling race between Chablis and Chalon-sur-Saone, France, Thursday, March 7, 2017.

Associated Press

they went for the line.

Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands finished third, with the trio clocking the same time of nearly five hours over the 199.5 kilometers (124 miles) to Bourgde-Peage in southeastern France.

In a stage made for sprinters, the race contenders were not involved.

Alaphilippe remains 33 seconds ahead of French countryman Tony Gallopin, with Gorka Izaguirre of Spain .47 back in third spot

with three stages of climbing ahead.

The standings are likely to be shaken up after Stage 6. The 193.5-kilometer (112mile) trek from Aubagne to Fayence in southern France features three category 1 climbs, the second toughest under race classification.

There are three more category 1 climbs on Saturday, and two more on Sunday before a downhill finish to Nice.q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Friday 10 March 2017

‘Pokemon Go’ or no? Fans glad Niantic addressing complaints MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Few games have enjoyed both the meteoric rise — and subsequent fall — in popularity as “Pokemon Go.” But the game remains profitable, and people are still playing even if they aren’t the same masses that roamed parks last summer with eyes glued to smartphones, looking for elusive virtual monsters from their childhood to appear right in front of them.

“It kind of brings people together to have a conversation about these little cartoon characters that we’re all in love with,” said Brian Swain, a sales representative for Rockstar energy drink who has stuck with “Pokemon Go” since it launched last July.

While past its heyday last summer, when some small businesses and landmarks had complained of disruptive crowds, the game has seen renewed interest after last month’s addition of 80 Pokemon and in-game events set around holidays like Halloween and soon, Easter.

The updates addressed complaints about a lack of updates that contributed to a drop in monthly active users, according to app market analyst Apptopia.

“Over time, the enthusiasm has waned, but there’s still quite a bit of people playing it,” said Joost van Dreunen, the CEO and founder of SuperData Research in New York. “It raises the question: Was it a fad, a thing we only did one time for one game, or is it going to hold people’s attention longer?”

The game had generated $1 billion in revenue as of January, and Niantic CEO John Hanke insists “Pokemon Go” is no passing fad.

The game — whose servers had difficulty handling traffic last summer — will fulfill long-promised additions of sought-after “legendary” Pokemon and the ability for players to battle and trade with each other, he said.

“What happened last summer was really kind of strange, where ‘Pokemon Go’ spiraled out of control to this level of cultural awareness that nobody expected, certainly not us,” Hanke said. The “extremely

In this July 12, 2016, file photo, Doduo, a Pokemon, is found by a group of Pokemon Go players using a smartphone, at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami.

Associated Press

successful” game now has usage “at a more normal level,” he said.

The hard-to-replicate game still has an enviable following in Japan, China, Korea as well as North America, Dreunen said.

Since the game’s release,

Dreunen said, the $40.6 billion worldwide mobile game industry has become flooded, and investment may shift to mobile games that rely on wellloved characters and provide frequent updates.

As spring approaches,

there are signs of new life.

Milwaukee County has prepared for “Pokemon Go” and future augmented-reality games by requiring game developers to obtain a permit to get players into parks.

In Maine, members of the “Pokemon Go” 207 Facebook group have noticed more screenshots from players taking up the game again.

Nick Fournier, a 21-yearold media studies student at the University of Southern Maine, said he’s glad the company has finally begun listening to players’ complaints.

He described last summer as a phenomenon brought on by the game’s nostalgia and the technology’s novelty that he doesn’t expect to see again.

Erin Morrison, a 23-yearold schoolteacher living in Greene, Maine, said she has kept playing through a dreary winter by driving to places she knew had multiple spots to catch Pokemon.

“With the new update, it’s been so awesome,” she said. “I’m seeing so many people coming back out.”q

Uber self-driving cars are coming back to California roads SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Uber’s self-driving cars will return to California’s streets, though the ridehailing company doesn’t immediately plan to pick up passengers.

Uber received a permit Wednesday to test two Volvo SUVs on public roads, the California Department of Motor Vehicles said.

Regulators also approved 48 people as backup drivers who must sit behind the wheel in case the prototype cars malfunction, agency spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez said.

The permit resolves a conflict dating to December.

That’s when Uber — an aggressive player in the

self-driving race to bring the technology to the market — rolled out a pilot program in San Francisco, its hometown.

The DMV revoked the registrations for 16 Uber vehicles, shutting down the test.

