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Thursday
January 12, 2017 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com
Page 17
Russian Roulette
Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson gestures while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, at his conformation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Trump’s Pick for Top Diplomat Takes Tough Line on Moscow
MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer QASHINGTON (AP) — Barraged by questions about Russia, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state promised a far more muscular approach toward
the Kremlin on Wednesday, abandoning much of the president-elect’s emphasis on improving ties between the Cold War foes. Instead, Rex Tillerson suggested the outgoing Obama administration re-
sponded too softly to Moscow’s takeover of Ukrainian territory. The surprising shift in tone by Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil CEO and Russian “Order of Friendship” recipient, reflected the difficulty
Trump will have in persuading Democrats and Republicans to broach a broad rapprochement with President Vladimir Putin’s government. Calling Russia a “danger” to the United States, Tiller-
son said he would keep U.S. sanctions in place and consider new penalties related to Russian meddling in the United States presidential election. Continued on Page 3
A2 UP
Thursday 12 January 2017
FRONT
Inmates’ uncertainty on Guantanamo prison’s 15th anniversary BEN FOX Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The looming presidency of Donald Trump has created a deep sense of uncertainty for inmates at Guantanamo on the 15th anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at the U.S. base in Cuba. Nineteen of the remaining 55 prisoners are cleared for release and could be freed in the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency, part of an effort to shrink the prison since the administration couldn’t close it on his watch. But those left behind will face the future under Trump, who has said he wants to keep Guantanamo open and recently called on Obama to halt releases. “There is a great deal of anxiety and fear,” said Pardiss Kebriaei, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New Yorkbased organization that represents five prisoners. That backdrop has given a feeling of urgency to anti-Guantanamo demonstrations scheduled for Wednesday’s anniversary in London, Los Angeles and Washington, featuring activists in the orange prison jumpsuits that came to symbolize the detention center though now they are typically worn only by a handful of detainees who have violated detention center rules and are on “disciplinary status.” In Washington, human
Protesters with Witness Against Torture participate in rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, calling for the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison, marking the 15th anniversary of the first Afghan prisoners arriving at the detention center. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)
rights groups, including Amnesty International USA, plan to rally at the Supreme Court and then march to the Senate as they demand Obama use his executive powers to override congressional restrictions on moving detainees to the U.S. and close the detention center before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, an unlikely prospect given it would face legal challenges and could be reversed once Trump takes office. “We want to see everyone in Guantanamo charged and fairly tried or released,” said Elizabeth Beavers, senior campaigner with Amnesty. “That’s what we see
as the only lawful disposition.” The U.S. began using its military base on southeast Cuba’s isolated, rocky coast to hold prisoners captured during the Afghanistan invasion, bringing the first planeload on Jan. 11, 2002, and reaching a peak 18 months later of nearly 680. There were 242 prisoners left when Obama took office in 2009, pledging to close what became a source of international criticism over the mistreatment of detainees and the notion of holding people indefinitely, most without charge. Obama was unable to close Guantanamo because of American oppo-
sition to holding any of the men in the United States. That ultimately became a ban on transferring them to U.S. soil for any reason, including trial, making the failure to close the detention center part of his legacy. Trump said during the campaign that he not only wants to keep Guantanamo open but “load it up with some bad dudes.” He weighed in on Twitter on Jan. 3, saying: “There should be no further releases from Gitmo. These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield.” Two days later, the Penta-
gon announced four men held for more than 14 years without charge had been released and transferred to Saudi Arabia for resettlement. “He’ll have an opportunity to implement the policy that he believes is most effective when he takes office on Jan. 20,” Earnest said. The 55 remaining prisoners include 10 who are in some stage of the military commissions, a hybrid of civilian and military court set up to prosecute men at Guantanamo for war crimes. One, an aide to Osama bin Laden, was convicted and is serving a life sentence; two are awaiting sentences as part of plea deals; and the other seven are in the pre-trial stage, including five men charged in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. With the 19 cleared to go, that leaves 26 being held under international laws of war that the U.S. government says allows it to detain men indefinitely if they pose a threat to the country or its allies. For the most part, they can’t be charged either because there isn’t adequate evidence or the only evidence that exists is tainted because it was obtained by torture or because courts say their alleged offenses aren’t international war crimes and could only be prosecuted by a civilian court in the United States, which is prohibited by Congress.q
Top Iraqi commander: Mosul could be liberated in 3 months SUSANNAH GEORGE Associated Press IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — A top Iraqi commander told The Associated Press that the operation to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group could be complete in three months or less. “It’s possible” that Mosul will be liberated in in that time frame, Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati said in an interview with the AP on Tuesday evening. However, he warned it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of how long the operation will take because it is not a conventional fight.
“There are many variables,” he said, describing the combat as “guerrilla warfare.” On Wednesday, Iraqi forces announced that three more neighborhoods in eastern Mosul had been retaken from IS fighters. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of Iraq’s special forces estimated about 85 percent of eastern Mosul was now under Iraqi control. The massive offensive involving some 30,000 Iraqi forces was launched in October and Iraqi leaders originally pledged the city would be retaken before 2017. However as the fight
enters its fourth month, only about a third of the city is under government control. Iraqi forces — largely led by special forces — have slowly advanced across Mosul’s east. Fierce IS counterattacks have killed and injured hundreds of Iraqi troops and inflicted considerable damage to Iraqi military equipment. Repeatedly, after what appeared to be swift progress on the ground, Iraqi forces have been pushed back by IS counterattacks overnight. However, Shaghati said the counterattacks — specifi-
cally car bombings — have slowed. He estimated his forces are seeing less than half the number of IS car bomb attacks on the front than they were faced with when the operation first began. The U.S.-led coalition bombed the bridges spanning the Tigris river connecting Mosul’s east and west in November in an effort to stop the flow of car bombs to Iraqi frontline positions in the eastern half of the city. Shaghati, the top commander of Iraq’s special forces and the Commander of Iraq’s Joint Military
Operation said that while many forces are participating in the Mosul fight, Iraq’s special forces are the only troops with the skills to fight IS. “The forces who have the skills to fight guerrilla warfare is only the CTS,” he said using an alternative acronym for Iraq’s special forces who are also called the counter-terrorism forces. “They have flexibility and can act quickly,” he said. For the Mosul operation to continue, Shaghati said Iraqi forces need to continue to receive support and equipment from the U.S-led coalition. q
U.S. NEWS A3
Thursday 12 January 2017
Trump’s pick for top diplomat takes tough line on Moscow Continued from front
Although he said he hadn’t read last week’s classified assessment by the U.S. intelligence community, Tillerson said it was a “fair assumption” that Putin would have ordered the operation that purportedly included hacking, propaganda and internet trolls to harm Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and advance Trump’s. But in a puzzling revelation, Tillerson conceded he hadn’t yet talked with Trump about a Russia policy. “Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests,” Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He added that Trump’s administration would be committed to the defense of America’s NATO partners, an obligation the presidentelect called into question during the campaign if allies failed to meet defense spending pledges. While his prepared statement reflected some of Trump’s desire for improved ties, Tillerson quickly pivoted under pressure from both sides of the aisle. On Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimea region, he said, “That was a taking of territory that was not theirs.” Still, he criticized President Barack Obama’s sanctions on Russia, which ended up costing Exxon hundreds of millions of dollars. And he declared that he would have responded by urging Ukraine to send all available military units to its eastern border with Russia and recommending U.S. and allied support through defensive weapons and air surveillance, to send a message to Moscow. “That is the type of response that Russia expects,” he said in a response to questions from Sen. Marco Rubio, Tillerson’s toughest GOP inquisitor, who later lectured the oil man on human rights and hinted he might withhold his support. “If Russia acts with force,” Tillerson said, “they require a proportional show of
force.” Trump offered a sharply different account of Ukraine during the presidential campaign and never proposed a show of U.S. military force in Ukraine.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., questions Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson during Tillerson’s confirmation hearing before the committee, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
In an August interview, he claimed Russia would not enter Ukraine, not seeming to know Russian troops were already there. He suggested Crimea didn’t count because the peninsula’s people preferred being part of Russia, restating Putin’s reason for taking the territory in 2014. Like Trump, Tillerson vowed complete support for Israel, which he called America’s “most important ally” in the Middle East. He said the new administration would undertake a full review of the Iran nuclear deal to deny the Islamic republic the ability to acquire an atomic weapon. He said that might only be possible if Iran can no longer enrich uranium, which the accord permits under strict constraints and without which Tehran wouldn’t have made the deal. Some of the questioning reflected the traditional friction between a Congress that wants to prescribe foreign policy and an executive branch that traditionally seeks to maintain broad flexibility in its international affairs, tinted by Tillerson’s vocal opposition to economic sanctions as a business leader. Addressing some of Congress’ most experienced architects of U.S. economic pressure, Tillerson called sanctions “a powerful tool” in deterrence that could, however, also project weakness if applied poorly. He said neither he nor Exxon had lobbied against sanctions.q
A4 U.S.
Thursday 12 January 2017
NEWS
Black lawmakers say Sessions unfit to be attorney general
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., left, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, at the second day of a confirmation hearing for Attorney Generaldesignate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
MARY JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Black lawmakers said Wednesday that Sen. Jeff Sessions at times has shown hostility toward civil rights, making him unfit to be attorney general, as a 1986 letter from the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. surfaced strongly expressing opposition to the Alabama senator. In the second day of confirmation hearings, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Sessions’ colleague, and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who was beaten when he marched for civil rights in the 1960s, warned that Sessions could move the country backward if confirmed as Donald Trump’s top law enforcement official. Booker said the “arc of the universe does not just naturally curve toward justice, we must bend it,” and the country needs an attorney general who is determined to bend it. “Senator Sessions’ record does not speak to that desire, intention or will,” Booker said, noting his opposition to overhauling the criminal justice system and his positions on other issues affecting minority groups. Lewis told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the country needs “someone who’s going to stand up, speak up and speak out for the people that need help, the people who have been discriminated against.” And Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, urged senators to reject Sessions’ eventual nomination because he has “advanced an agenda that will do great harm” to African-Americans. The lawmakers’ criticism echoed Cornell Brooks, the head of the NAACP, who told the panel earlier in the day that the organization “firmly believes” Sessions is unfit to serve. The Alabama Republican was rejected by the Judiciary panel in 1986 for a federal judgeship amid accusations that he had called a black attorney “boy” — which he denied — and the NAACP and
ACLU “un-American.” Sessions on Tuesday called those accusations “damnably false” and said he is “totally committed to maintaining the freedom and equality that this country has to provide to every citizen.” The lawmakers’ testimony brought two days of confirmation hearings for Sessions to a close. He has solid support from the Senate’s Republican majority and from some Democrats in conservative-leaning states, and is expected to easily win confirmation. But Democrats are using the hearings to try to show that Sessions — and Trump’s administration — won’t be committed to civil rights, a chief priority of the Justice Department during the Obama administration. On Tuesday, the NAACP released a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King, widow of the civil rights leader, in which she said that Sessions’ actions as a federal prosecutor were “reprehensible” and that he used his office “in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.” “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens in the district he now seeks to serve as a federal judge,” Mrs. King wrote. Mrs. King died in 2006. Richmond complained during his testimony that putting the all-black panel at the end of the hearings was akin to being made to go to the “back of the bus,” a reference to 1960s segregation laws. During his testimony, many members of the Congressional Black Caucus sat in the audience. Not everyone on the panel criticized Sessions. Three men who had worked with Sessions in Alabama and Washington, all black, testified in support. Jesse Seroyer, a former U.S. marshal for the Middle District of Alabama, said Sessions is a “good honest person who is going to give all he has to make sure everyone is treated fairly under the law.”q
U.S. NEWS A5
Thursday 12 January 2017
Baltimore, US to announce details of police reform decree JULIET LINDERMAN Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — The city of Baltimore and the U.S. Justice Department have reached agreement on a consent decree that will require the city to reform its police department. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced a joint news conference to describe the details of the decree at City Hall on Thursday morning, after a city spending board meets to approve the deal. A federal judge also must approve it to make it binding. The projected cost has not been announced, but the previous mayor said it could be $30 million. The Justice Department opened a formal investigation of the department’s patterns and practices after the death in police custody of a 25-yearold black man, Freddie Gray. Six police officers were charged but none were convicted in the arrest and death of Gray, whose neck was severed inside a police van. The agreement, finalized
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, center, accompanied by Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Vanita Gupta, speaks with reporters after a meeting with community activists at Baltimore University in Baltimore, Md. The city of Baltimore and the U.S. Justice Department have reached agreement on a consent decree that will require the city to reform its police department. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
in the waning days of the Obama administration, is intended to remain in effect under a new attorney general. Civil rights advocates have expressed concern that Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, may not pursue allegations of po-
lice misconduct with the same vigor. The Justice Department opened similar investigations into about two dozen local law enforcement agencies under President Barack Obama, including Ferguson, Missouri; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and
Cleveland. In Chicago, where a white officer was videotaped fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times, a Justice Department report to be released Friday will conclude that police officers have a pattern and practice of vio-
lating people’s rights, using excessive force and displaying racial bias, according to an official familiar with the findings. That official spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, lacking authorization to speak publicly about it. In Baltimore, one of the largest departments to come under such scrutiny, the Justice Department concluded in August that officers routinely used excessive force, discriminated against African-Americans and made unlawful arrests. It found that officers stop large numbers of people — mostly in poor, black neighborhoods — with dubious justification, and unlawfully arrest citizens merely for speaking in ways police deem disrespectful. The report also said that physical force was often used unnecessarily, against juveniles, the mentally disabled and civilians who aren’t dangerous or pose an immediate threat. Force is often used as a retaliatory tactic in instances where officers “did not like what those individuals said,” the report concluded.q
Police accuse 2 of helping fugitive before officer’s killing MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Police leading a massive manhunt for the suspected killer of an Orlando officer on Wednesday collected hundreds of tips and announced the arrests of two people who allegedly aided the fugitive, promising to reward anyone who turns him in, and punish anyone who helps him hide. Court records show that Markeith Loyd’s niece, 27-year-old Lakensha Smith-Loyd, was arrested
on an accessory charge Wednesday, a day after the fugitive’s supervisor at a fried chicken restaurant, Zarghee Mayan, was arrested on the same charge. Mayan’s arrest affidavit said Smith-Loyd collected money from him to give to her uncle in the days after the slaying of his ex-girlfriend in mid-December. Smith-Loyd’s affidavit says she contacted deputies after the ex-girlfriend’s murder and promised to help them find her uncle if they first told her whether a fire-
arm had been recovered from the murder scene. Then she stopped cooperating even as she contacted others on her uncle’s behalf, the affidavit said. Mayan is accused of supplying restaurant food to his former co-worker, driving him around and offering him money, despite knowing he was wanted in the slaying his pregnant exgirlfriend, the affidavit said. “Mayan did so with the intent that Markeith Demangzlo Loyd avoid or escape detection, arrest,
trial or punishment,” the arrest affidavit said. Mayan told authorities his most recent encounter with Loyd was last Saturday, two days before Master Sgt. Debra Clayton was fatally shot in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Mayan said he noticed that Loyd was armed and wearing body armor when they embraced, according to his arrest affidavit. During another encounter, right after Loyd’s ex-girlfriend was killed in mid-December, Mayan said Loyd came into the restaurant
with a gun, pointed at Mayan and said, “’Drive me or I will kill you, I just did something real bad,’” the affidavit said. Mayan said he drove Loyd to several locations, including the home of Loyd’s estranged wife, where Loyd told him to knock on the door. Mayan said he only walked to the door without knocking because he was afraid Lloyd would shoot her, according to the affidavit, which noted that Mayan told conflicting stories about his encounters with Loyd.q
A6 U.S.
