February 13, 2016

On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Saturday, February 13, 2016

Going South

Candidates Begin Campaigning in South Carolina Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes a photograph with Jordan Daniels, 11, of Denmark, S.C., during a town hall meeting at Denmark Olar Elementary School in Denmark, S.C., Friday Feb. 12, 2016.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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A2 UP

FRONT ‘Finally:’ Pope meets with Russian Orthodox leader

Saturday 13 February 2016

NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — With a hug and an exclamation of “Finally!” Pope Francis met Friday with Patriarch Kirill in the first ever meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000year schism that has divided Christianity.

“We are brothers,” Francis said as he embraced Kirill in the small, wood-paneled VIP room of Havana’s airport, where the three-hour encounter took place.

“Now things are easier,” Kirill agreed as he and the pope exchanged three kisses on the cheek. “This is the will of God,” the pope said.

Francis was having the brief talks in Cuba before heading off on a five-day visit to Mexico, where the pontiff will bring a message of solidarity with the victims of drug violence, human trafficking and discrimination to some of that country’s most violent and povertystricken regions.

The meeting and signing of a joint declaration of religious unity was decades in the making and cemented Francis’ reputation as a risktaking statesman who values dialogue, bridge-building and rapprochement at almost any cost.

In the 30-point statement, the two leaders declared themselves ready to take

all necessary measures to overcome their historical differences, saying “we are not competitors, but brothers.” Francis and Kirill also called for political leaders to act on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight

entire villages and cities,” the declaration said.

While the meeting has been hailed by many as an important ecumenical breakthrough, Francis has also come under criticism for essentially allowing himself to be used by a Russia eager to assert itself among Orthodox Christians

a country that is Catholic and familiar to Latin America’s first pope, but equally familiar to the Russian church given its anti-American and Soviet legacy. The pope helped mediate the declaration of detente between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014.

“If this continues, Cuba will

Pope Francis, center right, and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, center left, meet at the Jose Marti aiport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. This is the first-ever papal meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a historic development in the 1,000-year schism within Christianity.

(Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate/AP)

of Christians in Iraq and Syria who are being killed and driven from their homes by the Islamic State group.

“In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, entire families of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being exterminated,

and on the world stage at a time when the country is increasingly isolated from the West.

The declaration was signed in the uniquely ideal location of Cuba: far removed from the Catholic-Orthodox turf battles in Europe,

become the capital of unity,” the pope said.

Calling the talks “very substantive,” Kirill said: “The results make it possible to say that today the two churches can actively work together to protect Christians around the world.”

The Vatican is hoping the meeting will improve relations with other Orthodox churches and spur progress in dialogue over theological differences that have divided East from West ever since the Great Schism of 1054 split Christianity.

But Orthodox observers say Kirill’s willingness to finally meet with a pope has less to do with any new ecumenical impulse than grandstanding at a time when Russia is increasingly under fire from the West over its military actions in Syria and Ukraine. Kirill, a spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leads the most powerful of the 14 independent Orthodox churches that will meet

this summer in Greece in the first such pan-Orthodox synod in centuries.

“This isn’t benevolence.

It’s not a newfound desire for Christian unity,” said George Demacopoulos, the Greek-Orthodox chairman of Orthodox Christian studies at Fordham University in New York. “It is almost entirely about (Kirill) posturing and trying to present himself as the leader of Orthodoxy.”

Popes as far back as Paul VI have met with the ecumenical patriarch, who is the “first among equals” in the 250 million-strong Orthodox Church and the only patriarch who can speak for global Orthodoxy. But the Russian Church is the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful in Orthodoxy, and has always kept its distance from Rome.

Catholic and Orthodox split in the Great Schism of 1054 and have remained estranged over a host of issues, including the primacy of the pope and, more recently, Russian Orthodox accusations that the Catholic Church was poaching converts in former Soviet lands. Those tensions have prevented previous popes from meeting with the Russian patriarch, even though the Vatican has long insisted that it was merely ministering to tiny Catholic communities.

The most vexing issue in recent time centers on the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the country’s second-largest, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory and has resented papal influence there.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, the head of the Vatican office that deals with Orthodox relations, said the future significance of the meeting could not be overstated.

“We still don’t have contact with a lot of Orthodox patriarchs, and this meeting could help develop intra-Orthodox relations ahead of the pan-Orthodox council,” he told Vatican radio. q

U.S. NEWS A3

Saturday 13 February 2016

Candidates focus on South Carolina and crucial minority vote The Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were reaching out to the key black and Latino vote on Friday after a debate that marked a campaign shift toward states with more minority voters. Most candidates from both parties were focusing on South Carolina, whose primaries later this month begin the critical race for southern voters.

Republicans crisscrossed South Carolina looking to derail billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who each came to the state with a burst of momentum after the first two nomination contests.

In March’s primary schedule alone, 58 percent of the Republican Party’s delegate total will be at stake.

CBS said that all of the remaining major Republican candidates will be on stage for their next debate Saturday night in South Carolina.

Participating will be Trump, Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Bush on Friday defended his decision to bring his brother, former President George W. Bush, to South Carolina to help him campaign. Bush told ABC it wasn’t a sign of desperation, as Trump has suggested.

The race for both parties turns now to Nevada, South Carolina and other more diverse states including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas.

In Thursday’s debate, the Democratic rivals were animated on a fundamental question facing their party: has President Barack

Obama gone far enough in his policies?

Clinton, who has cast herself as the rightful heir to Obama’s legacy, accused Sanders of diminishing the president’s record. Sanders has suggested Obama hadn’t succeeded in closing the gap between Congress and the American people — something Obama has acknowledged.

“The kind of criticism I hear from Senator Sanders, I expect from Republicans. I do not expect it from someone seeking the Democratic nomination,” Clinton said.

Sanders responded by noting that Clinton ran against Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

Long viewed as the overwhelming front-runner in the Democratic race, Clinton has been caught off-guard by Sanders’ connection with Americans frustrated by the current political and economic systems. The former secretary of state’s connections to Wall Street have given Sanders an easy way to link her to his call for a “revolution.”

Clinton’s campaign has argued that the Vermont senator’s appeal is mostly limited to the white, liberal voters who gave Sanders a win in New Hampshire and a close second-place finish in Iowa.

Seeking to boost his support with minorities, Sanders called for reforms to a “broken criminal justice system” that incarcerates a disproportionate number of minorities.

Clinton concurred on a need to address a criminal justice system, but she cast her proposals for fighting racial inequality as broader than his.q

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, speaks during a Faith and Family Presidential Forum at Bob Jones University, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A4 U.S.

Saturday 13 February 2016

NEWS

House sends North Korea sanctions bill to president

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., center, walks to the House chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, as Republicans and Democrats joined together to overwhelmingly approve legislation that hits North Korea with more stringent sanctions for refusing to stop its nuclear weapons program.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Friday that hits North Korea with more stringent sanctions for refusing to stop its nuclear weapons program.

House Republicans and Democrats joined together to overwhelmingly approve the bill by a vote of 408-2 less than a week after North Korea launched a rocket carrying a satellite into space. Pyongyang conducted its fourth underground nuclear test last month. Both actions sparked worldwide condemnation and heightened fears the reclusive Asian nation is moving steadily toward assembling an atomic arsenal.

The Senate unanimously passed the legislation earlier this week.

The Obama administration said it wouldn’t oppose the bill, but officials declined to say whether or

when Obama would sign it. The expanded sanctions from Congress come at the same time the U.S. and China are in delicate negotiations over a U.N. Security Council resolution on new sanctions, with China raising concerns about measures that could devastate North Korea’s economy.

“We’re philosophically and intellectually in the same place as Congress on this, so that will not be a bill that we’ll oppose,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said on Friday. The expanded sanctions are intended to deny North Korea the money it needs for the development of miniaturized nuclear warheads and the longrange missiles required to deliver them.

The legislation also authorizes $50 million over the next five years to transmit radio broadcasts into NorthKorea, purchase communications equipment and support humanitarian assistance programs.q

Senate confirms nominees for US State posts and ambassadorships RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday confirmed six of President Barack Obama’s nominees for ambassadorships and senior positions at the State Department after Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas ended his opposition.

The approvals came after Democrats said Republicans were holding up the nominations to undermine Obama’s agenda in his final year in office.

Cruz placed a hold last year on all nominees for State Department positions requiring Senate confirmation, due in part to his op-

position to the landmark nuclear deal Obama and other nations brokered with Iran. Under Senate rules, a hold is a parliamentary procedure that allows a senator to block a nomination and other motions from coming to the floor for a vote. Phil Novack, a Cruz spokesman, said Friday that the senator removed his hold on State Department nominees after the Senate passed legislation authored by Cruz to rename the plaza in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington as “Liu Xiaobo Plaza.”

Liu is a Chinese activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner imprisoned on charges of inciting state subversion.q

U.S. NEWS A5

Saturday 13 February 2016

Lawmakers vote to make W. Virginia right-to-work state

State Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) speaks on the floor of the Senate on Feb. 2.

(Steve Helber/AP)

JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia, a suffering coal mining state shaped by the sometimes-bloody history of its organized labor, is set to become the 26th state with a so-called right-to-work law.

In House and Senate partyline votes Friday, lawmakers rebuked a veto Thursday by Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. The move will solidify a law that proponents say will draw in business and give workers more freedom over their ties to unions, but which opponents say is solely meant to undercut unions. The law becomes effective July 1.

Along similar partisan lines Friday, the Legislature dealt another blow to unions by overriding a second Tomblin veto, of a law that will eliminate the state’s prevailing wage on public construction projects. The law becomes effective in May.

Both the right-to-work and prevailing-wage-repeal proposals drew thousands of protesting union workers to the Capitol over the past month. Both also snagged a handful of ‘no’ votes from House Republicans.

Even with a slim 18-16 edge in the Senate, the GOP had the advantage of a much easier veto override requirement than in most states: Only a simple majority of both chambers was required.

The two pieces of legislation were top priorities of a Republican leadership team that grabbed the reins of the Legislature for the first time in more than eight decades after the 2014 elections. The GOP swept control from Democrats on a campaign linking them to President Barack Obama, who is deeply unpopular in the state, largely for his environmental policies that target coal.

During debate on the bills, Republicans said a new

Maine: LePage accused of insensitivity LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is being accused of racial insensitivity over a joke about a Chinese investor’s name.

The man’s first name is Chiu — pronounced “choo.”

When LePage mentioned him Thursday at a Lewistonbusiness breakfast, the Republican governor pronounced it with an emphatic fake sneeze.

LePage smiled, and many at the luncheon laughed.

The governor’s office said Friday that the investor is

Chiu Feng Chuan, chairman of a Chinese firm that’s investing in U.S. paper mills, including one in Baileyville, Maine.

The governor’s office says they have an “excellent relationship.”

Not everyone was amused by the joke. Cindy Han is a board member of the Chinese & American Friendship Association of Maine.

She told the Portland Press Herald that the episode shows LePage is “tone deaf” on race.q

path is necessary for a state that is shedding jobs in coal due to economic, geological and regulatory factors. They also pointed to the overall high unemployment, a drug epidemic and the worst population loss of any state in the country.

“We know that we have to do something different if we, in fact, want those different results,” said Senate President Bill Cole, a Mercer County Republican and candidate for governor. “And my goodness, it’s time for different results. We have to put West Virginians back to work.”

Right-to-work laws prohibit companies from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Unions are still re-

quired to represent every worker. The law applies to new collective bargaining agreements.