Uber knew about the DMV’s requirement to receive permission before testing in public, but the company argued that its cars do not meet the state’s definition of an “autonomous vehicle” because they need a person to monitor them and intervene if needed.

That argument raised eyebrows both among regulators and other companies with similar technology that did get permits.

The pilot program caught the state — and San Francisco city officials — off guard.

Amid a showdown that last several days, during which a few self-driving Uber SUVs did not stop for red lights, state prosecutors threatened to haul Uber before a judge if the service was not suspended immediately.

Uber responded by packing up its cars for Arizona, where it began picking up passengers last month.

Uber said in a statement Wednesday that it does not plan to ferry paying passengers for now, as it does in Pittsburgh and a Phoenix suburb.

The company did not say

In this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, an Uber driverless car heads out for a test drive in San Francisco.

Associated Press

when the two Volvos would be driving on California roads.

With the approval, Uber

becomes the 26th company to have a self-driving car testing permit in California.q

A24 BUSINESS

Friday 10 March 2017

On the bull market’s 8th birthday, 8 facts to consider The Associated Press Financial markets were in a pretty dark place on March 9, 2009.

The U.S. financial system had been shaken to its core by the collapse of Lehman Brothers a few months earlier, plunging prices for stocks and a freeze-up in lending.

That turned out to be the day the stock market bottomed out after that crisis, however, and the beginning of the current bull market, which is now the second-longest since World War II following a 10year run that ended with the dot-com implosion in early 2000.

With the current bull market celebrating its eighth birthday, we thought it would be fun to collect eight facts about the market, and other things people care about, that help illustrate what’s happened since then.

U.S. STOCKS Anyone with a strong enough stomach to have held on through the market’s ups and downs over the past eight years has been handsomely rewarded. A $10,000 investment on March 9, 2009 in Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index fund, the largest mutual fund by assets, is now worth nearly $42,000.

GOLD

People pose with “Charging Bull,” a bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica, in New York’s Financial District. On March 9, 2017, one of the greatest runs for the stock market in history is marking its eighth anniversary, and this time investors are joining the party. They’re putting more dollars into mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that invest in U.S. stocks, a turnaround from earlier years, even though critics see a long list of reasons for caution.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Gold has been on a wild ride up, and then mostly down, in the past eight years. In the summer of 2011, gold was looking much more enticing to a lot of investors versus stocks. Its price surged to a record high on worries about the U.S. credit rating, Europe’s debt crisis and the possibility of higher inflation. But each of those concerns has dissipated, and $10,000 invested in the largest gold ETF on March 9, 2009 is now worth about $12,650.

WINNING STOCKS The biggest winners in the S&P 500 index during the bull market include drug companies that succeeded in bringing experimental drugs to market, Netflix, which grew into a giant streaming video service, and travel companies including airlines and booking websites.

Incyte, a drugmaker, went from just over $2 a share to $136, Alaska Air jumped from about $3 to $95 and Netflix jumped from about $5 a share to $140.

LOSING STOCKS Traditional retailers have plunged over the past eight years as online competition grew, and natural gas companies have struggled as the price of that fuel fell by more than half thanks to the rapid growth of fracking.

Chesapeake Energy went from about $13 to just under $5 a share, Staples went from over $14 to just under

$9, and Frontier Communications slid from a bit over $5 to about $2.50.

HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS Health insurance premiums have spiked well over 40 percent since 2008, reaching $18,142 per family in 2016, according to The Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. If costs had remained static for employer-sponsored family health coverage in the U.S., rather than paying off your insurer, you could buy four plane tickets from New York to Tahiti, a semester at a public university, or a one-carat pave diamond engagement from Tiffany & Co. with a white gold band. Every year.

Soaring drug and technology costs and the lack of a true market in which patients can hunt for the best deal all combine to push health care costs higher than inflation annually.

HOME PRICES The U.S. housing market was still reeling eight years ago from the collapse of the housing boom and the financial crisis. Home prices tumbled as foreclosures piled up. By March 2009, the U.S. median home price stood at $169,900, according to the National Association of Realtors. The downturn continued until about 2012, when the market started to slowly come back. By now, most homeowners who weathered the slump and subsequent rebound have seen their home equity recover, and then some. The median home price in January was $228,900, an increase of 34.7 percent, according to the NAR. BIGGEST COMPANY, THEN AND NOW In 2009, Exxon Mobil was by far the biggest publicly traded company, with a valuation of $345 billion, more than twice as big as its closest rival at the time, Procter & Gamble, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. At that time it had been just two years since Apple had released its first iPhone, and, well, you know the rest. Apple is now by far the biggest publicly traded company with a value of $775 billion, more than twice Exxon’s current value.