Thursday 12 January 2017
NEWS
Trump’s long-awaited news conference quickly turns combative
President-elect Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A shouting match with a reporter. A long unexplained prop. An unexpected interlude from a lawyer. Donald Trump’s raucous
first news conference as president-elect bore little resemblance to the usually staid and choreographed sessions with the occupant of the Oval Office. It was a 58-minute display of how some of the old
rules of journalism will be tested in the Trump era. More than 250 journalists packed Trump Tower for the celebrity businessman’s first full-fledged news conference since July, which was billed as a forum to dis-
cuss his separation from his business but quickly turned into a loud, wide-ranging free-for-all about U.S. intelligence, Russian hacking and, eventually, some of Trump’s policy plans after he takes office on Jan. 20. Only one seat was saved by a Republican National Committee aide, a frontrow spot for a reporter from Breitbart, the conservative news outlet until recently run by Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon. Other reporters scrambled to save their seats. Reporters shouted and waved their arms at Trump to get his attention, rather than the president calling on questioners from a list, as is often the practice. Trump stood at a podium next to a pile of manila folders on a table. But only well into the press conference did he later explain the papers were documentation of his new business arrangement, details of which were explained
only when Trump abruptly ceded the stage to his lawyer. Trump staffers blocked reporters from examining the folders. The business announcement aside, Trump really came ready to do battle with press. Coming hours after news reports revealed intelligence officials had presented Trump with unsubstantiated and salacious allegations regarding his relationship to Russia, Trump and his team opened the news conference by condemning news organizations that disclosed details, calling out CNN and BuzzFeed as “disgraceful.” He later refused to let CNN reporter Jim Acosta ask a question, saying, “Your organization is terrible” and demanding that he be “quiet” and allow another reporter a turn. “I am not going to give you a question,” Trump said, ignoring Acosta’s requests. “You are fake news.”q
LePage takes message to cordial outlets, ignores other media
Maine Gov. Paul LePage attends an opioid abuse conference in Boston. LePage has gone three months without a press conference and has retreated to friendly talk-radio stations and conservative online outlets. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage has gone three months without a press conference and has retreated to friendly talk-radio stations and conservative online outlets. It appears the new normal for Maine journalists is
covering LePage’s often unchallenged, sometimes dubious remarks to websites like Breitbart or on WVOM-FM and WGAN-FM on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. He’s taken to the airwaves to share details of his bariatric surgery, erroneously claim that legislators don’t have to enact
approved ballot referendums and blame Democrats for 900 layoffs in southern Maine that never happened. His disdain for the media dates back to at least 2010, when the newly elected governor faced reporters’ questions about his wife’s tax exemptions and he stormed out of his news
conference. Joshua Roiland, a journalism professor at the University of Maine, said LePage’s strategy is similar to Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s use of Twitter: setting the day’s political agendas with unfiltered, vague remarks about complex policy issues. “What it does is give LePage all the power, to make misstatements or have pointed conservations in ways politically advantageous to him and not be questioned about it,” he said. Some observers, including past Maine governors’ press secretaries, say LePage’s strategy of bringing his message directly to the people while ignoring the media could backfire by never letting his side get into stories. “They are the only business mentioned in the Constitution, and you are going to have to deal with them,” said Dennis Bailey, a political consultant who served as spokesman for Independent Gov. Angus King.
Calls and emails to the governor’s press office get answered occasionally, while public records requests filed by The Associated Press to LePage’s office have remained unfulfilled for five months. His office didn’t respond to a request for comment on this article Wednesday. LePage’s strategy of slighting the media is a noted departure from past governors, said David Farmer, a former spokesman for Democratic Gov. John Baldacci. During King’s time in office, he had an opendoor policy and would hold daily press conferences, while Farmer said Baldacci strived to never see a “no comment” in an article. LePage vowed to run the most transparent administration in state history, though his actions and statements have made clear that promise doesn’t apply to the media. His administration did not hold a routine press briefing of the governor’s last biennial budget, which was released late Friday.q
U.S. NEWS A7
Thursday 12 January 2017
Yellowstone grizzly decision stalls amid opposition MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A deluge of opposition from dozens of American Indian tribes, conservation groups and some scientists is tying up a decision on lifting protections for more than 700 grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National park. Officials had planned to finalize by the end of 2016 a proposal to turn management of grizzlies over to state officials and allow limited hunting. But U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Regional Director Michael Thabault said it could take the agency another six months to finish reviewing 650,000 public comments that have poured in on the proposal. Researchers tallied 106 Yellowstone-area grizzlies killed in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming during the past two years, often by wildlife managers following attacks on livestock and occasionally during run-ins with hunters. That’s the highest number of deaths in such a short time since the animal was listed as a threatened spe-
cies in 1975. But Thabault said the death rate was sustainable given that the overall population has greatly expanded from 136 bears when protections were first imposed. “The bear population has been increasing over time and those mortalities are within the bounds of what we’ve been considering,” he said. “We expect the population to go up and down, but basically revolve around this (current) level.” Officials in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have been lobbying heavily to take grizzlies off the threatened species list. They say the animals have recovered from near-extermination last century and limited trophy hunting should be allowed. Critics argue that hunts sponsored by state wildlife agencies could reverse the grizzly’s four-decade recovery. Representatives of dozens of Indian tribes have signed onto a treaty urging the Fish and Wildlife Service not to lift protections for an animal that’s regarded as sacred within many native cultures. Federal officials have held
A Grizzly bear is seen in Yellowstone National Park near Mammoth Wyoming. Federal officials are delaying their decision on whether to lift protections for more than 700 grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park and allow hunting. (David Grubbs/Billings Gazette via AP)
talks with some tribal officials to address their objections. However, the government is not bound to make any changes based on the tribal consultations. Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk raised concerns in November about the way scientists count bears, which could impact how many are made avail-
able to hunters. But in December, Wenk’s superior, National Park Service Associate Regional Director Patrick Walsh, signed off on a Yellowstone grizzly conservation plan that’s required in order for protections to be lifted. The reversal came after the states agreed to use a conservative bear counting method
going forward, in part to help prevent excessive hunting. An estimated 50,000 Grizzlies once roamed much of North America. Most were killed off by hunters in the 19th and early 20th centuries and they now occupy only about 2 percent of their original range across the Lower 48 states.q
Massachusetts weighs doing away with winter time shift BOB SALSBERG Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Lacking authority to change the laws of physics to allow more sunlight on the darkest days of winter, a special commission is instead considering whether Massachusetts should change the laws of man and observe daylight saving time year-round. If adopted, Massachusetts residents wouldn’t have to set their clocks back in November and forward in March, as most of the U.S. does.
Benefits of having daylight saving time throughout the year could include energy savings and less seasonal depression, proponents suggest. Skeptics argue it would be impractical for Massachusetts to make such a change on its own if the rest of New England does not. And if the sun sets later in the day it also would rise later in the morning, posing dangers for children walking to school in the dark. Are we just going to be trading one problem for another problem?” asked Republican state
Rep. Paul Frost, a member of the 11-member commission that met for the first time Wednesday and hopes to make recommendations by March 31. Massachusetts isn’t alone in weighing the pros and cons of doing away with the seasonal time shifts. California, Alaska and nearly a dozen other states have debated similar measures. Some of Massachusetts’ neighbors also have broached the subject. A Rhode Island lawmaker proposed a bill last year that he hoped would lead
the entire Northeast region to shift one-hour eastward to the Atlantic Time Zone, which includes several Canadian maritime provinces. “When I moved up here in 2011 I was horrified when the sun set at 4:11 p.m. and I thought to myself there has to be a better way,” said Tom Emswiler, a Quincy resident who penned a widely read newspaper oped piece and then asked his state senator to file a bill creating the commission, to which Emswiler was later named. The New England region juts
out further into the Atlantic than other eastern states, making winter days seem even shorter, Emswhile said. Public health data suggest more heart attacks and car crashes occur when clocks spring ahead in March and sleep patterns are altered, he said. While potential energy savings are disputed, panelist Peter Shattuck said after Congress in 2005 extended daylight saving time by several weeks, energy consumption during that additional period decreased by 0.5 percent.q
A8
Thursday 12 January 2017
WORLD NEWS
UK considers $1,200 charge to hire EU workers after Brexit LONDON (AP) — Britain is considering charging employers 1,000 pounds ($1,200) a year for every skilled worker they recruit from the European Union after the U.K. leaves the bloc, the country’s immigration minister said Wednesday. Robert Goodwill told a House of Lords committee the charge is “something
that’s been suggested to us that could apply” to EU workers. Britain has already approved such a levy for foreign workers from non-EU nations. It takes effect in April. Currently, citizens of the 27 other EU member states have the right to live and work in Britain. But that freedom of movement is likely to end once Britain
quits the bloc. The government has set a goal of reducing net immigration to Britain below 100,000 people a year. It’s currently more than 300,000 a year. After mentioning the 1,000-pound charge, Goodwill said it was far from certain. EU exit talks have yet to begin and “we are not in a position to re-
ally speculate as to what the settlement will be, postBrexit negotiations,” he said. Business groups criticized the idea of a foreign-worker levy. Seamus Nevin, the head of employment and skills policy at the Institute of Directors, said employers “simply cannot endure the double whammy of more restriction and then, if they do succeed in finding the
right candidate, the prospect of an extra charge.” Goodwill also said it’s likely that agricultural workers will be allowed to come to Britain on short-term seasonal contracts. Many farmers rely on eastern European workers to pick fruits and vegetables, and are concerned they may face staff shortages when Britain leaves the EU.q
Iceland gets new government, could restart talks on entering EU
Bjarni Benediktsson of The Independence Party gestures in Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland has a new center-right government almost three months after an election that produced no outright winner. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Iceland got a new, Pirate Party-free government on Wednesday, almost three months after an election that produced no outright winner. The center-right Indepen-
dence Party, which won the largest share of seats, formed a coalition with the smaller Reform and Bright Future parties. Together the three parties hold the slimmest of majorities — 32 of the 63 seats in parliament.