Employees can currently be forced to pay fees, but can’t be forced to join the union under federal law.

Democrats said right-towork would let people enjoy union benefits without paying for them, and they expressed concerns that unions would be crippled without any economic benefit. Studies on rightto-work vary on economic impacts, but they largely agree that union employment drops.

During debate, House Democrats also detailed the hardships workers endured to unionize. Union membership has been steadily declining.

Organizing battles raged in Appalachia throughout the 20th century, most notably the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia, where thousands of striking miners fought a shooting war with law enforcement and replacement workers, ending in dozens of deaths.

One year earlier, 10 people had died in Matewan, West Virginia, in a skirmish over eviction notices served to miners who had joined the union.

“The union I come from, if you tried to better yourself, you got shot at by company thugs,” said Del. Mike Caputo, a Marion County Democrat and United Mine Workers of America leader.

“If you went on strike, they threw you out of the company house.”q

A6 U.S.

Saturday 13 February 2016

NEWS

Autopsy reports of Valentine’s Day massacre found

James Sledge, an executive officer at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office in Chicago, holds one of the original autopsy reports from the infamous Valentine’s Day massacre 87 years ago.

(James Foster/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — The autopsies on the seven bulletriddled bodies vividly describe why the Valentine’s Day massacre of 1929 is still considered Chicago’s most infamous gangland killing.

The hand written reports were recently unearthed with inquest transcripts from a warehouse after eight decades, and the medical examiner’s office is now considering how best to preserve and display them.

Executive officer James

Sledge, a local history fan and a Chicago native, said he felt a chill down his back when he first read the documents outlining the attack at a Lincoln Park garage that left seven men dead and more than 160 machine gun casings littering the scene.

The attack, carried out by men dressed as city police officers, is widely believed to have been ordered by famed Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone. The crime was never solved.

Shortly after Sledge joined the medical examiner’s office in 2014, he asked for permission to look at the autopsy records. His staff took multiple trips to a government warehouse to find the reports, which were tucked away in a metal file cabinet.

Sledge is weighing where the documents should be stored and how accessible they should be, he told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story published Thursday.

“On the one hand, we

want to have them readily available,” Sledge said.

“But we don’t want them so accessible that we in some way anger some part of the population who feel we are not paying proper respect to the deceased.”

The victims of the Feb. 14, 1929 massacre were five men who were known gangsters working for Capone rival George “Bugs” Moran, an optometrist who was friends with Moran’s crew and a mechanic at the garage that served as Moran’s headquarters.

They were gunned down by four men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms.

Since there was no evidence of a struggle, it’s believed that Moran’s men thought it was a police raid.

The documents that are now in Sledge’s possession offer insight into the 87-year-old investigation of the unsolved crime.

“The reports are very graphic about what happened,” Sledge said. “You read about history, you talk about it, but to have something in your hands — it gives you an odd feeling.”

Those documents include an inquest interview with the optometrist’s mother in which the coroner prepares her for the grisly state of her son’s body. q

Ohio:

Diners’ quick response helps cops find attacker KANTELE FRANKO Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Witnesses of an apparently random machete attack at a restaurant helped authorities track down the fleeing suspect, who was fatally shot in a confrontation with officers, police said.

Witnesses even took video Thursday evening that provided partial information on the license plate of the getaway car, Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said.

The man got out of the car holding a machete in one hand and a knife in the other, Weiner said. Police tried

unsuccessfully to use a stun gun on him, then shot him when he lunged at them, he said. No officers were hurt. It’s unclear what motivated the attack.

Police said four people were treated at a local hospital, one in critical condition, two in stable condition, and a fourth who took

himself there.

Police haven’t released their names or identified the man who was killed.

Police said the man walked into the restaurant, left after a conversation with an employee, then returned about a half hour later and started attacking two people sitting in a booth.q

Cosby lawyers try again to get case dismissed MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Lawyers for Bill Cosby tried again Friday to have his criminal sex-assault case dismissed, asking an appeals court to consider whether Cosby had a binding agreement that he would never be charged.

Defense lawyers argue that Cosby had a promise from a former prosecutor that he wouldn’t be charged over the 2004 encounter with a Temple University employee and should therefore testify in the woman’s civil lawsuit.

He did, in a deposition unsealed last year that prompted a new prosecutor to reopen the case before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. Cosby said under oath that he gave the accuser three pills before engaging in sexual contact that he called consensual. He also acknowledged getting prescriptions for quaaludes so he could give them to women he hoped to seduce.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele filed felony sexual assault charges against Cosby in late December, based on new evidence that included the deposition testimony and the dozens of other accusers who have come forward since to say that Cosby drugged and molested them. Cosby has denied wrongdoing.

A key question if the criminal case goes to trial is whether the other women’s testimony or the lengthy Cosby deposition could be used in court.

But defense lawyers hope the case ends long before then.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Saturday 13 February 2016

Those Valentine’s Day flowers might just be from Kenya ILYA GRIDNEFF Associated Press NEW YORK/NYAHURURU, Kenya (AP) — This Valentine’s Day, there’s a good chance your flowers came from Kenya.

“I know the flowers are for giving on Valentine’s Day,” said Phanice Cherop, a worker at a flower farm in Kenya. “They are very beautiful.”

On a crisp February morning, Cherop squeezed through a row of shoulderhigh white roses, cut a flower and methodically placed it in the bunch she carried.

Kenya’s cool climate and high altitude make it perfect for growing large, long-lasting roses. Such conditions have helped make Kenya become the world’s fourth-biggest supplier after the Netherlands, Ecuador and Colombia.

Cherop, a 29-year-old single mother of two, works at AAA Growers’ Simba farm in Nyahururu, four hours’ drive north of the capital, Nairobi. It’s the one of company’s four 20-hectare (50-acre) farms that make them Kenya’s third-largest grower of vegetables and flowers combined.

Cherop was one of 600 workers bused in from surrounding villages to pick or pack thousands of roses to be sent around the world ahead of Feb. 14.

Flowers are intricately tied to the global economy.

When it collapsed in 2008, the cut-flower trade lost $1.5 billion the following year. In 2013, global exports of cut flowers, cut foliage, living plants and flower bulbs amounted to $20.6 billion, more than twice the amount in 2001.

International events, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and plummeting oil prices, have shaped flower fortunes for numerous Kenyan farms. Sales to oil-producing nations, such as Norway and those in the Middle East, have dropped due to their reduced spending power, said Britain-born Andrew Mules, general manager of AAA Growers’ Simba farm.

“Up until two years ago,

flowers would have been the most profitable part of the farm,” he said. “Now it is our third after soft fruit and then vegetable crops.”

Kenya is the sixth-largest flower exporter to the U.S., according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As east Africa’s agricultural powerhouse, Kenya supplies the European Union with 38 percent of its cut-flower imports, partly due to a tax-exemption trade agreement.

Mr. Mules, who farmed in Zimbabwe before being evicted under President Robert Mugabe’s land reforms, said prolonged rains due to the El Nino weather pattern have pressured the company’s bottom line.

“The timing of Valentine’s Day is perfect for Kenya because it falls in the dry season,” he said. “Unfortunately, this year, due to el Nino, it has lengthened the so called ‘short rains.’

Instead of stopping in November we were getting rain in January.”

Another lament is about Russia.

In 2012, flower exports to Russia, the world’s fifth-largest flower importer, began shrinking due to its tanking economy and depreciating ruble. Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014 only “worsened the situation,” said Cindy van Rijswick, a fruit, vegetables and floriculture analyst at Dutch bank Rabobank.

“A more indirect effect is that, because of the declining cut-flowers exports to Russia, these flowers are supplied to other markets, which causes pressure on prices,” she said.

Dana Malaskova, AAA Growers’ commercial manager, said that up until September 2014, the company was sending a quarter of their flowers to Russia, with a steady 5 percent annual growth; now the volume has shrunk to 5 percent of the total.

“We no longer rely on Russia for International Women’s day on March 8, the year’s second-biggest flower-giving event,” she said.q

Workers pack roses for Valentine’s Day, at the AAA Growers’ farm in Nyahururu, four hours’ drive north of the capital Nairobi, in Kenya. This Valentine’s Day, there’s a good chance your flowers came from Kenya as the cool climate and high altitude make it perfect for growing large, longlasting roses - propelling it to become the fourth-largest supplier after the Netherlands, Ecuador and Colombia.

(AP Photo/Ilya Gridneff)

WORLD NEWS Diplomats aim for temporary Syria truce in a week A8

Saturday 13 February 2016

BASSEM MROUE MATTHEW LEE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A diplomatic push for a temporary pause in Syria’s civil war and the delivery of humanitarian aid faced huge hurdles Friday, with Russia saying it would continue its airstrikes and government planes dropping leaflets urging rebels to surrender because “the belt is narrowing around you.”

A plan for the “cessation in violence” announced by the U.S. and Russia does not go into effect for a week, and while the Syrian opposition expressed “cautious optimism,” it also said more innocent civilians would be killed in that span.

Government forces, aided by a withering Russian bombing campaign, are trying to encircle rebels in Syria’slargest city of Aleppo and cut off their supply route to Turkey. Another week of fighting could bring the Syrian troops closer to that goal.

Syrian forces recaptured several strategic hills north of Aleppo and are in position to target the final supply line to the rebel-held

eastern suburbs, according to Al-Manar TV, a Lebanese channel run by the militant group and Syrian ally Hez-

ing to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said 12 fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra

he noted that a cessation of hostilities, if achieved, would only be a “pause” in the fighting and that more

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a news conference after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Talks aimed at narrowing differences over Syria and keeping afloat diplomacy to end its civil war have gotten under way in Munich.

(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

bollah.

Heavy fighting between government and opposition forces occurred south of Aleppo, around the town of Tamoura, accord-

Front were killed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the agreement in Munich as a significant accomplishment in the five-year war, but

work would be needed to turn it into a full-fledged cease-fire.

He also said the agreements made were “commitments on paper” only.

“The real test is whether or not all the parties honor those commitments and implement them,” he told reporters after the nearly six-hour meeting concluded early Friday.

Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a task force must try to deal with the “modalities” of the temporary truce. The task force will include members of the military along with representatives from countries that are supporting various armed groups in Syria. The Syrian government and the opposition would both have to agree to the details.

That could pave the way for a new round of peace talks between President Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition, scheduled for Feb. 25 in Geneva. An earlier session broke down last week, due largely to gains by Assad’s military helped by the Russian airstrikes.The deal appeared to be the result of a compromise between the United States, which had wanted an immediate cease-fire, and Russia, which had proposed one to start on March 1. q

Saudi foreign minister defends policy at Munich meeting GEIR MOULSON Associated Press MUNICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Friday defended his country’s foreign policy and its stance in Yemen and Syria, insisting that the kingdom has no ambitions beyond its borders. Since taking power last year, King Salman has led his country toward an aggressive new stance, confronting longtime regional rival Iran by

leading a military coalition fighting Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen. Riyadh is also one of the main opponents of President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria.

Though few of Saudi Arabia’s allies have publicly criticized its policies, an intelligence analysis released by Germany’s BND spy agency in December cited concern over the kingdom’s “new impulsive policy of intervention.” It

said it feared that Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to establish itself as a leader in the Arab world could damage the kingdom’s ties with its regional allies.

Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir said at a security conference in Munich Friday that Saudi Arabia is “a country that has no ambitions beyond its borders” and is guided by pragmatism. He spoke after joining foreign ministers from

global and regional powers — including Iran — in agreeing to seek a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in Syria. “We have dealt with the challenges in the region this year in ways that the world maybe is not used to, but that’s because frankly there is a vacuum, and if nobody’s willing to do something then the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its allies had to step in and do something,” al-

Jubeir said.

“We acted in Yemen to prevent a legitimate government from collapsing and the country being taken over by a radical militia allied with Iran and Hezbollah,” he added. “We did so in response to the request of the legitimate government. We have no intention of seizing one inch of Yemeni territory; we have no intention of trying to dominate Yemen.”q

WORLD NEWS 9

Saturday 13 February 2016

APNewsBreak: EU poised to restrict passport-free travel the border management on its islands. Two draft assessments forwarded to the Greek government in early January indicated Athens was making progress, although they noted “important shortcomings” in handling migrant flows.

But with asylum-seekers still coming at a pace ten times that of January

A car drives out of Schengen, Luxembourg and into Contz-lesBains, France. European Union countries are poised to reverse a decades-old trend of expanding passport-free travel by invoking an emergency rule to impose controls at several borders for two more years because of the migration crisis, according to European Union documents seen on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.

(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

D. GATOPOULOS R. CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries are poised to restrict passportfree travel by invoking an emergency rule to keep some border controls for two more years because of the migration crisis and Greece’s troubles in controlling its border, according to EU documents seen

by The Associated Press.

The switch would reverse a decades-old trend of expanding passport-free travel in Europe.

Since 1995, people have been able to cross borders among Schengen Area member countries without document checks. Each of the current 26 countries in the Schengen Area is allowed to unilaterally put up border controls for a maximum of six months, but that time limit can be extended for up to two years if a member is found to be failing to protect its borders.

The documents show that EU policy makers are pre-

paring to make unprecedented use of an emergency provision by declaring that Greece is failing to sufficiently protect it border. Some 2,000 people are still arriving daily on Greek islands in smugglers’ boats from Turkey, most of them keen to move deeper into Europe to wealthier countries like Germany and Sweden.

A European official showed the documents to the AP on condition of anonymity because the documents are confidential. Greek government officials declined to comment on the content of documents not made public.

In Brussels on Friday, EU nations acknowledged that the overall functioning of Schengen “is at serious risk” and said Greece must make further efforts to address “serious deficiencies” within the next three months.

European inspectors visited Greek border sites in November and gave Athens until early May to upgrade

2015, European countries are reluctant to dismantle their emergency border controls. And if they keep them in place without authorization, EU officials fear the entire concept of the open-travel zone could be brought down.

A summary written by an official in the EU’s Dutch presidency for a meeting

of EU justice and home affairs ministers last month showed they decided that declaring Greece to have failed in its upgrade was “the only way” for Europe to extend the time for border checks. The official said they agreed to invoke the two-year rule under Article 26 of the open-travel agreement.q

A10 WORLD

Saturday 13 February 2016

NEWS

Protesting Greek farmers drive tractors through Athens

Farmers drive their tractors in front of the Greek parliament during a rally in Athens, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Farmers from across Greece gather in Athens for a two-day protest against the government and its plans to impose new tax hikes and pension charges.

(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — More than a dozen tractors rolled through Athens on Friday, honking horns and flashing lights outside parliament as thousands of Greek farmers thronged the capital’s main Syntag-

ma Square to protest tax hikes and pension reforms.

The two-day protest kicked off Friday morning with clashes between riot police and Cretan farmers wielding shepherd’s staffs that left 10 policemen slightly injured and smashed windows at the agriculture

ministry.

Music blared from loudspeakers and protesters braving rain lit a bonfire near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the foot of parliament, while about 20 tractors parked nearby.

Tents were set up in the adjacent central Syntagma

Square in preparation for an all-night sit-in.

Farming associations have been blockading highways across the country with tractors for more than two weeks, forcing traffic into lengthy diversions to protest a planned overhaul of the country’s troubled pension system. So far, they have refused talks with the government, insisting the pension reform plan must be repealed.

Bailout lenders are demanding that Greece scrap tax breaks for farmers and impose pension reforms that will lead to higher monthly contributions from the self-employed and salaried employees.

“They fooled us,” Manolis Paterakis, head of one of Crete’s farmer blockades, said of the left-led government. “They were telling us that they support us, that they are fighting for the survival of the farmers, ... that young people need to return to their villages and work their land.

“The same people (now) come and confirm the exact opposite,” he said.

“Whoever farms today, the only thing they will achieve is to have debts to the tax office.”

The most severe clashes came in the morning outside the agriculture ministry, where about 800 farmers from Crete were demanding access to the building.

Riot police used tear gas to repel groups hurling rocks and tomatoes and setting dumpsters alight.

Numerous windows of the ministry building were smashed, and rubble from broken paving stones littered the road outside. Police said the farmers threatened to spray them with a pesticide used for olive trees if the police used tear gas. At least four farmers were detained.

One outnumbered riot police unit was forced to flee up a street, with farmers wielding staffs and pieces of wood in pursuit.

Separate clashes broke out on highways leading into the Greek capital. To the east of Athens, farmers used tractors to circumvent a police roadblock, drive over a highway barrier and block the main highway to Athens’ international airport for about half an hour, leaving travelers with planes to catch walking along the road, wheeling their suitcases behind them.

Spain: Civil servant fined after skipping work for many years A. CLENDENNING C. GILES Associated Press MADRID (AP) — The case started with confusion over where a civil servant in southern Spain worked.

Now a court has ruled he must pay back nearly 27,000 euros ($30,500) in wages because for years he actually didn’t work at all. The employee of a water utility owned by the Spanish city of Cadiz didn’t appear at its office for up to six years and “did absolutely no work” for three years prior to his retirement in 2011, said the ruling issued last month and provided to The Associated Press Friday.

It didn’t explain why the worker, who cannot be named under Spanish law, went undetected until his

case was discovered in 2010, shortly before he was due to receive a plaque recognizing him for 20 years of service.

Former Cadiz Deputy Mayor Jose Blas Fernandez said in a telephone interview he initiated the investigation after reviewing personnel records and realizing no one had seen the worker for a long time after his transfer to the utility from a city hall job.

The Aguas de Cadiz utility told Blas Fernandez it thought the worker had transferred back to city hall, but that wasn’t the case, Blas Fernandez said.

He got the worker on the phone, ordered him to report to city hall and said he was evasive when asked what sort of tasks he had been doing in recent years.

WORLD NEWS A11

Saturday 13 February 2016

Hammers and shivs used in Mexico prison riot that killed 49

Relatives of inmates stand outside the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Mexico. Mexico’s deadliest prison brawl in many years was a bloodbath in which inmates attacked each other with hammers, cudgels and makeshift blades, authorities said Friday.

(AP Photo/Emilio Vazquez)

PORFIRIO IBARRA Associated Press MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s deadliest prison brawl in many years was a bloodbath in which inmates attacked each other with hammers, cudgels and makeshift blades, authorities said Friday, underlining yet again the power that drug cartels wield inside many of the country’s lockups. Jaime Rodriguez, governor of the northern state of Nuevo Leon, said 60 hammers, 86 knives and 120 shivs were used in the previous day’s fighting at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, where 49 inmates were hacked, beaten or burned to death, and a dozen more injured.

At least 40 of the victims “died from wounds from stabbing and cutting weapons, blows from hammers and clubs,” Rodriguez said at a news conference.

Authorities also seized various kinds of contraband items from marijuana and cocaine to televisions and USB memory sticks.

A dispute between rival factions of the Zetas cartel was believed to be behind the violence.

“What we have to see as

a reality in the entire penitentiary system is that there is self-rule” by the inmates, Rodriguez said. “All this corruption inside the prison creates the conditions we have today.” He acknowledged that prisoners effectively lord over the facility and that there were not enough guards watching them: “Nobody wants to be a guard,” he said, because of the meager pay.

About half the inmates at Topo Chico have been sentenced for minor offenses or are suspects still awaiting trial. Nevertheless they are housed in the prison’s overcrowded general population alongside many of the country’s most hardened killers. One of them was Raymundo Gonzalez Hernandez, a 23-year-old who is accused of kidnapping but whose trial is still pending.

He was not among those listed as wounded during the riot, but his cousin said he was covered by bruises and welts when she was allowed inside to see him.

“Both his eyes were practically closed from all the hits they gave him,” Cynthia Hernandez said.

“He couldn’t even speak,

he just went like this,” she added, moving her head from side to side. The harsh conditions inside the lockup were a familiar story for Victoria Casas Gutierrez, a cleaning lady who waited for hours for news of her 21-year-old son, Santiago Garza Casas, who was facing trial for allegedly acting as a lookout for a criminal gang. Garza was sent to Topo Chico in September for missing a parole appointment and immediately thrown in with a prison population that included convicted murderers. With their gang ties and access to drugs and

guns, many say the Zetas and Gulf cartels run the prison. “They charge taxes, and if the relatives don’t bring a certain amount ... they beat them,” Casas Gutierrez said, adding that the payments can run into the thousands of pesos.

“Sometimes we have to sell our homes.” “There is vice inside and everything that is in there is their fault, the authorities,” she said.

Casas Gutierrez’s son was not on the list of the dead, but some bodies were so badly burned it may take days to identify them.

No escapes were reported in the clash, which took

place on the eve of Pope Francis’ arrival in Mexico, a visit that is scheduled to include a trip next week to another prison in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

The fighting began around midnight with prisoners setting fire to a storage area, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky.

The clash was initially said to be between two gangs led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel, Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias, also known as “Z-27,” and Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu, who has been identified by Mexican media as a Gulf cartel figure.q

A12 WORLD

Saturday 13 February 2016

NEWS

Brazil:

Castro says no doubt Zika connected to microcephaly

Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Castro speaks during an interview at the Health Ministry headquarters, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Castro made his remarks with a poster with an image of an Aedes aegypti mosquito and a text in Portuguese that reads “One Mosquito is not stronger that a country.”

(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

J. GOODMAN Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Bra-

zil’s health minister said Friday that authorities were “absolutely sure” that the

Zika virus is connected to devastating birth defects and rejected criticism that the government was slow to investigate the surge of cases that set off international alarms.

Marcelo Castro made the remarks during an interview with The Associated Press in Brazil’s capital.

He spoke a day before tens of thousands of soldiers and health inspectors were to take to the streets in an unprecedented drive to encourage residents to be vigilant for mosquito breeding sites. The goal: visit 3 million homes in more than 350 cities.

Brazil is at the epicenter of a mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to rare birth defects known

as microcephaly. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women to avoid traveling to more than two dozen countries and territories in the Americas where active outbreaks are taking place.

Although the link has not been scientifically proven and myriad questions remain, Castro said the half-year gap between the virus outbreak in South America’s largest country and the spike in reported cases of microcephaly was not a coincidence.

“We are absolutely sure of the causal relationship between microcephaly and Zika,” he said, adding that government researchers were unanimous in their assessment: “It has nothing to do with the environment, nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.”

Clinical and preliminary laboratory evidence has shown that many mothers of children with microcephaly were infected with Zika during their pregnancies. Castro said more research was needed to determine whether additional factors may have also played a role in the spike of birth defects.

Traditionally, Brazil had reported about 150 such cases of microcephaly a year. Since October, 5,079 suspected cases have been reported, according to the latest figures released Friday. Of those, 462 cases have been confirmed while 765 have been discarded. Of the confirmed microcephaly cases, 41 have been connected to Zika.