DISNEY WORLD It’s not just stocks, home prices, and health care ... prices for fun things have gone up in the past eight years, too. A one-day ticket for Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida would set you back $75 in 2009, not adjusted for inflation, according to AllEars.

Net. This year, a regular, one-day adult ticket costs $115.q

Picked to fix AIG, Hancock will step down NEW YORK (AP) — Three weeks after AIG reported a titanic loss, the person chosen to turn things around at one of the world’s largest insurance companies is stepping down.

AIG said Thursday that CEO Peter Hancock, appointed

less than three years ago, will remain as the company’s chief executive until a successor is found.

American International Group Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss of $3.04 billion on Feb. 14, and company shares plunged 9 per-

cent in one day.

It was its worst performance since the New York company nearly collapsed in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis.

AIG required a $180 billion bailout to prevent a total implosion.q

BUSINESS A25

Friday 10 March 2017

Some anniversary: stocks barely move as bull market turns 8 MARLEY JAY AP Markets Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks meandered Thursday as the eighth anniversary for the current bull market turned out to be a quiet one.

Large-company stocks finished mostly higher, but declines in smaller stocks across the board meant that more companies fell than rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

The market started out with small gains, then dipped in the early afternoon. Thanks to late gains for energy companies, major indexes turned higher near the end of trading.

Industrial companies dipped as heavy machinery maker Caterpillar continues to slide. Health care companies climbed and banks rose along with bond yields. Trading was light following a three-day losing streak.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index picked up 1.89 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,364.87 Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 2.46 points to 20,858.19.

The Nasdaq composite rose 1.25 points to 5,838.81.

The Russell 2000 index of

Trader Michael Conlon, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. stocks meandered Thursday as the eighth anniversary for the current bull market turned out to be a quiet one.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

small-company stocks lost 5.92 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,360.12. More than twothirds of the stocks on the NYSE ended lower.

The S&P 500 is up 250 percent since March 9, 2009, when it bottomed out in the depths of the financial crisis. The current bull run is the second-longest since World War II and it may have a while to go, as wages are growing and

hiring appears to be on the rise.

“Bull markets typically don’t die of old age,” said David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategist at UBS Wealth Management Americas.

“They typically die because there’s a downturn in the economy.”

Lefkowitz said there are few signs that will happen any time soon. While the Federal Reserve is likely to raise

RadioShack files for second bankruptcy in 2 years FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — RadioShack has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in just over two years, putting the future of the nearly 100-year-old electronics retailer in doubt.

Once known as the place to buy batteries and obscure electronic parts, RadioShack has struggled to hang on to customers as more people shop on Amazon.com and other online retailers. It redesigned its stores about three years ago and stocked its shelves with popular headphone brands and the latest gadgets. But that didn’t attract more shoppers, and the retailer filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015.

After that, it tried to lure smartphone-loving shoppers by opening Sprint wireless carrier shops within 1,200 RadioShack loca-

tions. But that didn’t help, either. CEO Dene Rogers said Thursday that mobile phone sales were “surprisingly poor,” especially in recent months.

RadioShack said it is in the process of closing 200 stores and will evaluate its options for the remaining 1,300. Of those remaining locations, Sprint Corp. said it will turn “several hundred” of them into Sprint-only stores, but declined to give a specific number. RadioShack, based in Fort Worth, Texas, has nearly 5,900 employees, according to bankruptcy paperwork filed on Wednesday. The company said it will try to “preserve as many jobs as possible.”

Its stores are open for business, but RadioShack said that anything sold at them cannot be returned for a refund. Its website, however, will continue to accept

returns on items bought from RadioShack.com. The company said that those holding a RadioShack gift card have until April 7 to spend it at stores.q

interest rates next week, inflation remains low and he said the Fed’s actions shouldn’t stifle economic growth.

“The key question is how quickly does inflation continue to rise from here and

how aggressive does the Fed need to get,” he said.

Health care companies made the biggest gains.

The leaders included Johnson & Johnson, which rose $1.85, or 1.5 percent, to $125.95. Cancer drug maker Celgene added $2.09, or 1.7 percent, to $125.13 while medical device maker Edwards Lifesciences contributed $3.53, or 3.9 percent, to $93.06.