Independence Party leader Bjarni Benediktsson has been named prime minister in the new administration. Six Cabinet posts are held by his party, three by Reform — a breakaway from the Independence Party that wants Iceland
to join the European Union — and two by the centrist Bright Future party. Reform leader Benedikt Johannesson is the country’s new finance minister, while the new health minister is Bright Future chief Ottarr Proppe, former lead singer of rock bands HAM and Dr. Spock. Benediktsson said Tuesday that the government would give parliament a vote on whether to re-start EU entry talks. Iceland applied for membership in 2009, as it reeled from the collapse of its banks and the economy, but withdrew its bid in 2015. The new government will disappoint those Icelanders who had hoped for radical change after an election triggered by revelations of former Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson’s offshore holdings. He resigned, triggering an early election, after details of his accounts were revealed in the Panama Papers leak. The issue of tax avoidance by the wealthy is particular-
ly sensitive in the tiny north Atlantic nation, which endured years of austerity and capital controls after the 2008 global financial crisis. In the Oct. 29 election, the radical Pirate Party, which calls for direct democracy and digital freedom, tripled its vote and won 10 parliamentary seats. But many Icelanders also voted for continuity, in the form of Benediktsson’s Independents, who had formed part of the previous coalition government. Since election day there have been three failed attempts to form coalitions, including one led by the Pirates. Benediktsson, the finance minister in Iceland’s previous government, was also named in the Panama Papers as having held a stake in a Seychelles-based investment company. He didn’t resign, and escaped much of the opprobrium heaped on Gunnlaugsson, whose offshore arrangements brought raucous street protests. q
Sinn Fein says Belfast power-sharing must end for election S. POGATCHNIK Associated Press DUBLIN (AP) — Talks aimed at preventing the collapse of Northern Ireland’s unity government faced resistance Wednesday from the Irish nationalists of Sinn Fein, who insisted that the government cannot be saved and an early election must be held. British officials appealed to Sinn Fein to fill their party’s top post in the coalition following this week’s surprise
resignation of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness as government coleader. But after meeting Britain’s Cabinet minister for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire , on Wednesday at the Stormont government complex in Belfast, Sinn Fein lawmakers stressed that power-sharing must end Monday because of a long list of unresolved disputes. Power-sharing rules require Brokenshire to dis-
solve the Northern Ireland Assembly if Sinn Fein fails to fill McGuinness’ vacant position by then. “What needs to happen next is an election. We are not interested in trying to get into negotiations now,” Michelle O’Neill, the government health minister from Sinn Fein, said after the meeting. In London, British Prime Minister Theresa May appealed for Sinn Fein leaders to open talks with their
Protestant power-sharing partners, the Democratic Unionist Party led by First Minister Arlene Foster , who has repeatedly butted heads with Sinn Fein during her first year leading the government. “We are obviously treating this with the utmost seriousness,” said May, who discussed the crisis by telephone with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Forging a coalition between Northern Ireland’s
British Protestant majority and its Irish Catholic minority was the central goal of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord of 1998, which sought to end three decades of violence that claimed nearly 3,700 lives. The first coalition led by moderates faced incessant pressure from extremists and fell in 2002. But five years later the two opposite sides — Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists — forged their own pact.q
WORLD NEWS A9
Thursday 12 January 2017
Lowest temperatures in decades in parts of eastern Europe ALISON MUTLER Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Authorities dug out stranded residents as heavy snow blanketed Eastern Europe Wednesday and people struggled with travel delays, power outages and subzero temperatures. Homeless people and migrants were among those most at risk. The recent cold snap has now been blamed for at least 73 deaths, and seen the lowest temperatures for decades in some parts. Poland, the country hit hardest by the deep freeze, reported two more deaths Wednesday as havoc spread to many countries across the region. Greece’s navy sent a ship to the island of Lesbos to house some 500 refugees and migrants. A medical association on the island said conditions at the main camp there were “inhuman,” with migrants in tents exposed to freezing temperatures. Rights group Amnesty International urged the European Union and the Greek government to move migrants from the Greek islands to the mainland and launched an online petition. Swaths of northern and eastern Bulgaria were paralyzed by snowdrifts that blocked roads and left 117 towns and villages without electricity. The main highway linking the capital Sofia with the Black Sea port of Burgas was closed. Bulgarian soldiers used heavy machinery to clear major roads, rescue stranded people and supply remote villages with food and water. The energy ministry said that it had turned down emergency requests for power from neighbors Greece and Tur-
key to avoid the possibility of having to ration electricity for domestic customers. In Kosovo, police said a homeless man was found dead, apparently from hypothermia, the second cold-related fatality reported in that country. As temperatures plummeted to minus 25 Celsius (minus 13 Fahrenheit), there were power outages in many areas. Meteorologists said it was the coldest weather since 1963. Snow continued to cut off communities in southern Albania where the death toll since the cold snap began stood at nine, most of them homeless people. Army helicopters and emergency authorities were distributing aid to remote mountain areas, while military and civil heavy vehicles helped clear snowbound roads. In Romania, blizzards closed more than 130 roads and caused huge delays and cancellations on the railways. Thousands of commuters rode the Bucharest subway, while others walked
Pedestrians cross a snowy road in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. A second wave of blizzards in Romania closed more than 130 roads and caused huge delays and cancellations on the railways. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
on the streets as snow piled high on the sidewalks. Several people were seen skiing. In Serbia, where six deaths were blamed on the recent cold, authorities evacuated 130 snowbound resi-
dents. Dozens of vehicles rescued people stuck in snowdrifts. In Bosnia, authorities said four elderly people had died of hypothermia since Jan. 2 Moldova border police temporarily closed seven
border crossing points with Ukraine because of heavy snowfall. Schools were closed in the worst-affected areas of Serbia and Romania and also on the Greek island of Lesbos.q
Germany:
280,000 new migrants last year, far lower than 2015
BERLIN (AP) — Germany saw about 280,000 new asylum-seekers arrive last year, less than a third of the previous year’s huge influx of 890,000, the interior minister said Wednesday. While new arrivals declined, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that the number of rejected asylumseekers who left Germany was up — though still not to authorities’ satisfaction. In total, 80,000 people either left voluntarily or were deported, he said. Arrivals declined sharply with the closure of the Bal-
kan migrant route in March and the subsequent agreement between the European Union and Turkey to stem the flow across the Aegean Sea to Greece. Asylum applications have lagged well behind arrivals and many people who came to Germany in 2015 applied only last year. Wednesday’s figures showed that 745,545 formal asylum applications were made last year — 268,869 more than in 2015. Those included 268,866 applications from Syrians, 127,892 from Afghans and 97,162
from Iraqis, the biggest single groups by far. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which has been beefed up in the course of Europe’s migrant crisis, decided last year on more than 695,000 asylum applications, more than twice as many as in 2015. Nearly 60 percent of applicants were granted either full refugee status or a lesser form of protection. The agency has also cut the average time required for an asylum decision to under three months, and introduced a nationwide
database to combine identity records for all asylum-seekers. De Maiziere said that about 55,000 migrants returned home voluntarily last year, compared with the previous year’s 35,000. Another 25,000 were forcibly deported. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces a national election later this year and still draws criticism for her welcoming approach to migrants in 2015, has promised a “national effort” to ensure that people who aren’t entitled to stay go home.q
A10 WORLD
Thursday 12 January 2017
NEWS
Gambia’s leader says only court can declare who’s president The Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Gambia’s outgoing President Yahya Jammeh is criticizing foreign pressure for him to step down and calling on Gambians to wait for a Supreme Court decision to determine the credibility of the Dec. 1 elections that he lost. On Tuesday, thousands of supporters of Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction gathered around a Su-
preme Court hearing, pushing for the annulment of the election outcome. The Supreme Court, with only one sitting member, adjourned until Monday but said it likely cannot hear the petition filed by the party until May, when the Nigeria and Sierra Leone judges appointed by Jammeh are available. The delay creates uncertainty that many fear could turn to violence. Jammeh at first conceded defeat to opposition coalition can-
didate Adama Barrow but later called for a new vote, saying the Dec. 1 elections had irregularities. The coalition has said it plans to move forward with Barrow’s inauguration on Jan. 19, at the end of Jammeh’s mandate, and the United Nations, European Union and West African bloc have called on Jammeh to respect the election and step down from power. “Only the Supreme Court can declare anyone
a president. So I ask anyone of us to respect the supreme law of the republic and await the Supreme Court review on the election result,” said Jammeh in a late Tuesday address on state-run TV.The incumbent criticized interference from other countries, including those of the Economic Community of West African States, which on Friday will send a delegation to try to persuade Jammeh to step down.
Jammeh said there was an “unprecedented level of foreign interference in our elections and internal affairs. And also a sustained smear campaign, propaganda and misinformation.” He called on Gambians to resolve the issue themselves. “I believe as we can, as Gambians, come together and resolve this and any other matter without undue external interference,” he said. q
Despite suffering without doctors, Kenyans support strike
Pregnant Sharon Andisi, 23, crouches down outside the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, after being turned away because of a month-long strike by state doctors, in Nairobi, Kenya. Such scenes have become frequent across Kenya as the doctors’ strike stretches into a second month, with doctors adamant that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government must honor a collective bargaining agreement it signed in 2013 to increase their salaries by 180 percent. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
TOM ODULA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A wave of contractions forces Sharon Andisi to crouch by the dusty taxi rank outside a hospital. Although
she is about to give birth, she has just been turned away from Kenya’s only public maternity hospital because of a month-long strike by state doctors. As a crowd gathers around
her outside the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, a taxi driver offers to take Andisi to a private hospital. Like most Kenyans, Andisi, 23, an out-of-work teacher, cannot afford the $100 fee
the private clinic charges for a delivery without complications, compared to the $15 charged in public facilities, but she has no choice. Just as she makes it to the reception at Edna Clinic, Andisi gives birth to a baby girl she names Rosa. Andisi was lucky. A local broadcaster, Citizen TV Saturday, followed a pregnant woman whose baby died after she was turned away from Pumwani hospital, where more than 350 mothers give birth a week during normal operations. Such scenes have become frequent across Kenya as the doctors’ strike stretches into a second month. The strike began on Dec. 5. The doctors are adamant that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government must honor a collective bargaining agreement it signed in 2013 to increase their salaries by 180 percent. The strike has caused a near-total paralysis in the health sector and dozens
are believed to have died from a lack of emergency services. Early in December, Kenyatta said at least 20 people had died as a result of the strike. Kenyatta has twice asked the doctors to return to work, first appealing to their humanity for the suffering masses and then offering a partial increase of the salary hikes negotiated in agreement with doctors in 2013. The Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentist Union rejected both offers and urged the government to pay the salary increases it promised three years ago. In 2012, doctors went on strike to protest the dilapidated state of public health care. Emergency rooms in some of Kenya’s public hospitals frequently don’t have gloves or medicine, and power outages sometimes force doctors to use their cell phones to provide adequate light for a surgical procedure.q
In Central African Republic, ‘impunity on staggering scale’ The Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The lack of justice in Central African Republic is so acute that some victims are forced to live daily lives alongside their aggressors, Amnesty International said Wednesday, and it urged the international community to help counter “impunity on a staggering scale” for war and other crimes. The London-based group’s
new report says years of deadly violence between Christians and Muslims have devastated an already deeply impoverished country. Hundreds have escaped in large-scale prison breaks, and many accused of the worst crimes have never been arrested. Just eight of 35 prisons function. Few courts operate outside the capital, Bangui.
Thousands of victims of rape and other war crimes “are still waiting for justice to be served,” said the group’s Central Africa researcher, Ilaria Allegrozzi. Of the 384 people arrested by U.N. peacekeepers and national authorities between September 2014 and October of last year, those included “only a handful of high-profile indi-
viduals suspected of having committed the most serious crimes,” the new report says. Amnesty called for international donors to help rebuild the justice system and create a Special Criminal Court. In November, a donors’ conference in Brussels was asked for $105 million over five years to help meet those goals. Violence continues in parts
of Central African Republic, which descended into sectarian conflict in 2013. The country held successful democratic elections last year, though many remote areas effectively remain outside the government’s control. The new Amnesty report is based on dozens of interviews with people involved with the country’s justice system and with victims.q
WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 12 January 2017
Lebanese leader defends Iran ties after Saudi visit A. AL-SHIHRI Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun said after a visit to Saudi Arabia that his country’s close ties to the kingdom’s archrival Iran should not impede relations with the wider Arab world. “We have normal relations with Iran,” which “shouldn’t be a barrier in the face of normal relations with the Arab world,” Aoun said in remarks published by the pan-Arab and Saudi-run Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday. Iran is a longtime supporter of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which represents much of Lebanon’s Shiite community and has a military capability rivaling that of the army and police. Aoun, whose Christian party is allied with Hezbollah, said Iran’s support for the group “could continue indefinitely.” Saudi Arabia halted a $3 billion arms deal with Lebanon in February and
President Michel Aoun of Lebanon, left, is received by Saudi King Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
banned Saudis and other Gulf nationals from traveling there after what the Saudis described as Beirut’s failure to condemn attacks on Saudi missions in Iran by demonstrators angered by the kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shiite cler-
ic. Weeks later, Lebanon abstained from an Arab League vote branding Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Hezbollah is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces in Syria, while Saudi Arabia and
other Arab countries support the rebels. Aoun said he discussed the arms deal with Saudi officials, without elaborating. The former general also said that “the decision about the return of the tourists has been taken.”