In response to criticism that Brazil was moving too slowly to confirm cases of microcephaly, Castro said the federal government was pushing states and local governments to speed up tests on newborns.

Castro, who will be traveling to the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia to oversee the “Zero Zika” campaign there, called on his compatriots to join the battle to eliminate Zika. q

Japanese musician strangled during Trinidad’s Carnival TONY FRASER Associated Press PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — A Japanese musician who flew to Trinidad to participate in a wellknown steel percussion competition was strangled to death during the island’s annual Carnival celebration, authorities said Friday.

An autopsy concluded that Asami Nagakiya, whose body was found Wednesday in a Port-of-Spain park, had been manually strangled. No arrests have been made, and authorities said they were working to determine whether she had been sexually assaulted.

Japanese Embassy spokesman Shoichi Ueda said in a phone interview Friday that Nagakiya was in her 30s and her family lives in Japan. He said it’s unclear whether her family would come to Trinidad, or if her body would be sent back to Japan.

Police said in a statement that they searched an abandoned house close to where Nagakiya was found after witnesses said they saw her going in and out of the building. She was last seen with her band on Tuesday around noon, officials said.

Nagakiya flew to Trinidad on Jan. 7 to play with the PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, a 120-person steel drum orchestra. The band was playing in the Panorama steel pan competition, which is held every February during Trinidad’s Carnival.

Officials said Nagakiya joined the band in 2012.

“Her talent and hard work made her the excellent tenor player that she was,” the group said in a statement. “Asami would also be remembered for her generosity with craft and jewelry making and the Japanese treats that she always brought back for everyone when she returned to Trinidad.”

Nagakiya also was a pannist for a Japanese band called OTSK.q

LOCAL A13

Saturday 13 February 2016

From massages, the perfect gift to brunch or dinner:

Renaissance Aruba is Perfect for Valentine’s Day

ORANJESTAD - Renaissance Aruba has the perfect day planned for you and your loved one. On this Valentine’s Day Renaissance Aruba is the greatest option to celebrate love. Starting in the early morning, the staff of Okeanos Spa welcomes you to enjoy many options for couple’s massages. Relax with the ‘Cove Couple Massage’ on Renaissance Island, which includes a day pass to this beautiful private island or maybe you prefer the ‘Chocolate Couple Massage’, 50 minutes of pure bliss that includes a glass of champagne.

There are other options like the Aroma Couple Massage, Valentine’s Body wrap, Couple Hanakasumi Body Exfoliation Massage and many other facials available. All Valentine’s promotions with exception of the ‘Cove Couple Massage’ are valid till February 29th.

After your massage, take a stroll and shop at either Re-

ba has multiple dinner options. L.G. Smith’s Steak & Chop House has a special 3-course menu for two, which includes a Valentine’s cocktail. A truly Valentine’s setting with music

by Live Expressions. This Valentine’s menu is available on the 12th, 13th and 14 of February.

Looking for something extra romantic? Have your Valentine’s Dinner on the beach at Renaissance Ocean Suites and experience an exceptional sunset. This 4-course dinner includes a bottle of Möet & Chandon and a beautiful rose for the lady. This sunset dinner promotion is valid only on the 14th of February. Last but not least, dinner at Aquarius..q

naissance Mall or Renaissance Marketplace. Don’t forget with every purchase of 50 florins or more, you participate in a raffle to win some fabulous prizes including a Weekend stay, gift certificate of 1,000 florin

and many more. ‘Love is in the Air at Renaissance’. On the second floor, Aquarius has its Valentine’s Brunch starting at 12 noon. Children between the age of 5 and 12 pay half price.

At night Renaissance Aru-

A14 LOCAL

Saturday 13 February 2016

Aboard the Jolly Pirates:

Love is in the Air as Sabrina and Sasha Tie the Knot!

PALM BEACH - The hot Aruba sun was shining and the skies were perfectly clear... an ideal day to get married! Bride, Sabrina Monserrate, and groom, Sasha Kucherov could not wait to see each other for their first time that day, which would be when Sabrina walked down the aisle on the beach at the Aruba Marriott Resort.

Sabrina, a labor and delivery nurse, met Sasha, an obstetrician/gynecologist, while working at Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.

Aruba has always been a special place for Sabrina and Sasha.

They both spent time on the island with family when they were growing up and it was the destination of their first vacation as a couple.

Also, coincidentally, both sets of parents enjoyed their honeymoons in Aruba.

The original plan was to get married in upstate New York in December 2016.

their makeup and hair team, Events by Jesse, Jolly Pirates, Alica King Photography and Digital Waves Videography, we were beyond pleased with the quality of work and how quickly everyone rallied to make it the most special day of our lives! I was so stressed about wedding planning for an entire year

but this idea was so insanely on point and perfect and I loved every minute!”

many many drinks were enjoyed and the Jolly Pirates staff were perfect for

(www.eventsbyjesse.com).

Jesse will always recall this wedding as a special one.

-Jolly Pirates can arrange fun- loving private charter cruises. Aboard these 85ft twin teak schooners you are afforded a one of a kind, special occa-

One year prior, the couple thought, “why wait?” and planned to get married in Aruba 4 weeks later, on January 23, 2016. Sabrina was stunned by the professionalism of everyone she contacted. She commented, “I can’t believe how it all came together in three weeks time! Between the Marriott representatives,

After their 40 guests witnessed Sabrina and Sasha’s magical beach ceremony and a champagne toast, the party continued on the Jolly Pirates Sailing Ship.

It was the perfect place for Sabrina and Sasha’s loved ones to gather and celebrate their new union.

The food was incredible,

the occasion. Several of the groomsman took the party a step further by taking off their formal wear and rope swinging into the water! It was a wedding like no other and it is sure to be memorable.

Wedding planning and management were performed by Jesse Reing, CEO of Events by Jesse

“It is amazing to me that I could trust people, in a completely different country and never having met them, to do the high quality job they did for Sabrina and Sasha’s wedding. I will remain very impressed by all of the Aruba event professionals I worked with for this spectacular day. I look forward to planning a

sion with miles and miles of ever changing scenery.

Sailing along Aruba’s picturesque coastline is the ideal setting. Options and amenities will be suited for your special day and with a dedicated event team, no detail will be missed, allowing you to enjoy your family and friends on your memorable day!q

wedding in Aruba again!”

Events by Jesse is a specialized event planning company. While Jesse is located primarily in the New York City area, she is happy to plan local and destination events for any of her clients. Customizable experiences may include full or partial service event planning, day-of management and creative concept development.

LOCAL A15

Saturday 13 February 2016

Fuschetto Family Honored by the Aruba Tourism Authority

PALM BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a very nice couple as Goodwill Ambassadors at the Caribbean Palm Village.

The symbolic honorary title is presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 20-to-34 consecutive years.

The honorees were Mr. Pat and Mrs. Rose Marie Fuschetto from Hamilton Ontario Canada. Pat and Rose Marie are loyal members of the Caribbean Palm Village and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the climate, beaches, restaurants, relaxation and being on Aruba and staying at the Caribbean Palm Village is like being home for them. The certificate was presented

by Mr. Ricardo Croes representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with Daisy Gomez from the Caribbean Palm Village.q

A16 LOCAL

Saturday 13 February 2016

Loyal Visitors Honored at the Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

EAGLE BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a pair of loyal and friendly visitors of Aruba at the Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino as Distinguished Visitors. 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 honorees were Mr. Kurt Grossen and Ms. Angela Zwicker.

Kurt and Angela are regular guests of the Marriott

Resort and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the weather, the beaches, the restaurants, the Casinos, and just about everything else! They say Aruba feels like a second home where the people are like family to them, and the Marriott Resort is truly their ‘homeaway-from-home.’ The certificates were presented by Mr. Ricardo Croes representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with friends and family and associates from the Marriott Resort. q

SPORTS A17

Saturday 13 February 2016

MING DYNASTY Taylor Fritz celebrates after beating Benjamin Becker, of Germany, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5) in a quarterfinal tennis match at the Memphis Open Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn.

Associated Press

Fritz youngest American in ATP semifinal since Chang in ‘89

TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Teenager Taylor Fritz beat Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5) on Friday at the Memphis Open, becoming the youngest American to reach an ATP semifinal since 1989.

Fritz needed 2 hours, 20 minutes to continue his amazing run at The Racquet Club. Fritz, who turned 18 on Oct. 28, used his big serve and strong forehand to advance to his first career ATP semifinal as the youngest American since Michael Chang won Wembley in 1989 at the age of 17 “It feels incredible,” Fritz said. “You know it’s a great milestone. ... I always say this is reassuring to know that I’m doing the right thing and I’m on the right track. But got to just keep doing my own thing and not let all the milestones get in your head or anything like that.”

Continued on Next Page

Shaq, Yao, Iverson look to take next step to Hall of Fame This April 1, 2009, file photo shows Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, top, of China, shooting over Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal (32) in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, in Phoenix.

Associated Press Page 20

A18 SPORTS

Saturday 13 February 2016

Fritz youngest American in ATP Continued from Page 17

The teenager, in the event as a wild card ranked 145th in the world, will play Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania on Saturday. Berankis upset No. 3 seed Donald Young 7-6, 6-1, needing 80 minutes to advance.

Three-time defending champion Kei Nishikori faced Mikhail Kukushkin on Friday night. Fourthseeded Sam Querrey beat Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-4 in the other quarterfinal.

Becker, in his third quarterfinal at this event, had a chance to close Fritz out in the tiebreaker serving at 5-5. Becker hit a backhand long on each of the next two points, prompting the teenager to celebrate with a fist pump and dropping his racket.

“It’s incredible,” Fritz said.

“I can’t believe it. Just an amazing feeling, especially after the match I just had coming back ... he was serving for the match and

to come back and win it in that way and tough it out, I’ll never forget that.”

Fritz came out strong despite having hotel security called on him around 1:30 a.m. for making too much noise at the ice machine for a bath. He had six of his 13 aces in the first set, but he struggled with four double-faults in dropping the second set. Fritz and Becker broke each other twice with the teenager saving the crucial break point.

This week is proving a big lesson for the teenager who upset No. 2 seed Steve Johnson on Thursday night.

“I feel like I can compete at this level,” Fritz said.

Nadal into semifinals in Argentina; sets up match with Thiem BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Defending champion Rafael Nadal has reached the semifinals of the Argentina Open with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Paolo Lorenzi of Italy on clay in the Argentine capital.

Taylor Fritz celebrates after defeating Benjamin Becker, of Germany, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5) in a quarterfinal at the Memphis Open tennis tournament Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn.

Associated Press

It followed Nadal’s defeat of Juan Monaco on Thursday. The Spaniard and former world No. 1 will get a tough test on Saturday against Dominic Thiem, a

22-year-old Austrian and one of the game’s rising stars. Thiem defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia on Friday 6-4, 6-2.

In late matches Friday,

Nicolas Almagro of Spain faced No. 3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, and No. 2 David Ferrer of Spain was against No. 8 Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.q

SPORTS A19

Saturday 13 February 2016

Kang flirts with 59 and doesn’t even know it DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Sung Kang didn’t know anything about his amateur partner until he went on the Internet and looked up actor Ray Romano. He didn’t realize the par at Monterey Peninsula was 71 until he scrambled for par on his final hole and realized while signing his card Friday that he set the course record with a career-low 60.

It added to a memorable day at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where Kang and Hiroshi Iwata of Japan wound up tied for the lead.

“I feel like I’m living a dream right now,” Kang said.