Crude oil prices continued to slip after the U.S. government reported a huge buildup in fuel stockpiles Wednesday. Oil is now trading at its lowest price since November, before OPEC countries agreed to reduce production in an effort to shore up prices.

Benchmark U.S. oil fell $1, or 2 percent, to $49.28 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 92 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $52.19 a barrel in London. Energy companies lost ground early in the day but jumped in the final hour of trading.q

A26 COMICS

Friday 10 March 2017

Mutts

Conceptis Sudoku

6 Chix

Blondie

Mother Goose & Grimm

Baby Blues

Zits

Yesterday’s puzzle answer

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

CLASSIFIED A27

Friday 10 March 2017

Haiti Continued from Page 12

Amid relative stability, Haitian lawmakers argue it is time for Haiti to finally manage all of its own security affairs.

“The government needs to negotiate MINUSTAH’s departure as soon as possible,” said Sen. Patrice Dumont, who represents the West department, which contains about 40 percent of Haiti’s electorate.

President Jovenel Moise and legislative leaders say the vastly improved police force is not enough. They want a real military to replace the army that was abolished in 1995 after a long history of coups and human rights abuses. They say a reconstituted army would create jobs, protect borders and assist during natural disasters.

With coffers so depleted that many public workers aren’t getting paid, creating a new military would require sustained international support, said Jake Johnston, a researcher for the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.

But Kenneth Merten, the U.S. State Department’s special coordinator for Haiti, said that “it would be difficult to imagine U.S. financial support for recreating the Haitian military.”

On a recent day in Cite Soleil, home to over 400,000 people, a group of men sat in the shade and gazed at Brazilian soldiers stopping motorists at a checkpoint.

They broke into laughter when asked about their political leaders’ military ambitions. Weeks before leaving office in February 2016, then-President Michel Martelly passed a decree to reinstate the army, but a real one doesn’t exist.

Oranjestad

Dr. M. Pieterse Tel. 583 3330

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For Sale Divi Phoenix Weeks 1 & 2 (Sat-Sat) 1 Bdr Price $ 35,000 obo Call Allan at 737-3006 info@buyarubatimeshares.com www.buyarubatimeshares.com _________________________________207148

For Sale Barcello Week 7, Unique Must-Buy 2 Bdr/2.5 Bath, Sleeps 8 Price $ 37,000.Always 5th-8th floor Always Front Ocean View!!

Call Allan at 737-3006 info@buyarubatimeshares.com www.buyarubatimeshares.com _________________________________207148

For Sale Renaissance Week 48, 1 Bdr, Slps 4 Rm # 311, Pool/Ocean V Price $ 5,703.Maintenance 2017 Paid Call Allan at 737-3006 info@buyarubatimeshares.com www.buyarubatimeshares.com ________________________________207148

FOR SALE BY OWNER wk 11 Divi Links Golf & Beach Rm 4221 1 Br /2Ba RTU: Exp.2051 + 10 Accelerated Sleeps 4 $6,250 wk 9 Divi Little Bay St. Maarten Rm 621 1 Br/2Ba RTU: Exp.2042 + 10 Accelerated Sleeps 4 $6,250 ritchey5652@comcast.net _________________________________207149

FOR SALE week 9 Renaissance Ocean Suites Fabulous 5th floor slepps four bird eye view of Carnival Parade only $8,000 Call: 583 6000 Room 2561 Island privileges also

dOCTOR ON DUTY

FOR SALE Casa del Mar Ambassador Unit 1329 weeks 9 & 10 deeded same room no moving for sale asking $8,500 per week on island until 3/22 obo E-mail: tdon310@netscape.net _________________________________207121

FOR SALE Two Gold Coast Towhouses Gated Community, 3 pools, Gym, Club House, Tennis courts Call Rich 737 0993 or view at goldcoastarubaproperties.com Call Butch 562 0735 or view at www.arubarental.info ____________________________________206898

FOR SALE motivided owner Divi Golf Villas Eagle building 30% off from compatible market value.