Saudi officials told The Associated Press that the Saudi king has promised to review the restoration of the aid package to the Lebanese army but without giving a timetable. They also said that the king has assured Aoun that he will give instructions to the powerful Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman to “give attention to the issue.” A senior Lebanese official told the Associated Press that Saudis have conditions to unblock the military aid to Lebanon, including assurances that such assistance won’t end up in the hands any Lebanese parties — a reference to Hezbollah, which the Saudis view as a terrorist organization. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. Aoun flew from Saudi Arabia to Qatar on Wednesday, said QNA, the official Qatari news agency.q
Opposition: Airstrikes in northern Syria kill 10 militants SARAH EL DEEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Airstrikes in the northern Syrian province of Idlib killed at least 10 suspected al-Qaidalinked militants in Syria on Wednesday, the latest in a spate of targeted attacks against the group, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 were killed when missiles struck two vehicles and three motorcycles in the airstrike in Saraqib, in the rebel-stronghold prov-
ince of Idlib. The Observatory said it was not clear if all killed were members of Fatah al-Sham Front, the powerful al-Qaida-affiliate in Syria. The group said militants from other groups may be among those killed, including non-Syrians. Idlib Media Center, a local opposition group, said the airstrikes killed 15, all but one were member of Fatah al-Sham. One of the killed was a member of the local police, according to the center. Footage posted
by the center and by the opposition Qasioun news agency shows two badly mangled vehicles as fire fighters clear the area and wash the streets from the airstrike aftermath. The vehicles were traveling on a highway south of Saraqib. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. The U.S. has killed some of al-Qaida’s most senior commanders in Syria over the past two years in airstrikes, and has recently
also increased its targeting of Islamic State militants in the country. The Syrian government and its ally Russia have also targeted militants in Syria. On Friday, a senior member of Fatah al-Sham was killed in an airstrike in Idlib. A cease-fire across Syria since Dec. 30 doesn’t include Fatah al-Sham, the government says. The cease-fire was brokered by Russia and Turkey. Also on Wednesday, airstrikes resumed on a Da-
mascus suburb despite the cease-fire, killing at least one woman and injuring several others, opposition activists said. At least six airstrikes Wednesday hit villages in al-Marj in the eastern Ghouta suburb, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian Civil Defense in Damascus suburbs. Since the cease-fire came into effect on Dec. 30, fighting has raged in the area as government troops attempted to gain ground. q
A12 WORLD
Thursday 12 January 2017
NEWS
Philippines won’t raise legal victory vs. China at ASEAN JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines won’t raise
validated China’s historic claims under a 1982 U.N. treaty, in bilateral talks with Beijing in the future, Yasay
just simply counter-productive for our purposes.” “Now if any country would like to pursue their respec-
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, fourth from left, shakes hands with Russia’s Rear Adm. Eduard Mikhailov, third from left, at the anti-submarine navy ship Admiral Tributs at the south pier in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines won’t raise its recent arbitration victory against Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea during Asian summit talks that it will host this year, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Wednesday. (Noel Celis/Pool Photo via AP)
its recent arbitration victory against Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea during Asian summit talks that it will host this year, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Wednesday. Yasay said pressing last year’s ruling at the annual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “is just simply counter-productive.” The Philippines intends to raise the ruling, which in-
said, stressing that the arbitration decision is final and won’t be changed by discussions at international conferences. “We are not going to raise this issue ... because there is really no useful benefit,” Yasay said at a news conference. “This is a matter that we will be raising with China at some future time in bilateral talks and to do and involve others in the discussion of this decision is
tive claims against China with respect to a disputed territory in the South China Sea, they can do so and perhaps use the decision of the arbitral tribunal as a precedent-setting case in pursuing the matter,” he said. The Philippines was previously one of the most vocal critics of China at the annual ASEAN meetings as Beijing asserted its vast territorial claims in the
South China Sea. After China took control of disputed Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and blocked Filipinos from the rich fishing area, then President Benigno Aquino III brought his country’s territorial disputes with Beijing to international arbitration. China ignored the Philippine case and refused to recognize the outcome, which was heavily in favor of the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte, who succeeded Aquino in June, has taken dramatic steps to mend strained relations with China. He has also taken an antagonistic stance against the administration of outgoing President Barack Obama after the U.S. leader criticized his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. As host of the ASEAN meetings this year, the Philippines is in a position to influence their focus and the joint communiques issued at the end of the conferences. China, the U.S. and Russia and other Western and Asian nations will join expanded meetings later in the year. Yasay said the Philippines will push for the faster completion of a long-delayed “code of conduct” between China and ASEAN to discourage aggressive actions that could ratchet up tensions in the South China Sea, a busy waterway for world trade. q
Chinese delegation open to meeting Trump’s team at Davos LOUISE WATT Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s delegation to next week’s World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos is open to meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s team, an official said Wednesday. Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong told reporters at a briefing that “there are open channels of communication” with Trump’s team. Bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the annual gathering of business leaders, politicians and cultural icons are still being finalized, but China would look into
what sort of arrangements could be made “as long as the schedule permits and if there is the wish,” he said. Trump has accused China of unfair trade practices and threatened punishing tariffs and upended diplomatic protocol by speaking by phone with the president of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. Xi, the first Chinese president to attend the Davos meetings, will champion multilateralism at a time of global economic uncertainty and worries that countries will turn inward to trade protectionism — an issue that has risen in prominence with Trump’s
pledges to restrict access to American markets to promote the U.S. manufacturing industry. On Tuesday, Xi will give a speech urging leaders to “steer globalization in the direction of more inclusiveness and mutual benefit,” Li said. Western countries and companies accuse Beijing of maintaining its own protectionist practices, for example subsidies for its bloated steel industry that have led to trade tensions over Chinese exports of low-priced steel. Li said accusations of trade protectionism against Beijing were “unjustified,” and that China has always opposed such measures.
“Trade protectionism will lead to self-isolationism and it is in the interests of no one,” he said. Xi’s attendance at Davos is part of an official fourday visit to Switzerland that begins Sunday. He will also visit the U.N., World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee, and discuss with Swiss officials how to deepen trade cooperation following the signing of the 2013 China-Switzerland free trade agreement, as well as how to encourage their business communities to collaborate on innovation. In the past, Chinese delegations at Davos were led by Premier Li Keqiang. q
Bird flu-plagued South Korea says will buy US eggs DAVID PITT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — South Korea is in the throes of a bird flu outbreak and for the first time has asked the United States to ship it shell eggs. The demand is good for a U.S. egg industry that’s awash in the product, having replenished its flocks after the 2015 bird flu outbreak and ending up with an oversupply that sent domestic prices to industry lows — about 79 cents a dozen earlier this month. South Korea had been one of a few nations that issued a blanket ban on egg and poultry imports during the U.S.’ 2015 outbreak that resulted in the deaths of 49 million turkeys and chickens. But it seeks help now that it has lost about 26 million chickens — and a third of its egg-laying hens — to the H5N6 strain since November. It’s South Korea’s worst bird flu outbreak surpassing the 14 million birds killed in 2014. The agreement to export shell eggs was announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which kept prices from sliding further, according to Urner Berry protein market analyst Brian Moscoguiri. Although deals are still being signed, Moscoguiri said he is aware of contracts for three or four airline flights of eggs — equivalent to as many as three or four million eggs.“We had never shipped shell eggs there before so we did not have a formal protocol between our two governments,” said Jim Sumner, president of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, an industry trade group which promotes the global export of U.S. poultry and eggs. Some of the eggs are coming out of Iowa, which is the nation’s leading egg producer. Marcus Rust, the CEO of Rose Acre Farms, which supplies the secondmost eggs in the U.S., says that the demand comes at a good time for producers, who usually see a lull in the first few months of a new year.q
LOCAL A13
Thursday 12 January 2017
Emerald Ambassadors Honored at the Divi Village Golf Resort EAGLE BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring two very special guests whom are loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba, as Emerald Ambassadors at the Divi Village Golf Resort. 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 35-or-more consecutive years. The honorees were Kathy Shannon and Mary Lou Corell, visiting Aruba for their 36th consecutive year! Kathy and Mary Lou are loyal members of the Divi
Village Golf Resort and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the climate, the beaches, the restaurants, and for just about everything else! They tell us Aruba feels like a second home, the people are like a family to them and the Divi Village Golf Resort is their vacation ‘home-away-from-home.’ The Emerald Ambassador certificate and commemorative Emerald Ambassador coin were presented by Mr. Ricardo Croes representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with Ms. Gloria from the Divi Village Golf Resort!q
A14 LOCAL
Thursday 12 January 2017
Excellent cooperation between public and private sector:
Super Weekend 2017: Aruba Airport successfully handled more than 22,200 passengers and 316 aircraft movements
For reservations: 525-4000 ext. 172 or through www.asiesmiperuenaruba.com @ Paradise Beach Villas
ORANJESTAD –Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) started the new year on a positive note considering the amount of passengers and airplane movements handled in the first weekend of 2017, known as “Super Weekend”. The first weekend after New Year’s Day is historically the busiest period for passenger traffic at Queen Beatrix International Airport due to the amount of passengers that arrive and depart from Aruba after the holiday season. Once again good planning and coordination between all the stakeholders, departments and employees at the airport was key to handling the amount of passengers and aircraft movements during this past weekend. A little over 22.200 passengers and 316aircraft operations were handled (both commercial and private) in the 2-day period. Whilst maintaining the highest levels of safety and security, along with efficient and effective passenger processing, a positive passenger experience was provided for the thousands of people traveling through the airport. These results take a tremendous amount of coordination, planning and commitment from a number of air-
port partners, and this past weekend’s results could not have been possible without the great efforts of the US Customs and Border Protection, Local Immigrations (IASA), the Border Police Department at the airport, Aruba Customs, Air Navigation Services Aruba N.V. (ANSA), Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA), the airlines, ground handlers, Department of Public Transportation (DTP), the taxi cab drivers, concession and F&B operators, ASAP Services, Total Services, FMSA, Universal Aviation FBO, Flexo, Aruba Security and Crime Prevention and the AAA team amongst others. AAA CEO Mr. James Fazio: “It once again shows that great team work with all airport partners is highly important to have a successful Super Weekend. Also, the latest facility improvements and technology additions helped tremendously to handle the amount of passengers in a record time. Each employee again went the extra mile to ensure proper service to our passengers and I thank each and every person that made a difference during this Super Weekend. The right focus and commitment has made this Super Weekend a great one, great job by all.”q
LOCAL A15
Thursday 12 January 2017
Help Mrs. Lilly Prins find Muñeca
ORANJESTAD - Friday afternoon just as they were about to enter the Wayaca Veterinary Clinic, Muñeca, the Cocker spaniel/ Labrador belonging to Mrs. Lilly Prins, President of the Queen Wilhelmina Cancer Fund, freed herself from her collar and escaped. She is
wandering somewhere on the island without an ID. Muñeca is a neutered female, glowing black with white chest. She looks more like a Cocker than a Labrador. If you see Muñeca, please call Mrs. Prins at 5612284 or 593-7227. Thank you in advance.q
Loyal Guest Honored at Aruba Beach Club
PALM BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a very nice gentleman as a Distinguished Visitor at the Aruba Beach Club. 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 10-to-19 consecutive years. The honoree was Mr. Roger Haughie from Ronkonkoma, New York. Roger is a loyal member of the Aruba Beach Club and he loves Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the climate, beaches, restaurants, re-
laxation and being on Aruba and staying at the Aruba Beach Club is like being home for him. The certificates were presented by Mr. Ernest Giel representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with Roger’s friends and Ms. Kenia Brito representing the Aruba Beach Club. q
A16 LOCAL
Thursday 12 January 2017
GroceriesToGo Aruba Delivers Groceries and Travel Essentials to Island Vacationers, Time Share Rentals, Hotels, Homes and Anyone in Aruba! “The need to fill the families grocery order without having to take time away from your vacation to shop was our motivation to start our delivery service.” GroceriesToGo Aruba will strive to provide the most affordable and convenient service to our customers across the island who will also receive the highest quality customer service. “We take the hassle out of shopping in store, while still
PALM BEACH - GroceriesToGo Aruba has developed a convenient service that shops and delivers grocery items and essentials to vacationers and anyone on the island, allowing them more time to spend with family and friends while
here on vacation. It is also for busy people who do not have time to spend standing in line at the grocery store. Jared Pick, CEO and founder of the company said, “Our mission is to provide quality products and convenient services to our
customers that will allow them more time to enjoy their vacation and the wonders of Aruba, One Happy Island!” Pick’s family is originally from Aruba where his grandfather, known as Chipi Chipi, started La Moderna. GroceriesToGo Aruba
is a family owned business where Karl Pick is CFO and Marilyn Pick is Marketing Director. GroceriesToGo Aruba, www.GroceriesToGoAruba.com, is the first full service online grocery delivery business in Aruba.
bringing the same great quality of your favorite products right to your front door.” Our company will offer the service of conveniently delivering groceries to island vacationers and anyone living or staying on the island who are unable to, or simply would rather not grocery shop themselves. We will take orders online and fulfill each order personally before delivering the items to our customers (at Time Share Units, Hotel Rooms, Beach Houses, Homes, Yachts etc.). GroceriesToGo Aruba can deliver your groceries and travel essentials directly whenever and whatever is most convenient for the customer. An excellent benefit to an online delivery service is that you can order online prior to your travels and have quality freshness waiting for you upon arrival, as well as order from us anytime during your stay here in Aruba. Our motto is “Save Time, Grocery Shop Online” www.GroceriesToGoAruba.com
SPORTS A17
Thursday 12 January 2017
In this Dec. 17, 2016, file photo, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph talks to players during a timeout in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, in East Rutherford, N.J. Associated Press
LEAVING THE LIMELIGHT
Broncos hire Vance Joseph as their head coach
ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (AP) — Two years after being a runner-up in the process of appointing the new Denver Broncos head coach, Vance Joseph received the top job on Wednesday. “It’s official. Excited to announce Vance Joseph as head coach of the Denver Broncos!” Denver’s general manager John Elway tweeted. The 44-year-old ex-Colorado quarterback built a reputation as one of the league’s best secondary coaches as he worked his way through the ranks in San Francisco, Houston and Cincinnati before serving as Miami’s defensive coordinator last season and helping the Dolphins end an eight-year playoff drought. “Becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos is a dream job for many reasons,” Joseph said in a statement. “The Broncos have an unbelievable winning tradition and great fan support. Continued on page 22
Shiffrin denied again as Hansdotter wins in Flachau
United States’s Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after competing in an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom in Flachau, Austria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Associated Press Page 20
A18 SPORTS
Thursday 12 January 2017
Manny Pacquiao set to return to ring on April 23 BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Manny Pacquiao will add another fight to his long career resume when he takes on Australian welterweight Jeff Horn on April 23 at a venue to be decided. Promoter Duco Events said Wednesday the location for the fight involving the 38-year-old Pacquiao could be in one of Australia’s major cities, possibly Horn’s hometown of Brisbane, or the Middle East or United States. “The preference for all parties is for the fight to be held in Australia, and we are working towards this outcome,” said Duco director
In this Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, file photo, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao raises his WBO welterweight championship belt during a news conference upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay city, southeast of Manila, Philippines. Associated Press
Dean Lonergan, who met with Top Rank chief Bob Arum this week to set up the fight. Arum said he wants the fight to take place at an outdoor stadium, and it would be beamed into 159 different countries, includ-
ing the U.S., where it would be shown in a prime-time Saturday night time slot on free-to-air TV. “I would expect 3 to 4,000 Filipinos to fly from the Philippines for this fight down under,” Arum said. “It will be the biggest fight in Australian history but, until the money is secured, we have to keep our options open, including looking at the Middle East and USA.” It is a nine-hour flight from Manila to Brisbane. Pacquiao, 59-6-2, captured the WBO welterweight title for the third time against Jessie Vargas in November. He earned a reported $100 million while losing to Floyd Mayweather in the richest fight ever in 2013. Horn (16-0-1) is a 28-yearold former schoolteacher who fought at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He is No. 2 in the WBO’s welterweight rankings. Pacquiao
is the WBO champion in that division while also juggling a career as a senator in the Philippines. “I feel in his last few fights I’ve seen some weaknesses that he has and I just think I can get those,” Horn said. “I can beat him because I can see those weaknesses, I know Glen (trainer Rushton) can see those weaknesses.” Rushton said it would be a “tragedy” if the fight happened anywhere other than Brisbane. “We really hope the Queensland government and so forth will feel the same way,” he said. “It just makes sense, but also for the future. This can reinvigorate boxing in Australia.” Horn’s last fight was a knockout of South African veteran Ali Funeka in Auckland, New Zealand in December, with Arum at ringside.q
SPORTS A19
Thursday 12 January 2017
With Vonn set to return, Shiffrin happy to leave limelight ERIC WILLEMSEN Associated Press FLACHAU, Austria (AP) — With Lindsey Vonn’s return to the World Cup looming, Mikaela Shiffrin is looking forward to leaving the limelight to her American teammate. Nursing a knee injury and a broken arm for the past 11 months, Vonn was expected to take part in official downhill training in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, on Thursday and Friday, and probably in two races over the weekend. Vonn earned two of her record 76 victories at the Austrian resort a year ago. Shiffrin can’t wait for the four-time overall champion to return to the start gates. “For sure, when she is around, I feel like I am less the one that people want to talk to, and that is definitely nice. I am generally a quiet person,” Shiffrin told The Associated Press after finishing third in a night slalom on Tuesday. “She is really good at the spotlight, I have to say that,” Shiffrin said. “She knows how to put on a show. I don’t even think she is trying to, she is just like skiing fast and doing her thing and everybody wants to
see that.” Vonn hasn’t raced since fracturing her left knee in a super-G crash in Andorra last February. Two weeks before her planned comeback at speed races in Lake Louise, Alberta, in November, she broke her right upper arm during a fall in training. The 2010 Olympic downhill champion returned to skiing last week in Vail, Colorado, and traveled to Europe after the weekend to join the U.S. speed team. Another American standout, Julia Mancuso, was also closing in on her comeback to World Cup racing. A winner of nine medals at major championships, Mancuso sat out the entire last season to have surgery on a persistent hip problem. Like Vonn, Mancuso planned to start in this week’s training runs in Austria before deciding about racing over the weekend. “They both have been amazing athletes in the sports. For ski racing in the U.S. they have been huge,” Shiffrin said. “I am crossing my fingers that they can get back in the starting gate and ski fast because everybody loves watching them.”