Kang and Phil Mickelson each brought the possibility of 59 into the conversation — one early in his round, the other late.

Mickelson took only 11 putts on the front nine at Monterey Peninsula. When he made a 40-foot eagle putt on the 10th hole, he was 7 under for the round and had a pair of par 5s remaining over his last eight holes.

He made bogey on one of the par 5s, hooking his fairway metal into shrubs and having to reach into the thick plants with a hybrid to punch out the ball and make sure it only went about 6 feet so that it wouldn’t go up the slope and roll back into the bushes. Lefty usually doesn’t hit great shots that go 6 feet unless he has a putter.

Then, he nearly lost his tee shot on the final hole and

made another bogey for a 65, leaving him one shot behind.

“I thought I was going to shoot a lot lower than I did,” Mickelson said. “I didn’t expect to play 1 over coming in. But I’m not going to complain because I made a lot of good putts on the front.” He goes to Pebble Beach on Saturday as he goes after a record-tying fifth win in this event.

Kang and Iwata were at 11-under 132.

Iwata, who tied a major championship record with a 63 at the PGA Championship last year at Whistling Straits, had a 66 at Pebble Beach.

Mickelson, Freddie Jacobson (69 at Spyglass Hill) and Chez Reavie (70 at Pebble Beach) were one shot to par behind at 10 under, while Justin Rose had a 68 at Monterey Peninsula and was at 9 under.

Jordan Spieth failed to birdie any of the par 5s at Monterey Peninsula — he is 1 under on the par 5s this week even though he could reach all of them in two shots — and his round of two birdies and 16 pars put him at 3-under 140 and eight shots out of the lead.

“I’m 1 under on the par 5s, and from where I’ve been, they have pretty much all been par 4s for me,” Spieth said. “So it almost feels like I’m playing them 7 over.”

Rose thought Monterey Peninsula was difficult because the greens are not as pure as the other courses. Then he was told that

Kang was at 11 under and playing his final hole and Rose smiled and said, “The greens are obviously perfect.”

Kang couldn’t agree more.

He lost track of the number of birdie putts he made in the 15-foot range, saying they were “too many to count.” Some of them he read on his own. Other times he brought in the experience of his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, who is working for Kang while Jim Furyk recovers from wrist surgery.

And the 28-year-old South Korean had an actor at his side cheering him along.

Romano, who has become a regular at this event, wasn’t sure the name of his partner earlier in the week.

No offense taken. Kang didn’t know him, either.

“One of my buddies came up and said, ‘Oh, you’re with Ray. He’s very famous,’” Kang said. “I did some research on it. I Googled Ray and he was like on a really famous TV show for six or seven years.

He gets like almost a third more earnings from TV drama show.”

Asked if Romano knew him, Kang smiled and said, “I think he’ll remember me after today.”

Kang had three birdies and an eagle on the back nine to start his round, picked up a pair of birdies early on the front nine and then poured it on with three straight birdies that brought him to 11 under with only the par-3 ninth remaining.

“I still thought the par was 72,” he said.

He hit what he called his worst shot of the day, a big cut that came up short and in the rough. He chipped to 15 feet and saved par.

“It was just going in every single time,” he said.

Jason Day had a 66 at Monterey Peninsula to get within five shots of the lead. Patrick Reed, playing alongside Mickelson, had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine and also was at 6 under.q

Sung Kang, of South Korea, hits from the 11th tee of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, in Pebble Beach, Calif. Kang co-leads the tournament after shooting an 11-under-par 60.

Associated Press

20 SPORTS

Saturday 13 February 2016

Shaq, Iverson finalists, Yao could join them in Hall of Fame BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer TORONTO (AP) — Shaquille O’Neal was just 9 years old when his stepfather began teaching him basketball with a plan to dominate like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem AbdulJabbar.

Young Shaquille didn’t even know who they were.

Now he’s on the verge of joining them in basketball immortality.

“He told me this day would happen and I never believed him,” O’Neal said of Phillip Harrison, who raised Shaq along with his mother and died in 2013.

O’Neal was chosen Friday as a finalist for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Allen Iverson to highlight the potential class.

Yao Ming could accompany them in Springfield, Massachusetts in September, though he was nominated by the Hall’s International Committee and wasn’t subject to the step O’Neal and Iverson had to clear Friday.

Former Phoenix Suns point guard Kevin Johnson, college coaches Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Lefty Driesell, Eddie Sutton and Muffet McGraw; women’s superstar Sheryl Swoopes, longtime referee Darrel Garretson, high school coaches

In this Nov. 12, 1997, file photo, Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson (3) goes into the air against Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, in Houston.

Associated Press

Leta Andrews and Robert Hughes, 10-time AAU national champion Wayland Baptist University, and John McClendon, the first African-American coach in a professional league, were also chosen as finalists by the North American or Women’s Committees.

The entire class will be unveiled April 4 in Houston before the NCAA championship game and enshrinement ceremonies are set for Sept. 9 in what

could be an overcrowded birthplace of basketball if O’Neal, Yao, Iverson and their fans are all there.

“We’re going to go on tour,” joked Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Hall of Fame board. “It could be a big one.”

O’Neal and Iverson couldn’t be much different as people or players.

The 7-foot-1 O’Neal, dressed in business attire wearing a jacket and tie, lived up to his stepfather’s

vision by becoming an inside force like Chamberlain, Russell and Abdul-Jabbar on his way to four NBA championships and an MVP award.

“Later on in my career people started comparing me to them, so I was like if you want to compare me to the greats, I have to represent the game with grace and honor and hopefully I did that,” O’Neal said.

Iverson came casually dressed as he did for most of his career, wearing a Tshirt, Yankees hat and faded jeans with a couple of neck chains as accessories.

It was his look that made him as popular with a generation of fans as his game.

“I’m a product of Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, all those guys that paved the way for us,” Iverson said. “They might not have no idea of what they did for us as kids wanting to be like them.”

And many of today’s small, speedy guards wanted to be like Iverson, a 6-foot, relentless wave of energy who averaged 26.7 points, won four scoring titles and an MVP award.

“I was fast until Allen Iverson. I’m not afraid to admit it,” Kevin Johnson said.

“They called me the fastest point guard in the NBA with the basketball, and I knew

I had to relinquish that title the moment I saw Allen Iverson play.”

Yao recalled first watching the NBA live in China during the 1994 finals, when Houston won the title. He went on to play for the Rockets after they made the 7-6 center the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, and now he could find out he’s a Hall of Famer in that city.

“I feel very peaceful,” Yao said. “I’m glad it all can be connected to Houston.”

He, O’Neal and Iverson all benefited from a recent change in Hall of Fame rules that made a player eligible for candidacy after four full years of retirement.

It was previously five, which meant they were actually six years removed from their playing days before they could be enshrined.

“Now we benefit this year by a couple of people who are going to be eligible, but we’ve been talking about this for a while as a board,” Colangelo said. “So I think it’s a good move for the Hall of Fame.”

Longtime NBA reporter David Aldridge and ESPN broadcaster Jay Bilas won the 2016 Curt Gowdy Media Awards, while Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award winner.q

Thunder beats Pelicans on sad day for both teams OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Playing with a heavy heart a night after the wife of assistant coach Monty Williams died, Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma to a 121-95 victory over New Orleans on Thursday.

Ingrid Williams was involved in a car crash Tuesday in Oklahoma City and died Wednesday. A moment of silence was observed by both teams who had ties to the couple. Monty Williams coached the Pelicans last season before coming to Oklahoma City to help new

coach Billy Donovan.

Westbrook had 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Kevin Durant scored 23 points, and Serge Ibaka added 18 for the Thunder.

They have won 14 of 16 heading into the All-Star break.

Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday each scored 23 points for the Pelicans.

Westbrook got his 10th assist on Ibaka’s 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 79-65 lead. Westbrook had his ninth rebound with just under 3 minutes to go in the

third quarter before heading to the bench for his usual rest and the Thunder ahead 86-68.

BUCKS 99, WIZARDS 92 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Khris Middleton scored 27 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Milwaukee held off Washington.

Middleton answered again, hitting a jumper in the lane on the next possession before setting up a drive-anddish to Greg Monroe that gave the Bucks a 97-90 lead with 15 seconds left.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, right, celebrates with teammate Anthony Morrow (2) in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016.

Associated Press

Middleton tied a season high with nine assists.

Bradley Beal scored 19

points for the Wizards, and John Wall had 15 points and 10 assists.q

SPORTS A21

Saturday 13 February 2016

NHL Capsules

Ovechkin hat trick gives Caps 4-3 road win against Wild

Ottawa Senators’ Dion Phaneuf shoots against the Colorado Avalanche during second period NHL hockey action in Ottawa, Canada, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Phaneuf recorded an assist on the goal.

Associated Press

The Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored three times in the second period for his 14th career hat trick, and the Washington Capitals beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Thursday night.

Ovechkin, who leads the league with 34 goals, has 13 in his past 13 games. Nicklas Backstrom had three assists and Jason Chimera added an empty-netter for Washington, which improved to a league-best 20-5-2 on the road.

Braden Holtby made 33 saves for the Capitals, who won their fifth consecutive game and became the first team to reach 40 victories this season.

Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter and Mikael Granlund scored for the Wild, but Minnesota lost for the 12th time in its past 13 games (1-10-2). Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves for the Wild, who have lost seven in a row at home (0-4-3).

STARS 4, BLACKHAWKS 2 CHICAGO (AP) — Patrick Eaves scored three of Dallas’ four goals in the first period, and the Stars avenged an ugly home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Eaves’ second career hat trick helped Dallas to its fifth win in six games and moved the Stars within one of the Blackhawks for the most points in the Western Conference. Dallas’ lone loss during the strong stretch was a 5-1 rout for visiting Chicago on Saturday night.

John Klingberg added a goal and an assist for Dallas.

Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks, who played without forward Artemi Panarin for the second straight game due to an illness.

ISLANDERS 5, KINGS 2 NEW YORK (AP) — John Tavares had a goal and an assist, Thomas Greiss stopped 28 shots and the New York Islanders scored three times in the first 14 minutes and beat Los Angeles.

Johnny Boychuk, Casey Cizikas and Anders Lee all scored in the first period and Travis Hamonic added an empty-netter in the third to help the Islanders win their third straight overall and third in a row at home.

New York improved to 15-42 against Western Conference teams.

Kyle Clifford and Milan Lucic scored, and Jhonas Enroth finished with 25 saves for the Pacific Divisionleading Kings, who had won three straight on the road.

FLYERS 5, SABRES 1 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — R.J. Umberger snapped a 50game scoreless drought and Wayne Simmonds got his 20th goal of the season to help the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres to end a three-game skid.

Brayden Schenn, Michael Raffl and Nick Cousins also scored for Philadelphia.

Jamie McGinn scored for Buffalo, and the Sabres lost their fourth in a row while

wrapping up a three-game season series against the Flyers with their first loss.

BLUE JACKETS 4, DUCKS 3, SO COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson each scored in the shootout and Joonas Korpisalo stopped shots by Corey Perry and Jakob Silfverberg to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Columbus’ Brandon Dubinsky tucked a shot inside the left goal post on the power play to make it 3-all with 5:03 left in the third, eventually forcing overtime. Nine minutes before Dubinsky’s equalizer, Brandon Saad scored his team-leading 20th goal on a rebound to get his team within a goal after Ryan Garbutt slipped a shot from a tight angle

by Columbus’ Joonas Korpisalo at 1:45 of the third.