Unit # 4130 1 st floor 1 tousand squar foot, one bedroom sleep four, infinity pool week 6 $8,000 USD $258a week only (31 years left) week 7 $9,000 USD $290 a week only (31 years left) Call: - 774 - 3121272 USA hermeneazizian@icloud.com

Dr. Tromp Tel. 584 7224

EMERGENCIA 911

POLICE ORANJESTAD NOORD STA. CRUZ SAN NICOLAS POLICE TIPLINE FIRE DEPT. FIRE DEPT. HOSPITAL DENTAL CLINIC AMBULANCE IMSAN

100 527-3140 527-3200 527-2900 584-5000 11141 115 582-1108 527-4000 587-9850 582-1234 524-8833

Women in Difficulties

PHARMACY Oranjestad: Central Tel. 585 8077 San Nicolas Centro Medico Tel. 584 5794 INFORMATION 118 TAXI-TAS 587-5900 PROF. TAXI 588-0035 TAXI D.T.S. 587-2300 SERVICE AUA 583-3232 A1 TAXI SERVICES 587-8850

280-2828

CRUISE SHIP

_________________________________207134

FOR -SALE Property land situated downtown Kwarstraat / van Dragstraat / Eekhoustraat Mon Plaisir, Oranjestad 1304 m2 Contact tel: 594 2007 _________________________________207136

For Sale Motivated Owner: Casa del Mar 2B/2B Suites.

Wk. 1/1408($20,000); Wk. 2/1113($20,000); Wk. 5/1315($22,500) & 1521($25,000); Wk. 6/1315($22,500) & 1521($25,000); Wk. 7/1308 & 1408($22,500); Wk. 8/1113, 1408 & 1409($17,500); Wk. 9/1218($18,500); Wk. 10/1207($18,500); Wk. 11/1419($16,500); Wk. 12/1419($16,500); Wk. 13/1509($15,000); Wk. 14/1308($15,000); Wk. 15/1217($13,000).

CDMOwner@gmail.com U.S.(860) 992-3890. ______________________206879

March 10 Celebrity Eclipse March 11 Celebrity Eclipse Dept.

Zuiderdam Coral Princess

Aruba Airport 524-2424 American Airlines 582-2700 588-0059 Avianca Aruba Airlines 583-8300 Jet Blue 588-2244 Surinam 582-7896 Venezolana 583-7674

Aruba Foundation For those Visually Incapasitated Tel. 582-5051 AL-ANON group Sabana Liber #8, Noord Tel. 736-2952 or 593-7081

FUNDACIONS Respetami Tel. 582-4433 Centro Diabetic Arubano Tel. 524-8888 Narcotics Anonymous Tel. 583-8989 QUOTA Club Tel. 525-2672 Women in Difficulties Foundation Tel. 583-5400 Bloodbank Aruba Tel. 587-0002

A28 SCIENCE

Friday 10 March 2017

EPA chief: Carbon dioxide not primary cause of warming MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The new chief of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus and his own agency.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said measuring the effect of human activity on the climate is “very challenging” and that “there’s tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact” of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

“So, no, I would not agree that (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see,” Pruitt told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Pruitt’s view is contrary to mainstream climate science, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the EPA itself.

NASA and NOAA reported in January that earth’s 2016

In this Feb. 21, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks to employees of the EPA in Washington.

Associated Press

temperatures were the warmest ever. The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, “a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmo-

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sphere,” the agencies said in a joint statement.

The EPA says on its website that “carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.” The agency notes that human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, “release large amounts of CO2, causing concentrations in the atmosphere to rise.”

Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Thursday that “Scott Pruitt is just plain wrong on this.”

Emanuel, co-director of the Lorenz Center at MIT, said the most authoritative compilation of scientific

research has shown that increasing carbon dioxide has been the dominant source of global warming, followed by methane and other gases. Environmental groups and Democrats seized on Pruitt’s comments as evidence he is unfit for the office he holds.

“The arsonist is now in charge of the fire department, and he seems happy to let the climate crisis burn out of control,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

Pruitt “is spewing corporate polluter talking points rather than fulfilling the EPA’s mission of protecting our air, our water and our communities,” Brune said,

noting that EPA has a legal responsibility to address carbon pollution.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the comments underscore that Pruitt is a “climate denier” and insisted lawmakers will stand up to him.

“Anyone who denies over a century’s worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA,” Schatz said in a statement. Pruitt previously served as Oklahoma attorney general, where he rose to prominence as a leader in coordinated efforts by Republican attorneys general to challenge former President Barack Obama’s regulatory agenda. He sued or took part in legal actions against the EPA 14 times.

Pruitt said during his confirmation hearing in January that climate change is real — breaking with President Donald Trump and his own past statements. Pruitt told Democratic senators that he disagreed with Trump’s earlier claims that global warming is a hoax created by the Chinese to harm the economic competitiveness of the United States.