United States’s Mikaela Shiffrin competes during the first run of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom in Flachau, Austria, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Associated Press
The races in AltenmarktZauchensee consist of a downhill on Saturday followed a day later by a combined event, with a super-G and a slalom run. A winner of 24 slaloms and three GS races, Shiffrin has been tiptoeing into speed races as well. The Olympic slalom champion was planning to start in Sunday’s combined event but was reluctant to put too many
super-G and downhill races on her schedule. Her head coach, Mike Day, said Shiffrin “is a racer who puts in a lot of volume into the training and is looking for a specific feeling to be confident going into the races.” Shiffrin has done 13 technical events and three speed races so far this season. “With that high-volume approach, fatigue is obviously
an issue,” Day said. “We are monitoring fatigue to make sure she wouldn’t be going into a speed race with mental or physical fatigue. She needs to be sharp.” With Tuesday’s third-place finish, Shiffrin passed the 1,000-point mark for the season as she extended her overall World Cup lead over defending champion Lara Gut of Switzerland to 365 points.q
Wozniacki’s Sydney International ends again at quarterfinals SYDNEY (AP) — Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki’s streak of not advancing past the quarterfinals in her past seven Sydney Internationals was extended in stifling heat on Wednesday. In temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for much of the match, Wozniacki lost 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-4 to Barbora Strycova in a duel that stretched to 3 hours, 19 minutes. Both players were treated for foot injuries during a grueling second set at Ken Rosewall Arena. Wozniacki came back from 5-2 down in that set, and then 5-0 in the tiebreaker, to win it and force a third set. “It was brutal out there ... but you just try and think like
you’re on a beach drinking pina coladas,” Wozniacki said. “That’s basically your train of thought. You know that it’s the same for both players, so I was just trying to mentally just try and keep cool.” In the semifinals, Strycova will play Agnieszka Radwanska. The second-seeded Pole beat Chinese qualifier Duan Yingying 6-3, 6-2. Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard continued her strong start to the year with a 6-2, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Bouchard had a breakout season in 2014, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and French Open before making the final at Wimbledon. But
she has only gone past the fourth round at a major once since then and slipped to No. 46 at the end of last year. “I feel more and more confident every day,” Bouchard said. “I feel like I’m getting back into the rhythm of things a little bit, but it’s a long road.” The Canadian’s semifinal opponent will be Sydneyborn Johanna Konta of Britain, who beat Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-5. Konta broke Kasatkina’s service in the 11th game of the second set, helped by a doublefault to set up break point in that game. Last year at the Australian Open, Konta became the first British women to make a Grand Slam semifinal since 1983 before losing to
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark looks to the sky after missing a shot to Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic during their women’s singles match at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.
eventual champion Angelique Kerber. In men’s play in Sydney, two-time defending champion Viktor Troicki beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-4, and second-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay defeated Nicolas Mahut of France 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. In Auckland, New Zealand, John Isner narrowly avoided the fate of two former
champions when he beat Malek Jaziri 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6) to make the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic. Isner won his last three points with volleys at the net. “The way I need to finish points is that if I can I have to try and finish them at the net,” Isner said. “I did that three times in a row and I’m very proud of that.”q
A20 SPORTS
Thursday 12 January 2017
Furyk appointed next U.S. Ryder Cup captain DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Jim Furyk was appointed Wednesday as the U.S. captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, where his team will try to win on European soil for the first time in 25 years. Furyk was a unanimous choice by the Ryder Cup committee last month. The former U.S. Open champion, and the only player in history to twice post rounds in the 50s, brings more playing experience than any other U.S. captain. Furyk played on nine consecutive teams starting in 1997, and he was an assistant captain to Davis Love III last year at Hazeltine. Love will be one of his assistants in France. “He’s going to be a very tough act to follow,” Furyk said from PGA of America headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. “He put a system in place. He put the players behind it. It won’t make my task easier, but it makes it easier knowing there is a system in place. To have him by my side — his advice, his experience, two captaincies and one vice captaincy — is going to be
In this Sept. 28, 2014, file photo, Jim Furyk, of the United States, walks off the tee box after playing the first hole during a singles match on the final day of the Ryder Cup golf tournament, at Gleneagles, Scotland. Associated Press
priceless for me.” The Americans reshaped their thinking after the 2014 loss at Gleneagles, where Phil Mickelson publicly questioned Tom Watson’s leadership and the lack of player involvement. That spawned a Ryder Cup Task Force that allowed for more input from the players, and now a Ryder Cup committee comprising three players (Mickelson, Love and Tiger Woods) and the top three PGA of
America officials. Part of that model was to allow for more consistency at each Ryder Cup, such as captains previously serving as assistants. The committee met Dec. 6 and decided on Furyk, waiting until the start of the new year to announce him. PGA of America President Paul Levy said it took Furyk “one second” to accept the job. Jordan Spieth and Brandt Snedeker were among
players who thought it was the right choice and a logical one. Spieth referred to Furyk as a role model, and smiled when he added that Furyk would “embrace the idea of having an away game.” The Americans haven’t won on the road since 1993 at The Belfry, when Love was a Ryder Cup rookie, Woods was in high school and Spieth was 2 months old. “He’s got a lot of scar tissue in the Ryder Cup,” Spieth said, referring to five Ryder Cup losses that Furyk endured in front of European fans. “I think it will be more fulfilling being there, having a chance to win over there. He can take the experience of all those Ryder Cups and throw that down the drain with a win.” Furyk agreed. While he said it would be a challenge to win at Le Golf National outside Paris, where the French Open has been since 2002, he said it’s a chance to end a losing streak that has been around as long as he’s been on tour. “Our team hasn’t won in 25 years — I’ve heard that a lot today,” Furyk said. But I view it as an opportunity.
It’s exciting, and it’s a new day and age for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. We have some momentum right now.” Furyk is 46 and still going strong on the PGA Tour. He is No. 37 in the world ranking and had a chance to make his 10th straight team last year except that he missed the first four months of the year recovering from wrist surgery. He set a PGA Tour record in August with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship. Furyk had shot 59 at the BMW Championship three years earlier. The Ryder Cup has not had a playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963 at East Lake, and Furyk wasn’t ready to consider the prospects of playing in France even if he were to qualify for the team. “I don’t want to say ‘no.’ My main focus and what I’m interested in now is a captain,” he said. “Worrying about point and where my game is is putting the cart before the horse, in my opinion. My main goal is being the best captain I can, getting the best 12 players and providing an atmosphere to let them succeed.”q
Pressel goes over $1 million again with cancer charity
In this July 16, 2015, file photo, Morgan Pressel watches her tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Marathon Classic golf tournament at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio. Associated Press
DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Midway through the 10th anniversary of the “Morgan and Friends” charity tournament to raise money to fight cancer, Morgan Pressel looked around
the room and asked how many people were there for the first event at St. Andrews County Club in her hometown of Boca Raton, Florida. “Half the room raised their hands,” Pressel said
Tuesday. Even more touching was the number of people who still remember her mother, Kathryn Krickstein Pressel, who died 15 years ago of breast cancer. The event concluded Monday with the Morgan Pressel Foundation raising more than $1 million for the second straight year, bringing the total to more than $6.5 million since Pressel first started the tournament with a determined effort to stop the disease that took her mother. Among the players who donated their time again were Paula Creamer, Lydia Ko, Gerina Piller, Lexi
Thompson and Brittany Lincicome. The newcomers this year were Women’s PGA champion Brooke Henderson and Bernhard Langer, the two-time Masters champion who still is beating everyone on the PGA Tour Champions. Nicole Castrale, a former LPGA Tour player forced into retirement by back injuries, was the guest host. As much success as the event has had, and as successful as it has been raising money for cancer, Pressel never takes it for granted. One day removed, she was still emotional talking about the support. “We work so hard all year
to put it together just for everybody to have a great time and enjoy it and come together for the community,” she said. “Until breast cancer is no more, and still other cancers, I’ll keep fighting as long as I can. It’s a huge passion project for me to honor my mother and not let breast cancer affect other families.” Pressel, who won the Kraft Nabisco Championship at 18 to become the youngest LPGA major champion at the time, wasn’t sure what to expect when she started “Morgan and Friends” and still gets overwhelmed by the amount of money raised. q
SPORTS A21
Thursday 12 January 2017
NBA Capsules
DeRozan powers Raptors to comeback win over Celtics, 114-106
TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored a seasonhigh 41 points, Kyle Lowry had 24 and the Toronto Raptors rallied to end the Boston Celtics’ four-game winning streak with a 114106 victory Tuesday night. DeRozan added 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, and Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and a career-high 23 rebounds. The Raptors bounced back after losing to Chicago and Houston last weekend. Toronto also kept itself above Boston in the Eastern Conference standings. A win would have pulled the Celtics even with the Raptors for second place behind Cleveland. Isaiah Thomas had 27 points and Marcus Smart scored 16 for the Celtics. Boston pulled in front with 3:54 left in the second quarter and led until Lowry’s 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the game. With 5:05 to play, Boston was ahead 102-95, but the Raptors closed on a 19-4 run to clinch the victory, their second of the season over Boston. ROCKETS 121, HORNETS 114 HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second consecutive triple-double, and Houston outlasted Charlotte for its ninth straight win. The Rockets missed 10 shots in a row and let an 18-point lead evaporate before coach Mike D’Antoni called a timeout with 2:26 left. Ryan Anderson made Houston’s first shot in more than four minutes with a 3-pointer out of the timeout, and after a block on the other end, Harden’s layup put Houston up 115111 with just over a minute to play. Kemba Walker cut the deficit to one with a 3-pointer, but another layup by Harden made it 117-114 with 28.6 seconds left. Charlotte missed three 3-point tries in the final seconds. Harden got his 11th tripledouble this season and the
Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) drives past Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Toronto. Associated Press
20th of his career. He had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds Sunday against Toronto, making him the fourth player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in consecutive games. Walker had 25 points for the Hornets, who dropped their third straight. JAZZ 100, CAVS 92 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gordon Hayward went toeto-toe with LeBron James in the second half to help Utah beat Cleveland. Hayward had 28 points and went back and forth with James during a decisive third quarter. James brought the Cavaliers back from a 15-point halftime deficit before Hayward drove the lead back to 14. Trey Lyles scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the fourth quarter to help the Jazz hold on. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Utah. James finished with 29 points and Kyrie Irving added 20 for the defending champs. Kyle Korver had two points and three rebounds in 17 minutes during his Cleveland debut. WIZARDS 101, BULLS 99 WASHINGTON (AP) — John Wall scored 26 points, including a game-winning baseline jumper with 5.9
seconds left, and added 14 assists as Washington moved above .500 by defeating Chicago. Marcin Gortat had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Washington (19-18). He also set the screen that freed up Wall for his tiebreaking jumper to seal a 10th straight home win. Markieff Morris and Bradley Beal each scored 19 points for the Wizards, who completed their biggest comeback victory of the season after trailing by 18 in the second quarter. Washington is above .500 for the first time since it was 6-5 last season on Nov. 24, 2015. Denzel Valentine set career highs by scoring 19 points and making five 3-pointers for the short-handed Bulls, who led by seven in the fourth quarter. Rajon Rondo added 12 points in his first game since Dec. 30. Chicago was without leading scorers Jimmy Butler (ill) and Dwyane Wade (resting). Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic also sat out with an illness. Wall hit a pull-up that tied it at 99 with 47.4 seconds to play. BUCKS 109, SPURS 107 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Michael Beasley scored a season-high 28 points
in place of an ill Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Milwaukee rallied to beat San Antonio. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points for the Spurs, who had their nine-game home winning streak snapped. Jabari Parker’s layup with 2:56 remaining gave Milwaukee a 103-101 lead, its first since the 3:24 mark of the first quarter. Moments later, rookie Malcolm Brogdon hit a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 108-107 edge. Brogdon sank one of two free throws with 6.7 seconds to go, and Manu Ginobili’s 3-pointer hit the side of the backboard at the buzzer. Antetokounmpo, who missed Milwaukee’s previous game, started despite having a fever at morning shootaround. He was scoreless for the first time this season, missing his only three attempts in nine minutes. Beasley responded with 22 points in the second half. Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge was sidelined with a stomach virus. HAWKS 117, NETS 97 NEW YORK (AP) — Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Dwight Howard added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Atlanta beat skidding Brooklyn to win its season-high seventh straight.