William Karlsson also scored for Columbus, while David Perron and Mike Santorelli had goals for Anaheim.

AVALANCHE 4, SENATORS 3 OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jarome Iginla had two goals and an assist, Blake Comeau had a goal and an assist and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Ottawa Senators to end a fourgame losing streak.

Iginla has 15 goals this season and has scored at least that many in 17 of his 20 NHL seasons. He has 604 goals and 1,257 points.

Nathan MacKinnon also scored for the Avalanche, and Carl Soderberg and Tyson Barrie each had two assists. Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves.

Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Chris Neil had goals for Ottawa.

BRUINS 6, JETS 2 WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored twice, Brett Connolly had three assists and the Boston Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets.

Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists, and Loui Eriksson and Jimmy Hayes each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins.

David Pastrnak also scored

to help Boston win its fifth straight road game.

Bryan Little had a goal and an assist and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg.

OILERS 5, MAPLE LEAFS 2 EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had two goals and three assists, Jordan Eberle scored three times and added an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers

snapped a three-game losing streak.

Josh Leivo and Jake Gardiner scored for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have lost three in a row.

Eberle had an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left in the game for his first NHL hat trick. Benoit Pouliot notched his fourth assist on the goal.q

A22

Saturday 13 February 2016

SPORTS

Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia 1st to draw lifetime drug ban RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia became the first player to receive a lifetime ban under Major League Baseball’s drug agreement after testing positive for a performanceenhancing substance for the third time.

The commissioner’s office said Friday that Mejia tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone, which athletes have used to increase muscle mass and once was popular for use in horse racing.

The 26-year-old right-hander was the Mets’ closer in 2014, then was suspended for 80 games last April 11 following a positive test for Stanozolol, a drug popular among bodybuilders. At the time, he said, “I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system.”

Mejia returned July 12, appeared in seven games for New York, then was banned for 162 games on July 28 after a positive test for Stanozolol and Boldenone.

“I think not surprisingly there’s a tremendous amount of disappointment, I think to some extent, anger, to some extent, amazement that this could happen so soon after a previous suspension was completed,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson

Steve Howe was suspended for life by Commissioner Fay Vincent in 1992 after the pitcher’s seventh drugor alcohol-related incident.

Arbitrator George Nicolau said doctors concluded Howe suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and cut the suspension to time served, which was 119 days.

No players have been banned for life under the minor league drug program.

A Dominican signed by the Mets in 2007, Mejia reached the major leagues in 2010 and became their closer in 2014, when he had 28 saves in 31 chances. He is 9-14 with a 3.68 ERA in 18 starts and 95 relief appearances.

Mejia began last year as the In this Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, file photo, New York Mets relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia tosses the Mets’ closer, but couldn’t ball to throw out Colorado Rockies’ Josh Rutledge at first base to end a baseball game in New get loose while warming up York. on opening day at WashAssociated Press. ington and went on the dissaid then. “This is the con- would result in a lifetime than for the 2018 season. abled list with elbow inflamsequence of making bad ban. His 162-game suspen- If an application is made mation. choices.” sion had matched the lon- and denied, Mejia could Because of the suspenThe Mets said Friday they gest under the big league ask baseball’s arbitrator sions, Mejia received just “were deeply disappoint- program, a year-long ban to end the ban, claiming $496,311 of his $2,595,000 ed.” The Major League served by the Yankees’ the penalty is without “just salary last year. He will reBaseball Players Associa- Alex Rodriguez in 2014 that cause.” The arbitrator can- ceive none of his $2.47 miltion declined comment, originally was 211 games not reduce the ban to less lion salary this year. and a spokesman for Me- before an arbitrator re- than two years.

In Mejia’s absence, Jeujia’s agents said the pitcher duced it.

Outfielder Josh Hamilton, rys Familia became New had no comment.

Mejia may apply one year then in the minor leagues, York’s closer, and the Mets Under pressure from Con- from now to baseball Com- was suspended several went on to reach the World gress to toughen their drug missioner Rob Manfred for times for drugs of abuse Series for the first time since program, major league reinstatement, and Man- from 2003-05 but was al- 2000. New York lost the players and teams agreed fred at his discretion has lowed to return each time. World Series to Kansas City in November 2005 that a the power to let Mejia back During a time when there in five games.q third positive test for PEDs in baseball — but no earlier was not a drug agreement,

Ter Mors beats U.S. duo to women’s 1,000m world skating gold

Jorien ted Mors, of the Netherlands, competes to win the women’s 1000 meter race of the speedskating single distance World Championships in Kolomna, Russia, on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.

Associated Press

KOLOMNA, Russia (AP) — Jorien Ter Mors of the Netherlands beat U.S. speeds-

katers Heather RichardsonBergsma and Brittany Bowe to women’s 1,000-meter

gold at the world single distance championships on Friday.

Ter Mors won her first career world championship in 1 minute, 14.73 seconds, 0.21 ahead of RichardsonBergsma.

World record-holder and reigning champion Bowe took the bronze, a further 0.07 seconds back, as the U.S. won its only medals of the championships so far.

A day after winning the 3,000, Czech skater Martina Sablikova won her

second gold of the championships in the 5,000. Sablikova’s time of 6:51.09 was a full 3.87 seconds ahead of Carien Kleibeuker of the Netherlands, with another Dutch skater, Irene Schouten, in third, 4.84 seconds off the pace.

Russian Denis Yuskov won the men’s 1,500 in 1:44.13 to cheers from the home crowd, beating Dutch skaters Kjeld Nuis and Thomas Krol.

Yuskov also won the 1,500 at the 2013 and 2015

championships, though he missed the podium at the 2014 Olympics.

Nuis was 1.53 seconds behind Yuskov, with Krol 0.09 seconds off the silver.

The men’s 6,000m team pursuit brought the third Dutch gold of the championships in 3:40.03, 1.23 seconds ahead of silver medalist Norway and 3.25 seconds ahead of bronzewinning Canada. Fourthplaced Italy missed out on a medal by one hundredth of a second.q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Saturday 13 February 2016

Young adults swipe right on Tinder, but is it just a game?

TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Online dating services are now hip with young adults, but not always for dating.

Credit mobile dating apps such as Tinder, which incorporate fun elements and are dead simple to use.

Swipe right on a profile picture to approve and swipe left to reject. No awkward messages to each other unless both say yes.

But instead of just looking for long-term love, some people are turning to these services for one-night stands and even advice from locals when traveling.

Others just want to look at sexy — and not-so-sexy — pics when they’re bored.

“It’s turned into a game,” said Tim Smith, a 21-yearold student from Hampstead, Maryland.

When he’s bored, he turns to Tinder to start swiping on women in the app, even when he doesn’t feel like talking to anyone.

Young adults, ages 18 to 24, traditionally haven’t been big online daters.

They haven’t had much of a need, as they are typically surrounded by other young, single people, whether at work or school, said Aaron Smith, associate research director with the Pew Research Center. Tinder and rivals such as Hinge are changing the dynamics, and young adults are using online dating in greater numbers than any other age group these days.

In 2013, only 10 percent in

In this July 5, 2015, file photo, a man uses the dating app Tinder in New Delhi. Online dating is now hip with young adults, but not always for dating.

Associated Press

that age group used online dating. That rose to 27 percent in the latest Pew study, which was released Thursday. By comparison, only 15 percent of U.S. adults overall have used dating sites or apps, just a slight increase from 11 percent in 2013. (If that seems low, it’s because the entire U.S. population is surveyed, including people who are already coupled. For people who have never been married, 30 percent have used online dating.)

Stanford University professor Michael Rosenfeld wrote in a 2012 paper that the Internet could be helpful for people in “thin” dating markets, ones with relatively fewer options for pos-

sible partners in their regular life. That includes gays, lesbians and middle-aged straight people, he said.

“Conversely, single people (college students, for example) who are fortunate enough to inhabit an environment full of eligible potential partners may not need to actively search for partners at all,” he wrote.

But newer dating apps seem to have made it fun for young people to use — or at least pass the time.

Alfred Mohi, 24, said he has used Tinder for flings with people he doesn’t want to see again, and for the emotional high of matching and talking with women he deems attractive.

“I don’t know how to say

this without sounding like a scumbag, but I used it as a confidence boost,” he said.

But he said he wouldn’t use Tinder to find a significant other, because he believes it’s harder to trust people you meet on the app.

Others describe Tinder as convenient and fun, and possibly a route to a relationship — but there are obstacles. “A lot of guys will message just terrible things, right off the bat,” said Maddie Forshee, a 21-year-oldstudent in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She said she’s been sent naked photos — “It’s like, I don’t want to see that.” Tinder owner Match Group says half of Tinder users are ages 18 to 24, while

85 percent are 18 to 34.

Tinder seems built to sneak young people into online dating. “I wouldn’t even call it dating — I don’t think you need to call it dating,” said Amarnath Thombre, Match Group’s Chief Strategy Officer. “You enter like you’re trying to play a game and then you end up dating people. It’s more like a psychological switch.”

Pew’s survey shows that some older adults are also more interested in online dating. Usage among 55 to 64 doubled to 12 percent. Pew’s Smith said they probably feel more comfortable with the idea of finding a partner on the Internet as they hear about successful matches from friends and relatives.

Of course, there are exceptions: Edward Stern, a 62-year-old New Yorker, said he has been an online dater for decades and finds more cynicism today.

“I could tell you what it was like in the ‘90s. People weren’t as afraid or distrustful,” he said. “That’s my biggest impression of what’s going on today.

You have to pull teeth to get people to meet you.”

He said he typically ends up going out with women in their 20s, because those are the ones who respond to him. He says he’s happy with “fun” rather than a long-term relationship.

Pew conducted the survey June 10 to July 12, 2015, with 2,001 U.S. adults. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. q

Visa buys nearly 10 pct stake in Dorsey’s company, Square NEW YORK (AP) — Visa is now a major shareholder in Square, the mobile payment services company co-founded and led by Jack Dorsey.

Shares of Square spiked 14 percent before the opening bell Friday.

Visa snapped up a nearly 10 percent interest in Square, according to a

regulatory filing. That would make it the San Francisco company’s second-biggest shareholder, according to that data research firm FactSet. Visa has been working on payment services technology of its own including Visa payWave, which allows users to pass a card over a terminal to record a

payment.

Square Inc. went public in November. The Square device plugs into smartphones or tablets, so credit cards can be accepted almost anywhere.

Dorsey, a co-founder of Square, is also co-founder and CEO of Twitter Inc.q

In this Jan. 5, 2015 file photo, Dr. Greg Werner poses for a picture with his Square credit card reader at his office in New York.

Associated Press

A24 BUSINESS

Saturday 13 February 2016

Whole Foods forecasts key sales figure could slip for year AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Whole Foods says its sales at established locations slipped in its fiscal first quarter and forecast the figure to be flat to down 2 percent for the year, as it works to keep prices down and fend off rivals.

The Austin, Texas company noted that its comparable

store sales have been “particularly difficult to predict” given the competitive environment.

Whole Foods has been under pressure as organic foods and products marketed as natural have become increasingly mainstream, with big-box retailers such as Target and Wal-

Mart devoting more space to such items.

That has prompted Whole Foods to try and appeal to a broader customer base by keeping prices down.

On Wednesday, it announced the launch of its digital coupons on its mobile app.

For the three months end-

ed Jan. 17, the company said sales fell at 1.8 percent at stores open at least 57 weeks. The figure is considered a key metric of health because it strips out the volatility of new and closed locations.