“I do not believe climate change is a hoax,” Pruitt said. The Republican has previously cast doubt on the extensive body of scientific evidence showing that the planet is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Friday 10 March 2017

‘This is Us’ season finale focus is ill-fated Jack, Rebecca

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — “This is Us” creator Dan Fogelman helpfully explains his timetwisting family drama’s ambitious theme: A vision of shared humanity, without end.

“There’s no dying.

There’s no you, or me, or them. It’s just us,” character Kevin says in a fifth-episode scene singled out by Fogelman as key.

“It has always been part of our conceit that people die but stay a very active part of the lives of both the people who knew and loved them” and the generations that follow, the writer-producer said.

But do not, even for a moment, expect his courtesy to extend to revelations about Tuesday’s season finale (9 p.m. EST) of the hit NBC drama already renewed through 2019.

Or — spoiler alert for laggard viewers! — that he’ll confess how Milo Ventimiglia’s Jack dies, or how Mandy Moore’s widowed Rebecca ends up with married man Miguel (Jon Huertas), or any of the other unknowns driving fans to distraction.

But Fogelman will say the season-ender is a showcase for Ventimiglia and Moore. While they’re part of a gifted ensemble cast, their characters’ unexpected journey and the ac-

tors’ chemistry made them standouts.

“It’s a very intense hour of television and I’m incredibly proud of Mandy and Milo’s performance in it,” Fogelman said. “I’m excited to see people react — hate it, love it, and hopefully come back to try to find out some things.”

Following Jack and Rebecca, their three children and others connected to them isn’t a linear experience.

“This is Us” hopscotches between decades past and present as we meet people at different stages in their lives.

There are scenes whose place on the timeline is uncertain, and the characters’ connections emerge gradually.

Think of it as “thirtysomething” meets “Lost,” everyday pathos sliced into a jigsaw puzzle.

In season one, Jack and Rebecca Pearson make a snap decision to adopt an abandoned African-American baby after losing one of their triplets at birth, and the family’s multiethnic nature is part — but only part — of the layered and emotionally intimate series. Because of its zigzag nature, we get glimpses of events yet to be explained.

Moore, for one, recommends taking the stories as they come, especially the circumstances of Jack’s death.

This Jan. 8, 2017 file photo shows Milo Ventimiglia, left, and Mandy Moore in the press room at the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Associated Press

“I encourage people to almost forget that Jack is not here present day,” she said. “I would hate for people to be sitting on pins and needles and saying, ‘Is this the episode?’ ‘Is that the episode?’”

But that intrigue likely is part of the drama’s success.

“This is Us” has broken into the top 10 shows among total viewers, unusual for a freshman series, and is a big winner with advertisercoveted young adult view-

ers ages 18 to 49 and with women.

Its numbers are only getting better. Last Tuesday, it drew its biggest audience yet, 11.2 million, and attracted 20 percent more young adults than its prior telecast.

Among young adult women, “This Is Us” is the No. 1 broadcast program for the season.

Ask Fogelman what’s behind the show’s appeal and he gamely offers up

several possibilities.

— The time-shifting approach adds an element of mystery to the family and “twists up their narrative in a way that maybe makes people pay attention to a family drama in a way they don’t always.”

— The casting, including the actors who play the three grown Pearson children, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley as, respectively Randall, Kate and Kevin. Count in Susan Kelechi Watson as Randall’s wife, Beth; Chris Sullivan as Kate’s boyfriend, Toby, and Ron Cephas Jones as Randall’s birth father, William.

— The characters all are “well-meaning and good but incredibly flawed,” providing a mirror in which viewers may see versions of themselves and their own relationships.

But maybe he’s overthinking it, Fogelman says: “It honestly may work because people enjoy looking at Mandy and Milo and there’s not too much more to it than that.”

(For the record, he also lauded them as “actors’ actors. They just happen to have the faces of stars.”)

Told of Fogelman’s suggestion that she and Ventimiglia might be irresistible eye candy and the show’s draw, Moore laughingly brushes it off.q

Samuel L. Jackson: Comments about black Brit actors not a slam RYAN PEARSON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Samuel Jackson said Wednesday he wasn’t trying to slam black British actors when he criticized their casting in American films such as the horror hit “Get Out” and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. drama “Selma.”

Jackson told The Associated Press that his comments Monday on the radio station Hot 97 weren’t necessarily misunderstood, but his criticism was not of the performers but rather of the system that allows black

actors from overseas take prominent roles in American films.

“It was not a slam against them, but it was just a comment about how Hollywood works in an interesting sort of way sometimes,” Jackson said at the premiere of his new film “Kong: Skull Island.”