Paul Millsap added 14 points for the Hawks, who led the entire way and have won eight of their last nine road games. Brook Lopez scored 20 points for the Nets, who have lost seven in a row and 12 of 13. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was a Hawks assistant for four years, the last three (2013-16) under current Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer. WARRIORS 107, HEAT 95 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kevin Durant added 28 points and Golden State picked it up late to beat Miami. Durant also had eight rebounds and Draymond Green had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Warriors’ fifth straight win against the Heat and eighth in 10, including three in a row at home. Klay Thompson had the night off for rest after he played through illness the past two games. Hassan Whiteside had 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Heat, outscored 26-14 in the third quarter after leading 54-53 at halftime. Miami lost its third straight game and dropped to 1-4 on a six-game road trip. TRAIL BLAZERS 108, LAKERS 87 LOS ANGELES (AP) — C.J. McCollum scored 25 points and Portland used a dominant third quarter to defeat Los Angeles for the 10th consecutive time. The Trail Blazers were down by two to start the second half, but held the Lakers to 21.7 percent shooting (5 of 23) and blocked four shots in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 2312. Damian Lillard overcame an 0-for-8 start to finish with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Portland. Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 rebounds, and Maurice Harkless scored 14 points. The Lakers shot 38.6 percent for the game. Luol Deng led them with 14 points but did not make a field goal after the first half.q
A22
Thursday 12 January 2017
SPORTS
NHL Capsules
Staal’s goal lifts Hurricanes past Blue Jackets 5-3
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — Jordan Staal scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection with 16:10 to play, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Tuesday night. Victor Rask had two assists and an empty-net goal, Jeff Skinner had a goal and two assists and Derek Ryan also had a goal and an assist. Brock McGinn added a goal for Carolina, which has earned points in 13 of 14 home games. Cam Atkinson scored his 20th goal on the same day he was left off the All-Star team, and Josh Anderson and Brandon Saad also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have a leaguebest 60 points but have lost three of four since winning 16 straight. Carolina’s Cam Ward made 24 saves while making his 17th straight start, his longest streak since 2011. With All-Star pick Sergei Bobrovsky ill, backup Anton Forsberg stopped 23 shots in his season debut for the Blue Jackets. PREDATORS 2, CANUCKS 1, OT NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Calle Jarnkrok scored a short-handed goal with 1.5 seconds remaining in over-
time to lift Nashville past Vancouver. With time ticking down in the extra frame, Roman Josi blocked a shot from Troy Stecher just outside the crease of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. Josi immediately took possession of the puck and went up ice on a 2-on-1 with Jarnkrok. In the low slot, Josi slid a pass to his right, where Jarnkrok was there to one-time the puck past Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller. Austin Watson had the other Nashville goal and Rinne finished with 29 saves for the Predators, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Brandon Sutter had the lone goal for Vancouver, losers of two-straight following their season-high sixgame winning streak. Miller made 24 saves. BRUINS 5, BLUES 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brad Marchand scored twice, including an empty-netter, and David Backes got into a fight in his return to St. Louis with Boston. Frank Vatrano, Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug also scored for the Bruins, who improved to 2-0-1 in their last three games. Tuukka Rask made 14 saves.
Backes, who spent his first 10 seasons with St. Louis before signing with Boston as a free agent, fought with former teammate Joel Edmundson late in the second to the delight of the Scottrade Center crowd. Backes dropped the gloves in retaliation for a hit on Bruins teammate David Krejci by Jori Lehtera. Colton Parayko, Patrik Berglund and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Blues. Jake Allen was pulled for Carter Hutton after allowing three goals on 11 shots in the first period. Hutton finished with 26 saves. SABRES 4, FLYERS 1 BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) —
Continued from page 17
This is a 2016 photo showing Vance Joseph of the Miami Dolphins NFL football team. Associated Press
ami. Kubiak, 55, stepped down over health concerns last week, capping a tumultuous season by the Broncos (9-7), who missed the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl. Elway also interviewed
les on Friday. But he canceled his California trip after his meeting with Elway, and returned to Broncos headquarters Wednesday morning to negotiate a four-year contract. Although the Dolphins ranked ahead of only the Colts, Browns and 49ers in yards allowed in 2016, Joseph took his takeaway touch to Miami, where the Dolphins doubled their forced fumbles from 2015 and Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake enjoyed resurgent seasons. “He took so much off my plate I never had to worry about anything with the defense,” Gase said. “He really did a great job with all those guys in that room. He did a great job at directing those guys and he made my life a lot easier
than probably what it could have been. There was a big trust factor there with me.” Gase lauded Joseph’s management style in saying he’s ready to run his own team. “He brings a leadership quality that you really love about him. He has such a great personality and such a strong personality,” Gase said. “He has that ... alphatype personality where he demands a lot from players and they give him everything they have.” Denver was widely considered the most desirable of the half-dozen head coach openings because of its talented roster, championship culture, front-office acumen, longadmired ownership and fervent fan base.q
Los Angeles Kings goalie Peter Budaj, of Slovakia, is scored on by Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin as center Jason Spezza, left, stands by during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 9, 2017, in Los Angeles. Associated Press
Broncos
But what makes this even more special is it’s a place that’s ready to win. “This is not a rebuilding situation — it’s a reboot. There is a culture of winning here, and the standards around here won’t change. Those are to win championships.” Joseph, who will be formally introduced as the team’s 16th head coach on Thursday, impressed Elway in 2015 when Gary Kubiak got the job and the Broncos even tried to hire him as their defensive coordinator, a move that Cincinnati blocked. So, he stayed with the Bengals for another year as secondary coach before joining Adam Gase’s staff in Mi-
Evander Kane scored to cap a three-goal secondperiod surge in leading Buffalo past Philadelphia. Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists in extending Buffalo’s point-streak to 3-01 — the team’s best run of the season. William Carrier and Marcus Foligno, with an empty-net goal, also scored for the Sabres. Goalie Anders Nilsson stopped 39 shots and had his shutout bid foiled by Brayden Schenn’s powerplay goal with 2:07 left. Nilsson started in place of Robin Lehner, who was sidelined by an illness. The Flyers dropped to 2-6-3 in their past 11. It’s a stretch
during which they’ve been outscored 33-18. The slump immediately followed 10game winning streak that ended with a 3-1 loss at Dallas on Dec. 17. The Flyers also extended their road losing streak to 0-5-2. DUCKS 2, STARS 0 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — John Gibson made 34 saves in his third shutout of the season, and Jakob Silfverberg had a goal and an assist to lead Anaheim. Silfverberg scored a power-play goal in the second period, and the surging Swedish forward set up Andrew Cogliano’s top-shelf shot with 5:18 to play. Their line with center Ryan Kesler combined for 17 shots and largely dominated play for the Ducks, who stayed even with San Jose atop the Pacific Division with their fifth win in seven games. Antti Niemi stopped 36 shots for the Stars, who wrapped up their three-game road trip with their fourth loss in five games overall. SHARKS 5, OILERS 3 EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Mikkel Boedker scored three goals for his fourth career hat trick to lead San Jose.q
Kansas City’s special teams coach Dave Toub and Atlanta’s offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan over the weekend. Joseph also had interviews lined up with San Diego on Wednesday, San Francisco on Thursday and Los Ange-
TECHNOLOGY A23
Thursday 12 January 2017
Zero-emission boat prepares for round-the-world odyssey SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — The first selfsufficient boat powered only by emission-free energy will start a six-year trip around the world in the spring. Energy Observer, a former multi-hull race boat converted into a green vessel equipped with solar panels, wind turbines and a hydrogen fuel cell system, will be powered by wind, the sun and self-generated hydrogen. The 5 million euro ($5.25 million) boat, which is currently in a shipyard in SaintMalo, will set sail from the Brittany port and will make its first of 101 stops across 50 countries in Paris as part of a six-year circumnavigation. “This boat will demonstrate that there are many solutions for energetic transition,” said French environmentalist Nicolas Hulot, who attended the project presentation on Wednesday at the UNESCO headquarters. “All solutions are within nature.” Designed in 1983 under the supervision of Mike Birch, the boat enjoyed a successful career in open-sea sailing races, including winning the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, with Peter Blake at the helm. The Energy Observer project was conceived in 2015 by skippers Frederic Dahirel and Victorien Erussard, with
This computer image provided by Energy Observer, shows the Energy Observer boat, which is powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen. Associated Press
scuba diver and filmmaker Jerome Delafosse also behind the project. “I’m passionate about new technologies,” Erussard said. “Building a selfsufficient boat could have seemed utopian, but this is going to be an incredible vessel. It’s very promising for the future.” The technology fitted to the 30.5-meter (100-foot) boat, which is also equipped with a kite sail, will enable the production of hydrogen through electrolysis process.
“We bank on the diversity of renewable energies,” Essuard said. “And if there is no sun or wind, or at night, we have the option to draw in our hydrogen reservoirs. We will produce this hydrogen in a decarbonized manner through electrolysis of the sea water.” According to Florence Lambert, the director of the CEA Liten research institute which devised the boat’s energy system, Energy Observer is a good example of what energy networks will look like in the near future,
with its well balanced mix of renewable energies and hydrogen storage system. “We are not talking about the delirium of an explorer or a scientific,” she said, adding that the prospects for hydrogen-powered transport look bright. Mark Z. Jacobson, an engineering professor at Stanford University who develops roadmaps for countries to convert to 100 percent renewable energies by 2050, proposes that transportation worldwide be transformed into a combi-
nation of battery-electric transport and hydrogen fuel cell-battery electric hybrid transport. “I believe that it is fantastic that a boat powered by hydrogen and electricity will travel the world,” he said in written comments to The Associated Press. “It is an important step forward and consistent with this proposed path to 100 percent clean, renewable energy worldwide for all purposes to solve energy security, job creation, air pollution, and climate problems.”q
Norway starts tuning out analog radio in favor of digital OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway began shutting down analog radio technology Wednesday as the Scandinavian country becomes the first in the world to phase out the FM signal for national and some regional broadcasting. The FM signal was switched off in the Arctic Nordland district in favor of Digital Audio Broadcasting, or DAB. The switchover was performed by radio listener Bertih Pauline Olderskog who moved a lever to drum
rolls and a countdown from the audience at a public library in Bodoe, northern Norway. Olderskog said she had been listening to FM radio for more than 70 years. Graham Dixon, head of the European Broadcasting Union’s radio unit who took part in the event that was webcasted, said the switchover shows that “media can be renewed for the contemporary world.” The head of the public Norwegian Broadcasting
Corporation NRK, Thor Gjermund Eriksen, called it a “historic moment.” Norway gradually switches to digital and the shutdown process is due to be completed by Dec. 13. The Norwegian government has cited its landscape with deep fjords, high mountains and scattered communities for making it expensive to operate FM networks. Norway’s Parliament made the decision in May 2011.
In this photo taken on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, 98-year-old Judith Haaland sits next to her decades-old radio set in Stavanger, Norway. Associated Press
An estimated 200 million kroner ($23.4 million) will be
saved, according to official figures.q
A24 BUSINESS
Thursday 12 January 2017
Stock indexes close higher, Dow still short of 20,000 ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Energy companies led U.S.
decliners in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, sliding 8.5 percent.
or 0.5 percent, to 19,954.28. The S&P 500 index added 6.42 points, or 0.3 percent,
Trader Richard Cohen, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Energy companies led U.S. stocks modestly higher Wednesday, nudging the Nasdaq composite to its fifth record-high close in a row. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
stocks modestly higher Wednesday, nudging the Nasdaq composite to its fifth record-high close in a row. Rising crude oil prices gave energy companies a boost, including oil rig operator Transocean, which rose 4 percent. Traders also bid up shares in utilities. Health care stocks fell after President-elect Donald Trump spoke about the need for the government to stem drug costs by creating new bidding procedures. Pharmaceutical company Endo International led the
The stock market spent much of the day wavering between small gains and losses as investors sized up outlooks from several companies ahead of the latest batch of corporate earnings reports. “The heavy load comes in the coming weeks,” said Tim Dreiling, regional investment director for U.S. Bank’s Private Client Reserve. “There’s a little bit of a wait-and-see on what those earnings numbers look like.” The Dow Jones industrial average rose 98.75 points,
to 2,275.32. The Nasdaq gained 11.83 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,563.65. The index has risen every day this year. During a press conference Wednesday morning, Trump said the government has to create new bidding procedures for the pharmaceutical industry “because they’re getting away with murder.” The remarks sent health care stocks broadly lower, particularly pharmaceutical companies. At one point, drugmakers and one prescription drug distributor accounted for the
nine biggest losers in the S&P 500. Endo International posted the biggest loss, tumbling $1.30 to $14.01. Perrigo slid $5.77, or 6.9 percent, to $77.88. Mallinckrodt slumped $3.31, or 6.2 percent, to $50.44. Not all drugmakers had a bad day. Merck rose 2.9 percent on news that the Food and Drug Administration will do a quick review of one of the company’s drugs for its potential to treat a type of lung cancer. The stock added $1.71 to $61.63. Big U.S. companies start reporting fourth-quarter earnings this week. On Friday JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America release their results. “As we look into 2017, we still expect equities are going to be able to grind higher, because we still have enough of an economic push to do that,” Dreiling said. “But a move up in equities is going to have to come from earnings, otherwise, these valuations ... look pretty stretched, pretty rich at these levels.” Investors had their eye Wednesday on companies that released earnings or forecasts of their upcoming quarterly results. SuperValu slid 7.5 percent after the grocery store operator announced a weak third-quarter profit, partly because of falling food prices. The stock shed 36 cents to $4.43.q
US job openings, quits rise, pointing to modest hiring ahead CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted more jobs in November and quitting also increased — signs that job gains and wages may increase in the months ahead. The number of available jobs rose 1.3 percent in November from the previous month to 5.5 million, the Labor Department said this week. That’s below a postrecession peak of 5.8 million in April. Hiring rose 1.1 percent to 5.2 million.