Whole Foods, which has more than 430 stores in the U.S., Canada and the Unit-

ed Kingdom, says it still sees potential for 1,200 locations in just the U.S. A newer branch of “365” stores it is opening that focuses more heavily on value can expand on that footprint, the company says.

Profit for the quarter ended Jan. 17 fell to $157 million, or 46 cents per share.q

Wall Street ends a down week on an up note

Trader Sal Suarino works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016.

U.S. stocks ended a down week on a high note Friday, snapping a five-day losing streak on the strength of energy and financial companies.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer U.S. stocks ended a down week on a high note Friday, snapping a five-day losing streak on the strength of energy and financial companies.

A sharp rebound in oil prices and an encouraging report on retail sales helped lift the stock market to its first gain

since late last week.

Despite the rally, the major U.S. stocks indexes ended the week down about 1 percent and they remain down more than 8 percent for the year.

“It’s a relief to see after several very ugly days in a row, but I wouldn’t hang my hat on it and say the worst is over,” said Rob Eschweiler,

global investment specialist at J.P. Morgan.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 313.66 points, or 2 percent, to 15,973.84.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 35.70 points, or 2 percent, to 1,864.78. The Nasdaq composite added 70.67 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,337.51. Global stocks have been in a slump since

the beginning of the year on concerns that growth in China, which has been the engine of the global economy in recent years, is slowing far faster than expected. Plunging oil prices and low inflation have added to the market’s jitters that the global economy is sputtering. Those worries also helped drive the stock market lower in recent days, and continued to batter stocks in Asia. Japan’s main stock index lost nearly 5 percent Friday. But the downbeat trend in the U.S. snapped as investors were encouraged by retail sales and a rally in European stocks. A surge in oil prices helped put investors in a buying mood early on. A day after sinking to its lowest level since May 2003, benchmark U.S. crude climbed $3.23, or 12.3 percent, to close at $29.44 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, gained $3.30, or 11 percent, to $33.36 a barrel in London. The oil rebound sent the S&P 500’s energy companies 2.6 percent

higher. Marathon Oil was the best performer in the sector, rising 48 cents, or 6.8 percent, to $7.49.“Oil, which has been one of the most fickle, most volatile series that everybody’s watching, is having a nice day,” said Tim Dreiling, regional investment director for The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank. “Europe is continuing to look good.

And it looked like (the market) was oversold.”

Financial shares led the market’s advance. The sector is the worst performing part of the market this year because investors expect that low interest rates around the world will sap bank profits, but it rallied 4 percent Friday.

JP Morgan Chase climbed $4.42, or 8.3 percent, to $57.49, while Citigroup added $2.56, or 7.3 percent, to $37.54. Bank of America rose 79 cents, or 7.1 percent, to $11.95.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank AG surged 12.1 percent after the bank offered to buy back more than $5 billion in bonds in a display of financial strength.q

Drugmaker Mylan to buy Sweden’s Meda AB for $7.2B NEW YORK (AP) — Drugmaker Mylan says it will buy Meda AB of Sweden for $7.2 billion in cash and stock, and says the move will help it enter new markets.

Mylan valued the deal at $9.9 billion including Meda’s debt. It said this week Meda’s board and largest shareholders support the sale.

Meda says about 60 percent of its sales come from

prescription drugs. Key products include drugs that treat respiratory conditions, skin ailments, and pain and inflammation. Mylan had $9.45 billion in revenue in 2015 and said Meda’s revenue totaled about $2.35 billion.

Mylan sells about 1,000 generic drugs, but its biggest-selling product is the EpiPen, used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions.

In 2015 Mylan tried and failed to buy Perrigo, an Irish company that makes medicines, vitamins, nutritional products and infant formula. After that deal failed the company said it had already found some new possible acquisitions.

Mylan said the Meda deal will expand its over-thecounter drug business to about $1 billion in annual sales and will bring its products to Southeast Asia, the

Middle East and Mexico.

Around the time of the Perrigo discussions, Mylan fended off a takeover bid from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. About a year ago Mylan became part of a new company incorporated in the Netherlands, but it still runs its business out of its headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It bought part of Abbott Laboratories’ generic drug business

at the same time.

Mylan N.V. also reported its fourth-quarter results this week. Its adjusted net income and revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts.Looking ahead to 2016, the company forecast earnings per share of $4.85 to $5.15 on revenue of $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion.

Analysts surveyed

by FactSet forecast earnings per share of $4.99 on revenue of $10.64 billion. q

BUSINESS A25

Saturday 13 February 2016

Visa discloses its Of Mutual Interest: stake in Dorsey’s Double the chaos: pay firm, Square KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Shares in the mobile payment services company Square rose sharply Friday after Visa disclosed the details of its ownership stake in the company.

While Visa’s stake amounts to about 1 percent of the company, and the stake was established at least 5 years ago, investors interpreted the announcement as a major endorsement of Square by Visa, the world’s largest payment processing company.

According to a regulatory filing, Visa owns 4.2 million of Square’s Class B shares.

While Class B shares are not traded publicly they could be converted to 3.5 million Class A shares, which would leave the Visa with 10 percent of that class of shares.

The disclosure, known by its regulatory filing name 13G, is how major investors disclose an existing stake in a company. Because Square only went public three months ago, this is the first time the public is getting details about Visa’s ownership. Visa announced an investment in Square in 2011, but at the time did not disclose the terms of that transaction.

Other companies have disclosed similar details about their existing ownerships of Square, including JPMorgan Chase.

Class B shares are not typically converted to Class A shares unless the owner is looking to sell the position, and Visa did not disclose any plans to do so. However, if Visa were to convert its Class B shares into Class A shares, it would make Visa the second-largest owner in Square behind the investment manager Capital Research & Management’s 12.7 percent stake.

Visa has been working on payment services technology of its own including Visa payWave, which allows users to pass a card over a terminal to record a payment.q

STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — That second scoop or slice makes everything so much better.

So why not double the fun investing, too?

Investors in search of supercharged returns are plugging more dollars into investments that aim to give double or even triple the daily returns of boring old index funds. But even the companies behind these investments warn that they’re not for everyone.

The industry calls these investments leveraged funds, and they use futures contracts and other trading techniques to amplify gains — and losses.

“They’re not for mom-andpop investors,” says Michael Sapir, chief executive of ProShare Advisors, one of the biggest players in this niche of investing.

“These are advanced portfolio tools to incorporate into an advanced, constructed portfolio.”

The main pitfall is that longterm returns for these thrillride funds can be different or even opposite from what you’d expect, because they are built to take advantage of daily market moves instead of longer trends. If the S&P 500 index is up 10 percent in a month, a double- or triple-index fund probably won’t return 20 percent or 30 percent.

It could even lose money if markets are particularly volatile, like they are now, and big losses come early and are followed by smaller daily gains.

Leveraged funds still oc-

Amped funds flourish amid turmoil

A morning commuter carries an “I Love NY” umbrella against light snow on Wall Street, outside the New York Stock Exchange.

Investors in search of supercharged returns are plugging more dollars into investments that aim to give double or even triple the daily returns of boring old index funds.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

cupy only a small corner of the investing world, but their growth is accelerating.

Altogether, leveraged funds controlled about $22 billion at the start of the year, according to Morningstar. That’s less than one-fifteenth the size of Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index fund, the largest mutual fund. But interest in them is growing. Leveraged mutual funds and exchange-traded funds drew $5.3 billion in net investment last year, more than technology-stock funds did. It’s also a step up from the $819 million that leveraged funds attracted a year earlier.

A separate group of funds, ones that allow investors to bet against an index and get double or triple the return, attracted another $1.3 billion last year. So when the S&P 500 falls 1 percent in a day, the ProShares UltraPro Short S&P 500 ETF aims to return a positive 3

percent, before fees.

The lure of these funds is easy to see: They can offer big returns very quickly, even though they charge higher fees than traditional index funds.

The best-performing ETF this year is the Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x fund, for example. It tries to give the opposite daily return of a biotech stock index, tripled, before fees and expenses. It has surged nearly 200 percent in 2016.

But the magic of compound interest, such a friend to buy-and-hold investors in traditional funds, can trip up novice investors in these funds.

Most of these leveraged funds are built with one day in mind: They offer double or triple the daily return of an index.

That means these leveraged funds reset after each day, and they’re not trying to offer double or triple the long-term returns of an index.

If markets are swinging wildly, the compounding effect can muddle longer-term returns. The S&P 500 returned 1.4 percent last year, including dividends, for example. But the ProShares UltraPro S&P 500 ETF, which aims to triple the index’s daily return, lost 5.2 percent last year.

Funds that bet against indexes get caught up in the same math.

The ProShares UltraPro Short MidCap, for example, tries to give the opposite daily return of a mid-cap stock index, tripled, before fees.

So when the S&P MidCap 400 index lost 2.2 percent in 2015, a novice investor may have expected a gain for the inverse fund. Instead, the ETF lost 7.6 percent.

Some investors in these funds, including hedge funds and individuals, are looking for a quick, big score.

Last year many investors were looking to call the bottom for oil and then not only benefit from its rebound, but get multiples of it. ProShares’ most popular leveraged ETF last year was its Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil fund, which tries to give double the daily performance of an oil index. It attracted $1.2 billion in net investment.

Other investors are looking to buy protection for their portfolios in case some investments fall.

ProShares had several ETFs that drew more than $150 million last year, ones that rise when prices fall for everything from the S&P 500 to emerging-market stocks to high-yield bonds.q

Deutsche Bank flexes muscles, buys back debt DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany’s Deutsche Bank is offering to buy back more than $5 billion worth of its own bonds in a show of financial strength after markets sold off its stock.

The Frankfurt-based bank, Germany’s biggest, said it would offer to repurchase 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion)

in euro bonds and $2 billion in dollar bonds.

The bank said in a news release that its “strong liquidity position” meant it could make the purchases to reduce its outstanding debts without changing its funding plans.

Investors had sold off Deutsche Bank stock after it reported a yearly loss of 6.8 billion euros on Jan.

28. The slide continued after concerns arose about whether the bank could make payments on complex financial instruments due April 30.

The bank has said it has the money for the payments, and Deutsche Bank coCEO John Cryan has said the bank’s finances are “rock-solid.”

Confidence in European

bank shares had eroded after four shaky Italian banks were bailed out in November.

Deutsche Bank’s shares rose over 8 percent to 14.82 euros in midafternoon trading Friday in Europe. They had fallen by 41 percent since the start of the year to a low on Tuesday of 13.23 euros.q

A26 COMICS

Saturday 13 February 2016

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

Saturday 13 February 2016

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RENAISSANCE Week room price wk 38 room 529 $4,750 wk 40 room 336 $3,750 wk 40 room 105 $5,000 wk 42 room 338 $4,000 wk 43 room 329 $3,250 wk 49 room 144 $5,500 wk 50 room 546 $6,000 wk 49 room 2571 $3,750 wk 48 room 517 $3,750 wk 48 or 49 room 119 $4,750 wk 48 or 49 room 551 $5,500 wk 49 or 50 room 203 $5,500 wk 21 or 22 room 347 $4,000 wk 1or2 room 517 $9,500 each Contact Brian Cell: 593-0200 vr.realty@mac.com

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204343 ____________________________

FOR SALE PHARMACY Renaissance Suites Oranjestad: Oduber Tel: 582-1780 week 4 (fri-fri) Pool, lagoon, San Nicolas: San Nicolas Tel: 584-5712 ocean view 3rd floor private island US$11,000 INFORMATION 118 e-mail: jazbi@aol.com TAXI-TAS 587-5900 mbre51@aol.com PROF. TAXI 588-0035 204372 TAXI D.T.S. 587-2300 __________________________

FOR SALE by owner Marriott Surf Club 2 br O.V. lock off unit Gold season price $16.000 Marriott Ocean Club 2 Br O.V. Gold season 5 floor lock off unit Price $16.000 567-6024 / 587-2633 martem1@aol.com USA 718-748-0395

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A28 SCIENCE

Saturday 13 February 2016

Study: Neanderthal DNA may influence modern depression risk MALCOLM RITTER AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A new study says a person’s risk of becoming depressed or hooked on smoking may be influenced by DNA inherited from Neanderthals.