Jackson noted on Monday that a lot of roles are going to British actors. He said he wondered what “Get Out” would have been like “with an American brother who really feels that.” Jordan Peele’s film is about

an African-American photographer, played by the British actor Daniel Kaluuya, whose white girlfriend brings him home to her parents’ house.

Jackson also pointed to Ava DuVernay’s “Selma,” which starred David Oyelowo as King.

His comments drew criticism from John Boyega, the British “Star Wars” star, who on Twitter called the debate a “stupid” conflict “we don’t have time for.”

On Wednesday, Jackson was complimentary of the skills and hard work black

In this Sept. 26, 2016 file photo, actor Samuel L. Jackson attends “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” red carpet event in New York.

Associated Press

British performers put in to take on American roles, but he said that was a oneway street.

“We’re not afforded that same luxury, but that’s fine, we have plenty of opportunities to work,” he said.q

A30 PEOPLE

Friday 10 March 2017

& ARTS

A ‘creative crush’ led Sally Field to ‘The Glass Menagerie’ MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Sally Field had a chance to cross “The Glass Menagerie” off her bucket list 13 years ago. It didn’t take.

The Emmy- and Oscarwinner is once again playing Amanda Wingfield, the fearsome Southern belle at the heart of the Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece.

Field may have played her at the Kennedy Center in

Washington, D.C., in 2004, and yet, here she is, playing her again on Broadway.

“It is really right up at the top — the finest American play ever written,” Field said. “There’s no doubt about that. I think that it invites investigation time and time again.” Of Wingfield, she added: “She’s a very complicated character to play.”

Field, 70, follows other celebrated actors who have

landed on Broadway in recent years to tackle roles they had earlier tried on, including Glenn Close in “Sunset Boulevard,” Jessica Lange in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” and Jeff Daniels in “Blackbird.”

For Field, it was a simple decision: “There are very few really interesting characters for older women in theater or in film or even, honestly, in literature. I mean, there are some but you have to look for them.”

“The Glass Menagerie “ centers on an aging, overpowering mother who hopes her unhappy son can fulfill her dreams of finding the perfect “gentleman caller” for her shy and damaged daughter.

The last Broadway revival was in 2013, starring Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto.

This revival is directed by Tony Award-winner Sam Gold and co-stars two-time Tony Award winning actor and director Joe Mantello, playing Field’s son, along with Finn Wittrock and Madison Ferris.

Field admits she has a “creative crush” on Gold, the much-admired director of the musical “Fun Home” who last year had explored the work in Amsterdam. Adding Mantello was just icing on the cake.

“Of course I would always consider doing Amanda again but under these circumstances it was better

In this March 3, 2017 photo, actress Sally Field poses for a portrait in New York. The Emmy- and Oscar-winner is playing Amanda Wingfield, the fearsome Southern belle at the heart of the Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece, “The Glass Menagerie,” on

than good,” she said.

Gold couldn’t believe his luck to entice Field. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” he said. “She was like, ‘I just want to get back on stage.’ And I was really excited about that play, which is her favorite part.

So it just worked out to be the easiest decision ever made.”

“The Glass Menagerie” that has emerged at the Belasco Theatre is more bare-boned than previous productions, according to Field. “It isn’t your mother’s ‘Glass Menagerie,’” she said. “It is a harder look at it.”

She won Academy Awards for “Norma Rae” and “Places in the Heart” and was Oscar nominated for

her Mary Todd in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.” She also spent five seasons in ABC’s “Brothers and Sisters,” winning an Emmy in its first season.

Field, whose only other appearance on Broadway was as a replacement in 2002 in “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia” by Edward Albee, is a huge theater fan, seeing as much as she can, often multiple times.

“It’s all worth seeing. I think right now, American theater is really exciting. I think in New York — off-Broadway, on Broadway — it’s a very exciting time. And I might add, I think, an important time for artists, for voices, for what theater is — for the dangerous nature of theater.”q

Reiner father and son to leave footprints at Chinese Theater LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner are set to make history at the TCL Chinese Theatre, becoming the first father and son to jointly leave their footprints in concrete outside the Hollywood landmark.

Organizers of the eighth annual TCM Classic Film Festival announced Thursday that it’ll recognize the two entertainers with a hand-and-footprint ceremony on April 7. Both Reiners have had long careers as writers, directors and actors.q

In this Aug. 18, 2000 file photo, Carl Reiner, left, appears with his son Rob Reiner at a Friars Club of California dinner in his honor in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Associated Pres

PEOPLE & ARTS

A31

Friday 10 March 2017

John Kerry, former secretary of state, writing memoir HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — John Kerry, the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and presidential candidate, has a book deal.