The number of Americans who quit their jobs increased 1.4 percent to nearly 3.1 million, the second-highest total since the Great Recession. Quits are generally a good sign that workers are confident enough to leave their positions for new jobs. Rising quits can also point to higher pay, since most people take new jobs with bigger paychecks. The figures echo last week’s jobs report, which showed a moderate gain of 156,000 new jobs in December and
the biggest annual wage gains in more than seven years. Last week’s jobs figure is a net gain after layoffs, quits and retirements are subtracted from overall hiring. Tuesday’s data comes from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, or JOLTS, and are more detailed and provide a fuller view of the job market With the unemployment rate at 4.7 percent, near a nine-year low, employers are facing pressure to raise pay in order to keep and
attract workers. The number of available jobs is also high, which suggests businesses are having trouble finding the workers they need to fill their open positions. That trend may also force employers to offer bigger paychecks. Job openings rose in only two industries: Hotels and restaurants and state and local government. Openings were little changed or down slightly in manufacturing, construction, retail, financial services, and education and health.q
Small business optimism is up in NFIB survey The Associated Press UPBEAT OUTLOOK: Company owners’ expectations for the economy surged after the election to the highest level since December 2004, the National Federation of Independent Business said this week. The advocacy group said its Index of Small Business Optimism, compiled from a survey of 619 members, gained 7.4 points to 105.8 last month. The number of owners who expect the economy to improve shot up 38 percentage points, while the number who expect their sales to rise increased 20 points. Since the recession, the components of the index have generally moved up only a few points at a time. THE BIG PICTURE: The survey was in line with one taken by Wells Fargo & Co. immediately after Republican Donald Trump was elected president, which showed small business owners were feeling more upbeat. It also fit with a report by Thomson Reuters and PayNet that showed small businesses took out more loans and leases in November, a sign that owners felt more comfortable taking on debt. WHAT ABOUT JOBS: The NFIB report, like one last week from payroll provider ADP, showed that owners aren’t in a rush to hire even as they’re feeling more optimistic. NFIB members said they added 0.01 workers per company, a minimal increase. The number of owners who plan to hire rose 1 percentage point to 16 percent. ADP reported that its small business customers added just 18,000 jobs in December. For the year, they averaged nearly 63,000 a month for all of 2016. Many owners have said in surveys they won’t hire until their revenue has increased to a level that justifies taking on more staffers.q
BUSINESS A25
Thursday 12 January 2017
Airbus ups plane deliveries in 2016 but new orders drop ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Airbus delivered a record number of planes last year despite engine and cabin production problems, even as new orders slumped for both the European manufacturer and its U.S. rival Boeing. An unlikely customer provided a big boost to the industry in 2016: Iran, scheduled to receive its first Airbus plane in years Wednesday as part of a multibilliondollar deal made possible by a hard-fought nuclear agreement. Airbus executives defended the superjumbo A380, which has not won as many orders as many had hoped, and played down concerns that the industry is facing a downturn after a long-running buying spree by Mideast and Asian carriers. However, they refused to issue forecasts for this year amid signs that China’s slowdown and volatile fuel prices threaten to weigh on aircraft orders. Airbus announced Wednesday that it delivered 688 planes over the year, primarily in the
An Airbus A350 performs a demonstration flight in Le Bourget airport, north of Paris. Airbus announced Wednesday Jan. 11, 2017 that it delivered 688 planes over the year, primarily in the single-aisle A320 family, compared with 635 in 2015. The company increased deliveries of its long-delayed A350 wide-body. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
single-aisle A320 family, compared with 635 in 2015 and above the company’s own expectations. Airbus increased deliveries of its long-delayed A350 widebody to 49 overall. The A320 range — notably the fuel-efficient A321neo — dominated Airbus sales last year, when it won 731 net orders overall, compared with 1,036 the year before. Boeing says it delivered 748 planes in 2016 and took in 668 net orders, down from 768 orders in 2015. “I’m confident that we’ll
have a new record in deliveries” in 2017, Airbus commercial planes sales chief John Leahy said Wednesday in Toulouse. However, he added, “That doesn’t mean that orders are going to be strong.” Fabrice Bregier, president of Airbus commercial planes, said that the first half of 2016 was “unusually difficult from a production perspective” but the company managed to speed up output by the end of the year after suppliers fixed problems with engines and cabin equipment.
He said Airbus is now focusing on ramping up deliveries and reducing its big backlog — 6,874 planes ordered but not yet delivered. Racing with Boeing for business in post-sanctions Iran, Airbus is making the symbolic move of delivering an A321 jet to Iran Air on Wednesday, the first of 100 planes planned in an Airbus deal worth more than $18 billion dollars at list prices.Iran’s flag carrier signed a similar deal with Boeing, for 80 jetliners that won’t start arriving until 2018. Bregier said Airbus would continue work on the Iran planes despite concerns that President-elect Donald Trump could threaten the international nuclear agreement that paved the way for the aircraft contracts. Airbus also shrugged off concerns of protectionist measures threatened by Trump, noting that it’s manufacturing in the U.S. now too — and delivered its first U.S.-assembled plane last year, an A321 made in Mobile, Alabama. Mark Bobbi of IHS Markit
said Airbus is likely to enjoy sustained demand for single-aisle planes this year and remain dominant over Boeing in that market, while the U.S. manufacturer will keep the lead in widebodies. However, he warned, demand for wide-bodies is “coming to a slump.” That’s especially bad news for the A380 superjumbo program, which he said is on “life support.” While Airbus insists that the world will need bigger planes like the A380 as population and travel grow, many airlines are turning away from major hubs and using smaller, cheaper planes instead. Airbus has scaled back production of the plane to one per month as orders have lagged. Overall, Bobbi forecast slower order rates in Asia and the Mideast after a period of “over-ordering.” A big question mark hanging over the industry is the rising oil price, which is putting pressure on airlines to cut costs — or to invest in newer, more fuel-efficient planes.q
Wells Fargo overhauls pay plan for bank branch employees AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo announced a complete restructuring this week of how it pays tellers and other bank branch employees, with incentives now tied to how often customers use their accounts, as the company tries to right itself after a scandal over its aggressive sales practices. The long-anticipated plan has been considered a high priority for CEO Tim Sloan and Mary Mack, the head of Wells Fargo’s community bank division — both of whom took those jobs after the scandal emerged. Wells Fargo had already announced in September that it was getting rid of the sales goals that led employees to open up to 2 million unauthorized accounts. Wells Fargo’s 70,000-plus front-line bank employees will no longer
This photo shows a Wells Fargo sign at a branch in New York. Wells Fargo announced this week it is completely restructuring how it pays tellers and other bank branch employees after a scandal over its aggressive sales practices. (AP Photo/CX Matiash)
be given incentives for how many new accounts they open or for meeting sales goals. They will instead receive part of their overall salary based on how the products they sell are used,
with one component also based on independently measured customer service scores for their branch locations. “Do they use the products they have with us? Do they think of us as
their primary bank? Are we growing customers who consider us their primary bank? These are the metrics we are now measuring,” Mack told The Associated Press. Accounts that
are used frequently, such as those where customers set up direct deposits or use debit cards often, will be a positive factor for an employee’s pay. Idle accounts will not, and an account won’t be a factor toward incentives until it’s been open three months. “Our goal here was to create a pay plan that would restore trust with our customers, team members and the public,” Mack said. Wells Fargo employees will also receive more of their overall compensation as a base salary, rather than in one-time incentives and bonuses. A teller, the lowest-level position, will have about 95 percent of his or her total pay as a base. Annual performance raises can still have an effect, but those will be based more on how customers regard and use the branch. q
A26 COMICS
Thursday 12 January 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
Thursday 12 January 2017
World Economic Forum: capitalism needs to change PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Reforming the very nature of capitalism will be needed to combat the growing appeal of populist political movements around the world, the World Economic Forum said Wednesday. In a wide-ranging report from the organizer of the annual gathering of political and business leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos, the WEF identified “rising income and wealth disparity” as potentially the biggest driver in global affairs over the next ten years. As an example of this growing inequality, the WEF highlighted the massive increases in CEO pay at a time when many people in advanced economies have struggled to make ends meet following the global financial crisis. “This points to the need for reviving economic growth, but the growing mood of anti-establishment populism suggests we may have passed the stage where this alone would remedy fractures in society: reforming market capitalism must also be added to the agenda,” it said in its latest Global Risks Report.q
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A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 12 January 2017
Shooting suspect’s mental issues may explain little MALCOLM RITTER AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Esteban Santiago, the 26-yearold man held in the fatal shootings last week at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, reportedly has a history of mental difficulties and it’s tempting to assume they explain the crime. Experts say: Don’t. “There is no one explanation that will fit this case or any case,” says criminologist James Alan Fox of Northeastern University, an expert on violence. While mental health troubles could turn out to play a role in the case, it’s unusual for symptoms to drive violence, says Edward Mulvey, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine who studies violence and mental illness. There has been no public explanation of a motive for the crime, and terrorism has not been ruled out. It could be that mental illness played no role — it is unclear if Santiago had
Esteban Santiago is taken from the Broward County main jail as he is transported to the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. Associated Press
been formally diagnosed with any mental condition or was undergoing treatment. A few reported details suggest he was troubled. The
mother of the Iraq war veteran said he had been deeply shaken by seeing a bomb explode next to two friends while serving in Iraq in 2010, and relatives said he seemed different when he returned from service. Santiago’s brother Bryan said Esteban told him last August that he was hearing voices and felt he was being chased. In November, he walked into an FBI field office in Alaska and said the federal government was controlling his mind and forcing him to
watch Islamic State videos, authorities said. At that point, officials seized his handgun and had him formally evaluated. After four days he was released and his gun was returned. But none of these details, by themselves or even together, are enough to draw conclusions, experts say. Plenty of people have had such experiences in their past and don’t commit mass murder, Fox said. The fact that Santiago was released after the evaluation indicates authorities believed he was not dangerous to himself or others, Fox said. “There’s a difference between being psychotic and being dangerous and psychotic,” Fox said. While certain factors often show up in the history of mass murderers, like a history of failure, a tendency to blame others and social isolation, they also appear in the histories of people who don’t harm anybody, Fox said. That’s why mass killers can’t be reliably identified in advance of the crime, he said. Dr. Paul Appelbaum, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University in New York, also warned against jumping to the conclusion that a psychiatric disorder is the reason for the shootings. Most behaviors have
multiple causes, he said. And even if Santiago suffered from psychosis when he walked into the FBI office, symptoms wax and wane, Appelbaum said, so it’s not clear what his situation was at the airport. In any case, even if had had a psychotic disorder, “most people with psychotic disorders never hurt anybody at all.... There may still be other influences on him that affected his behavior in a material way,” Appelbaum said. Santiago had other recent stresses. He recently became a father, he said in court Monday he hadn’t worked since November, and he had no money. Mulvey said there are people who are driven to violence by delusions, but “they’re rare, they’re much less common than people might expect.” Often when psychotic people are involved in violence it’s not because of their mental illness but rather something else, like substance abuse, he said. The American Psychological Association says that while there’s a small association between mental illness and violence directed at others, the overwhelming majority of people with serious mental illness don’t pose a risk to others and should not be stereotyped as dangerous.q
PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Thursday 12 January 2017
Star of ‘24’ sequel welcomes chance to create black hero
LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The clock is ticking and the nation’s fate again is at stake in “24: Legacy,” a sequel to Fox’s white-knuckle drama series. But this time the hero is African-American and that matters, says the show’s star and producers. “In television, to be a hero and look like I look, that really stuck with me,” said Corey Hawkins, who plays Eric Carter, an ex-Army Ranger who’s drawn into a fierce new battle at home. Now that he’s helping create a character that’s not typically black, the actor said, Carter’s ethnicity will be more than skin deep. We have to honor “where he comes from, not just his skin color but where’s he’s from,” the southeast area of Washington, D.C., said Hawkins, who’s also a native of the city. “That’s the authenticity.” There’s pressure in taking over the lead from longtime “24” franchise lead Kiefer Sutherland, who played U.S. counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, Hawkins acknowledged during a Q&A session with TV critics Wednesday. “Uh, yeah. I’d be crazy to say there wasn’t any pressure,” he said. “If the challenge wasn’t there, there’s no reason to say ‘yes’ to the role.” The series’ two-night debut is set for Feb. 5, following the Super Bowl, and Feb. 6. The first edition of “24” was more than a groundbreaker in format when it arrived
in 2001. It featured black actor Dennis Haysbert as the U.S. president, well before Barack Obama was elected in 2008. “If you show it’s possible, it can become possible,” said Brian Grazer, among the executive producers of “24: Legacy.” Anna Diop, who plays Carter’s wife, said all viewers should find the couple familiar, race notwithstanding. “I’m hoping people see this and see themselves in these characters and it transcends us being black,” Diop said, adding that her character, Nicole, is trying to support her husband and remain true to her own beliefs. Other cast members include Jimmy Smits as a U.S. senator and presidential hopeful, Miranda Otto as a former counter-terrorism unit head and Ashley Thomas as Carter’s drugdealer brother. The familiar elements, including episodes that play out by the clock, are there for good reason, the show’s producers said. The approach remains “a brilliant propulsive engine,” said series creator Evan Katz. “24: Legacy” also is bringing back the character of Tony Almeida, played by Carlos Bernard. Katz said that reflects what a “dynamic” actor and presence Bernard is and his character’s compelling nature. When he asked himself which of the former characters he wanted to see again, Katz said, “it was Tony.”q
Coen brothers to make their first TV series The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Coen brothers will make their first TV show, a miniseries series titled “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” Joel and Ethan Coen will write and direct the project, set in the Old West, Annapurna Television announced late Tuesday. The production company said it plans to make “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” with
“an innovative television and theatrical integrated approach.” Though the Coens’ film “Fargo” was adapted into an FX series, the filmmaking brothers had no involvement in that show. They have previously voiced disinterest in television. In 2015 at the Cannes Film Festival, Ethan said he hadn’t watched a TV show “in decades.”q
Miranda Otto, left, and Corey Hawkins appear at the “24 Legacy” panel at the FOX portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association press tour on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, in Pasadena, Calif. Associated Press
A30 PEOPLE
Thursday 12 January 2017
& ARTS
In this Sept. 30, 2016 photo, Ben Affleck poses at The Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. Associated Press
What’s the story with Ben Affleck? ‘Live by Night,’ he hopes JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When Ben Affleck’s “Argo” won best picture four years ago, it was an unquestionable high point in a career that has seesawed with ups and downs. As he, clutching the Oscar, spoke emotionally of “getting back up” after being knocked down, Affleck seemed to be leaving the turbulence behind. But the roller coaster soon enough started rolling again. Though many expected him to continue on the path of prestige filmmaker, he, with just a touch of fanfare, took on the high-pressure role of Batman, a bid to secure his place on the A-list and wow his four-year-old son. And after splitting with his wife, Jennifer Garner, Affleck again found himself a tabloid regular. “This business tends to exaggerate highs and lows,” Affleck said in an interview over coffee at a Manhattan restaurant overlooking Central Park. “I’ve had legitimate lows, movies I didn’t like, and I’m very proud of the movies I directed and so on. But you become a cast member in a soap opera that you’re not writing. You get the script every day and you find out what your role is that day.” Now, Affleck is hoping to flip the script again. He’s releasing his directorial follow-up to “Argo,” an adaption of Dennis Lehane’s crime novel “Live By Night.” It’s the story of a Prohibition era gangster (Affleck) who decamps from Boston to Tampa’s Ybor City to create a rumrunning empire. It’s his fourth film as a director and second adaptation of Lehane, whose “Gone Baby Gone” was his directorial debut in 2007. “When I had the success of ‘Argo,’ I kind of got to leverage that,” said Affleck, who was sent the book by Leonardo DiCaprio. “It was sort of pick what you want to do and this is what I wanted to do. I wanted
to make a classic Warners picture.” It’s easily Affleck’s most ambitious film yet, one he grants he couldn’t have tackled earlier. It has lavish period sets and costumes, a lengthy car chase and an epic sweep compelled by a clash of American ideals that resonates particularly post-election. He just hopes his side job in Warner Bros.’ DC Comics universe doesn’t overshadow it. “They’re saying you have to have x, y and z to make money in the movie business,” Affleck said. “You’ve got to have somebody wearing a cape, for example. While I have nothing against movies with people with capes on -- I’m a big fan of capes -- I don’t think we should be limited to that genre.” Affleck and his family were preparing to soon head to Montana to celebrate Christmas with his brother, Casey, and his family. It’s been an especially busy year for both. Casey is enjoying the most acclaim of his career for “Manchester by the Sea,” while Ben has run up more than $1.7 billion in box office, starring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” making a cameo in “Suicide Squad” and toplining the bean-counter thriller “The Accountant.” But concern that Affleck’s caped duties might overshadow “Live By Night” was especially acute on a recent December afternoon. He had just conducted a wide-ranging Times Talk about his career, but the headline-grabbing takeaway was that he said wouldn’t direct the planned stand-alone “Batman” film until the script was good enough. “That generated 30 stories about ‘Ben Affleck’s taking his time with Batman.’ Of course I am!” Affleck said incredulously. “You take your time with any movie. It’s no different than anything else but because it’s ‘Batman’ and it has that level of attention on the Internet. What could be less
newsworthy than a person saying they want to have a good script for their movie? We’re making the movie. We’re going ahead with it. We’re just working on the script to make it good. It’s like the most famous unmade movie in history.” “We also want good actors. We want good stages,” he said. “It boggles the mind.” After the critical lashing of “Batman v Superman” and “Suicide Squad,” Affleck would have good reason to emphasize the script stage of his “Batman” film, which he calls an “exhilarating” challenge, “like jumping out of an airplane.” He has written or co-written all his films except “Argo,” and, of course, first won an Oscar for penning “Good Will Hunting” with Matt Damon. Lehane, the celebrated crime noir novelist, said Affleck is orderly, “nomuss, no-fuss” in talking over the screenplays of “Gone Girl” and “Live by Night” — even if there were understandable delays. “I think he thought, ‘I’m just going to go direct this’ (after ‘Argo’) and then he got the offer to do ‘Gone Girl,’” Lehane said. “And then he was like, ‘OK, now I’m ready to direct this.’ And then he got the offer to do Batman. As he said to me at the time, in the grandest understatement, ‘A guy’s got to eat.’” The reviews for “Live By haven’t been Night” great , and it won’t reach the Oscar heights of “Argo.” But after the film’s first, more traditional crimethriller chapter, it becomes a timely collision between diverging visions of America: multiculturalism squares off with the KKK and religious zealotry. “Some of those conflicts, it turns out, are still really relevant today,” Affleck said. “In fact, I had no idea a story about immigrants and the Klu Klux Klan and morality would feel so current today.” Whether or not “Live by Night” succeeds, Affleck is at peace with the undulations of his Hollywood career.
PEOPLE & ARTS A31 Writer: Gay rights TV miniseries is for all, including Trump Thursday 12 January 2017
In this Oct. 27, 2016, file photo, Bruce Springsteen greets fans in a book store as he promotes his new book “Born to Run” in Toronto. Associated Press
New Jersey university to host Bruce Springsteen’s archives WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — A university in Bruce Springsteen’s native New Jersey will become home to the rocker’s personal collection of written works, artifacts, photographs and other memorabilia from his decadeslong career. The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University will curate the works, Springsteen and the university announced during a Tuesday event where he was interviewed about his career. The university, in West Long Branch, has been the home of the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection since 2011. The new archive will promote and preserve the legacy of Springsteen as well as other music icons, including Frank Sinatra and Woody Guthrie. “Monmouth University is excited by the opportunity to grow our relationship with Bruce Springsteen,” said university President Paul Brown. During the Tuesday night event at the university’s Pollak Theatre, Springsteen, 67, chronicled his life story as part of an “intimate conversation” moderated by Grammy Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli. While it takes the Boss close to four hours to effectively revisit the four-plus decades of his career in concert, he needed just 90 minutes to chronicle his life story.
LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black says his upcoming TV miniseries about the gay rights movement is for everyone, up to and including the incoming president. “I think there’s a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump who will love this show,” Black told a TV critics’ meeting Tuesday. “I didn’t write this show for half the country. If Donald Trump watches the show, I think he might like the show.” “When We Rise,” airing Feb. 27 to March 2 on ABC, recounts the LGBT civil rights movement and those involved from the mid-20th century to present day. The cast includes Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Mary-Louise Parker, Ivory Aquino and Michael Kenneth Williams. Black said the show already has come under online attack from members of the alt-right movement, but said that “the show is not a war. We are not against anyone.” The project was initiated four years ago and without anticipation of the current political climate, Black said. He wrote it for members of his own family, he said. The
Dustin Lance Black speaks at the “When We Rise” panel at the Disney/ABC portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Pasadena, Calif. Associated Press
writer, who won an Academy Award for 2008’s “Milk,” described growing up in a “religious, conservative, military” household in the South. His message to his cousins, aunts, uncles and others is, “Hey, we have more in common than we think and we speak the same language,” Black said, adding that he treasures his relatives. The series’ perspective is universal, Black said, calling it a “conversation about what it’s like to be a minority in this world” and the importance of working together. Williams (“Boardwalk Empire,” ‘’12 Years a Slave”) said the miniseries offers “stories of triumph and courage this country was
built” and is a timely celebration of American diversity and unity. When Black and the actors were asked about whether Hollywood is out of touch with middle America, Griffiths responded. “This show isn’t four nights of telling the middle how they should think and feel. It’s not an education, propaganda tool, which I’m sure the alt-right will say it is,” said the Australian actress (“Six Feet Under”). Instead, she said, it’s an opportunity to understand the lives of others. When she was a “little Irish Catholic girl” and watched the slavery epic “Roots,” she learned what it was like to be owned by another person and “that affected me for the rest of my life.”q
Ingrid Thoft delivers action-packed plot in ‘Duplicity’
OLINE H. COGDILL, Associated Press The private detective novel continues to explore contemporary hot-button issues, as Ingrid Thoft illustrates in her latest exciting novel about Boston investigator Fina Ludlow. In “Duplicity,” Thoft tackles how easily the unscrupulous can use faith to manipulate the vulnerable, while she also shows respect for religion and those who find comfort in their faith. As the in-house private investigator for one of the country’s top personal injury law firms run by her
father and brothers, Fina knows the value of discretion when dealing with the wealthy. Still, she’s a bit taken aback when her father, Carl, asks her to help his old flame, Ceci Renard, who is worried about her daughter, Chloe. In the past year, Chloe has become so involved with the evangelical Covenant Rising Church that she is willing to sign over a large part of her inheritance. Fina is as suspicious as Ceci when she meets the pastor, Greg Gatchell and his wife, Gabby, who use contributions to the church to
finance their luxurious lifestyle. While dealing with her investigation, Fina also focuses on the return of her brother, Rand, who sexually abused his teenage daughter, Haley. Fina focuses on Haley’s needs, but her parents are more concerned about keeping this family scandal quiet. The chasm between Fina and her mother, Elaine, widens further as Elaine refuses to believe that her favorite son is a pedophile. Thoft gracefully delivers an action-packed plot loaded with realistic dialogue
This image provided by Penguin Random House shows the book cover of “Duplicity” by Ingrid Thoft. Associated Press
and believable characters in “Duplicity.” While it’s clear the Gatchells are untrustworthy, Thoft still weaves in several welldevised twists. A hallmark of this series is Thoft illustrating the complexity of family relationships. Fina loves her family, and at heart, they are close. But Fina also is aware that she often is considered the outsider, being the only surviving daughter and non-lawyer. Fina’s insistence on her independence while keeping close contact with her family adds to her complicated personality.q
A32 FEATURE
Thursday 12 January 2017
Bronze ceiling: Girls seek statue of woman for Central Park VERENA DOBNIK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Wander through Central Park past monuments to figures including Christopher Columbus, Alexander Hamilton, William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott, and it may suddenly hit you: Where are the women? There are none, if you discount fictional characters like Mother Goose and Alice in Wonderland. Even a heroic dog has its place amid the park’s 843 acres of greenery, but every one of the 23 statues or busts of real humans in the park honors a famous man. Some Girl Scouts are now trying to change that. They’ve joined activists raising money for a park monument to two women who revolutionized the country:
In this Oct. 6, 2016 photo, front row, from left, three Girl Scouts: Lila Steinhardt, Sophia Singh, Pippa Lee, and back row, from left: statue project organizer Pam Elam; Skye Lucas and Jackie Hahn from Manhattan`s Dwight School; and Ariel Deutsch from Manhattan`s LaGuardia High School gather in Central Park to raise money for a Central Park monument to women in New York. Associated Press
In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 photo, a statue of jazz great Duke Ellington with a piano is located at an entrance to New York’s Central Park. Associated Press
suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. “We’re trying to crack the bronze ceiling,” deadpans Pamela Elam, who is spearheading the effort along with Stanton’s great-greatgranddaughter, Coline Jenkins. The aim of the awareness and fundraising campaign — called Central Park, Where Are The Women? — is to erect the statue by 2020, the centennial of U.S. women’s right to vote. “There are no statues of
In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 photo, a statue of Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman is located at an entrance to New York’s Central Park. Associated Press
women, and there’s tons of men,” says Pippa Lee, 10, a scout with Manhattan’s Girl Scout Troop 3484. “We really need a woman’s statue for girls to look up to, not just Mother Goose or Alice in Wonderland. They don’t count.” The effort has drawn the support of the Central Park Conservancy, a private nonprofit whose millions of dollars help beautify the urban oasis. Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver also has given the green light to the suffragist monument, which is to rise by Central Park West at the 77th Street entrance. So far, the nonprofit raising private donations — the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund Inc. — has
collected at least $150,000 of about $500,000 needed to create and maintain the monument. About the same amount would cover landscaping and an educational program. Across the street, the NewYork Historical Society plans exhibits and lectures on key roles of women in American society. On a bright fall Thursday, 10 scouts from Troop 3484 joined activists in the park to make their case. Stori Small, 10, noted that she wants women to be represented by “an actual person; I don’t want it to be a cartoon character.” During one weekly scout meeting in Central Park, the fifth-graders collected $123 from passers-by on a sidewalk near the future statue site, while chanting “Where are the women?” Sunflowers graced the girls’ hair, a symbol of the suffrage movement that began its march to victory with a convention in upstate New York in 1848. The girls plan to collect donations on Thursdays through the fall. For the same cause, students from Manhattan’s LaGuardia High School are selling bracelets inscribed with the words “Bring women of history out of the dark and into the park.” Any artist may submit a monument design following certain criteria, with a handful of finalists creating models to be displayed at the New-York Historical Society. A jury will pick the winner sometime next year.q
In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 photo, a statue of Simon Bolivar, a 19th century Venezuelan leader, stands at an entrance to New York’s Central Park. Associated Press