Kerry, 73, has signed with Simon & Schuster, the publisher told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The book, a memoir covering his life from childhood through his recent time as secretary of state, does not yet have a title or release date.

“This is the first opportunity I’ve had in a long time to pause and look back, with an eye toward looking forward. I hope we can produce a good book that captures for readers not so much my story, but some of the lessons learned along the way, including lessons learned the hard way,” Kerry said in a statement.

“I am grateful that Simon & Schuster is working with me to revisit meaningful moments lived at the intersection of history, and to help readers get to know some of the compelling people I’ve known, learned from, admired, and even debat-

ed with across my years.”

Kerry has been a public figure since the early 1970s. He was a decorated veteran who emerged as a spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization and denounced the conflict during Senate hearings, famously stating “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”

The Massachusetts Democrat later served nearly 30 years in the Senate, with colleagues ranging from Ted Kennedy to Barack Obama, and had an unsuccessful run for president in 2004, losing to incumbent George W. Bush. He was secretary of state during President Obama’s second term, with highlights including a global pact on climate change — the Paris Agreement — and a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Both agreements have been strongly questioned by President Donald Trump.

Kerry’s previous books include “The New War: The Web of Crime That Threat-

In this Dec. 5, 2016 file photo, then United States Secretary of State John Kerry delivers his speech after he receives Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit during a ceremony at the foreign ministry in Berlin. Associated Press

ens America’s Security” and he cooperated with biographer Douglas Brinkley on a book about his Vietnam experience, “Tour of Duty.” But he has never written a full-length memoir or discussed in depth his presidential run, when he was subjected to a conservative “swift boating” campaign that challenged

his war record. He served in the Senate from 1985 to 2013, when he succeeded Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

“This is a great American life, and what’s exciting about John Kerry’s memoir is that he’s finally got the time and perspective to tell the full story, in all of its sweep,” Jonathan Karp,

publisher of Simon & Schuster, said in a statement.

Kerry met with several publishers about the book, for which financial terms were not disclosed. He was represented by Robert Barnett, the Washington attorney who recently worked on book deals for Clinton and for Barack and Michelle Obama.q

NBC chief to Trump: We won’t be intimidated DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The chief of NBC News has a message for President Donald Trump: We’re not going to be intimidated.

NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said on Tuesday that the president’s attacks on some media outlets won’t deter his organization from doing its job.

NBC News was one of the organizations specifically cited by Trump last month in his tweet about the “fake news” media that is the “enemy of the American people.”

“We’re not the opposition party and we’re not in a popularity contest with this administration or any other administration,” said Lack, who supervises NBC’s broadcast news and digital properties, including MSNBC. He called the president’s attacks a

This May 14, 2015 photo released by NBC shows NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack in New York.

Associated Press

distraction.

Trump hasn’t specifically gone after any NBC News stories since he’s been president. But in his “enemy of the American people” tweet, he mentioned the

network along with ABC, CBS, CNN and The New York Times.

“This president has us focused every day more on temperament than we expected,” Lack said. The

executive, who gives interviews infrequently, spoke Tuesday at a conference held by the IESE Business School.

NBC News is trying to absorb the results of an election that the network, like many other news organizations, got wrong, he said. The network “relied too much on polls” and is evaluating how to use them in the future, he said. Lack said NBC needs more reporters along the likes of Hallie Jackson, Katy Tur, Kasie Hunt and Kristen Welker working in the states where Trump won, and promised the network would be able to afford them.

MSNBC’s ratings have been soaring since the election, along with other cable news networks, defying a general trend where viewership usually drops after a presidential election. It illustrates an intense interest

in politics stronger than at any point since 2000, Lack said.

At the same time, ratings have been comparatively softer for NBC News properties like “Nightly News” and the “Today” show. The people who watch those broadcasts are less interested in the day-to-day political machinations as cable news viewers, he said.

“We’re certainly sensitive to that,” he said.

Lack also said that he hired Megyn Kelly from Fox News Channel because he studied the interviews and other work she had done at Fox. Kelly was interested in working in morning television and reaching a broader audience, and that was something NBC News could offer that Fox couldn’t.

“She’s a great journalist,” he said. “I didn’t invest in her because of her star power.”q