Researchers found evidence that one bit of Neanderthal DNA can boost the risk of tobacco addiction, while others can slightly raise or lower the risk of being diagnosed with depression.

It’s the latest in a series of studies of the Neanderthal genetic heritage in modern people. Past studies have suggested it raises risk of allergies, for example.

Neanderthals and modern people split off from each other on the evolutionary tree hundreds of thousands of years ago. But ancestors of modern people interbred with Neanderthals about 50,000 years ago after leaving Africa.

So in people of Asian or European ancestry, around 2 percent of DNA can be traced to Neanderthals.

Studying that DNA might help give insights into the biological roots of some diseases, said Tony Capra, an evolutionary geneticist at Vanderbilt University.

He is senior author of the study, which was released Thursday by the journal Science.

The DNA linked to depression or tobacco addiction affects risk, and doesn’t by itself produce those condi-

This Friday, March 20, 2009 file photo shows reconstructions of a Neanderthal man, left, and woman at the Neanderthal museum in Mettmann, Germany.

Associated Press

tions.

The researchers focused on bits of Neanderthal DNA that had been identified in prior research. They looked for effects from about 1,500 of them in medical records of some 28,000 Americans of European ancestry, for whom they had genetic information.

One analysis supported a previously suggested influence on the risk of depres-

sion, with some DNA bits raising the risk and others lowering it. Overall, the analysis found, this DNA affected the risk by about 1 percent. For an individual, the effect would depend on just which bits that person carried, Capra said.

A second analysis found evidence that a particular bit of Neanderthal DNA, one quite rare in the population studied, roughly

doubled the risk of getting hooked on smoking.

Tobacco was not available to Neanderthals, so “they were not walking around puffing on cigarettes,” Capra told a press conference Thursday. It’s hard to say what effect, if any, that bit of DNA had on them, he said in a telephone interview.

Kenneth Kendler, a genetics expert at Virginia Com-

monwealth University who didn’t participate in the study, said he was skeptical that the effect on smoking addiction could be so strong, given previous studies of genetic influence on tobacco behavior.

Overall, Kendler said he found the evidence suggestive but not convincing for the proposed influences on depression and tobacco use.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Saturday 13 February 2016

Make them an offer they can’t refuse: Puzo archive for sale MARK PRATT Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Make them an offer they can’t refuse and a massive collection of “The Godfather” author Mario Puzo’s papers can be yours.

The 45-box archive, which includes multiple drafts with handwritten revisions to both the novel and the screenplay, is being sold by Boston-based RR Auction on Feb. 18.

The collection covering Puzo’s entire career includes manuscripts of his early books and late-career screenplays, and even his old typewriter. But there’s no doubt that its thousands of pages of “Godfather” documents are the highlight.

They shed light on the creative process, including the back and forth between Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola as they collaborated on the screenplay.

“This is one of the neatest things I have ever seen in my job,” said Tricia Eaton, RR’s director of specialty catalogs.

The scripts include some of Puzo’s own scribbles and thoughts on what the American Film Institute called the second most famous movie quote of all-time, Marlon Brando, as Don Vito Corleone, saying: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” (The most famous movie quote is, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from “Gone with the Wind.”)

In one manuscript, Puzo makes a change to the line: “He’s a businessman.

I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse,” scratching out the phrase “He’s a businessman” and scrawling in: “I’ll reason with him.”

In another, Puzo intensifies the famous line’s ominous finality by crossing out a line of dialogue immedi-

ately following it.

“It seems that Puzo and Coppola together simplified a lot of the dialogue from the book for the screen,” Eaton said. “The way it came out in the movie makes it a little more like everyday gangster slang.”

Another fascinating piece of the collection is a letter from Puzo to Brando dated March 1970. Puzo envisioned Brando playing Corleone in the 1972 movie, but it almost never happened. Apparently thinking that Brando was out of the project, Puzo wrote the letter expressing his disappointment.

“I’m sorry I wasted your time,” Puzo wrote.

“I still think it was a good idea. And thanks for taking the trouble to call and talk to me.”

RR executive vice president Robert Livingston said the collection is expected

In this July 25, 1996 file photo, author Mario Puzo talks during an interview in New York.

Associated Press

to sell for at least $400,000 at auction.

The archive is being offered by Puzo’s five children. Anthony Puzo, who was in his late teens when his father was writing “The Godfather,” says the collection is full of memories, but he and his siblings are

selling so it can be properly cared for.

“Dad loved to live the high life, even when he couldn’t afford it, and he was often in debt.

He always used to say he’d be all right once he wrote his best-seller,” Anthony Puzo said.q

A30 PEOPLE

Saturday 13 February 2016

& ARTS

Vince Gill detours from country on romantic new album KRISTIN M. HALL Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Singer Vince Gill is a standard bearer for traditional country music, thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of the genre and his masterful guitar skills, but he only included one true country song on his latest album.

“Down To My Last Bad Habit,” out Friday just before Valentine’s Day, is actually a collection of love songs influenced by rock, blues, jazz and pop, but he couldn’t help paying tribute to his friend, the late, great George Jones on the final song, “Sad One Comin’ On.” “I fall in the world of a country music artist, but this record doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with country music,” Gill said during an interview at his home studio in Nashville.

Gill’s previous album, “Bakersfield,” with Paul Franklin, was an ode to the West Coast country sound of

In this Feb. 1, 2016 photo, Vince Gill poses for a photo at his home in Nashville, Tenn. Gill’s latest album, “Down To My Last Bad Habit,” comes out Friday, Feb. 12.

Associated Press

Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and every week

he plays country and Western swing with The Time

Jumpers. So when he started piecing together songs for his first solo album since 2011, he felt he didn’t have to stick to country music.

“I think at the end of the day when you are being creative, you just try to serve that song and honor that song with what it should be, wherever that points you,” Gill said. “(There) shouldn’t be any limitations on where it winds up.”

Gill admitted he didn’t intend to write an album full of songs about romance and heartbreak, but over his 40-year career, those songs have always been fan favorites, such as his 1992 Grammy-winning hit, “I Still Believe In You,” and “Look At Us” from 1991.

“There was no intent of a common thread of love,” Gill said.

“But to me, at the end of the day, those are kind of the best things to write songs about. Whether it’s the melancholy side of love, or the beautiful side of it, that’s where all the angst

comes from anyway, from love.”

Gill brought in some of country music’s skilled singers to amp up the romantic intensity for a couple of duets on the album, including Little Big Town and new country singer Cam. Cam sang on “I’ll Be Waiting for You,” a song that she said Gill told her he had written about his wife, Christian music singer Amy Grant, before they got married.

“He wrote this song 15 or 16 years ago, and he’s been trying to find someone to duet with him that amount of time,” Cam said. “I love things that really ring true on a personal level and the fact that this song is talking about he was going to wait for her. And they are together.

It was so sweet.”

Gill and Lyle Lovett will team up again for a special acoustical tour starting on Feb. 17 featuring the two singers swapping songs and stories.q

Mick Jagger on Grammy nod for James Brown doc, Amy Winehouse music industry in the 1970s, “Vinyl,” debuts on HBO. The rock veteran has earned two Grammys in his career, both with The Rolling Stones in 1995. This year, his competition for best music film includes critically acclaimed documentaries on Nina Simone (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) and Amy Winehouse (“Amy.”), both of which also are nominated for best documentary Oscars.

“Yeah, I thought the Amy one was really good. I imagine that’s going to win because everybody loved In this July 4, 2015 file photo, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs at the Indianapolis Motor that so much,” Jagger said.

Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind. Associated Press “I haven’t seen Nina Simone and I love Nina Simone and I met her quite a few MESFIN FEKADU best music film for pro- gave Grammys (for this),” times. She was an interestAP Music Writer ducing the documentary a laughing Jagger told The ing character,” he added.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mick “Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of Associated Press in an in- “But I must check it out.”

Jagger is getting Grammy James Brown,” directed by terview Thursday. “I kind of Jagger shares his Grammy love this year, but it’s not Oscar winner Alex Gibney missed that category.” nomination with Gibney for his music — it’s for his film and aired on HBO in 2014.

Monday’s Grammy Awards and co-producers Victoria producing.

“Well, it’s great. Actually, air a day after the Jagger- Pearman, Peter Afterman The icon is nominated for I didn’t even know they produced series about the and Blair Foster.

“From a musical point of view, that documentary is really interesting ‘cause all the musicians talk about what it was like working with him — good and bad,” Jagger said of the Godfather of Soul, who died in 2006 at 73 (Jagger also produced the 2014 biopic on Brown called “Get On Up.”) “Musicians say to me, ‘I found it really fascinating,’ so ... I’m really pleased with that film. I think it’s really good.” Roger Waters’ “The Wall” and Foo Fighters’ “Sonic Highways” are also up for best music film at the Grammys, to be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Jagger won’t attend the show since the Stones are on a tour in Latin America. “It’s a good category and there’s really good films in that category, so let the best man or woman win,” he said.

The Grammys air at 8 p.m.

EST on CBS.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A31

Saturday 13 February 2016

Amazon debuts series based on New Yorker magazine DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After working 18 years at “The Daily Show,” Kahane Cooperman had only a weekend off last summer before starting a job running Amazon’s new video version of The New Yorker magazine.

In retrospect, she considers that a blessing.

“I would have lost my nerve if I had more time to think about having to do justice to the institution that is The New Yorker magazine,” said Cooperman, who created the series with “Going Clear” filmmaker Alex Gibney and Conde Nast Entertainment chief Dawn Ostroff. The New Yorker regularly features a formidable mix of deeply reported stories and profiles, fiction, slices of life, cultural coverage and cartoons.

Makers of “The New Yorker Presents” achieved the small miracle of capturing the magazine’s rhythm and pioneering a “60 Minutes”-style newsmagazine with the work done by documentarians instead of news reporters.

Amazon is making two episodes a week available for five weeks, starting Tuesday, then will pause to assess the marketplace’s reaction and decide whether to make more.

Each 30-minute episode has stories of various lengths, anchored by a longer piece from filmmakers like Gibney, Steve James, Roger Ross Williams, Dawn Porter and Eugene Jarecki. Examples are a profile of the gay star of Mexican wrestling, stories on competitive bull riding and police pursuit of a legendary silver thief, and a look at intelligence agency infighting before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Shorter pieces include a skit with Charles Grodin and John Turturro as a psychiatrist and patient, a story on erotic art created by a Finnish advertising executive and people who tell, in a 12-step style meeting, of odd encounters with Bill Murray. Interstitials explore worlds within The

In this Jan. 11, 2016 file photo, executive producers Alex Gibney, left, and Kahane Cooperman participate in “The New Yorker Presents” panel at the The Amazon 2016 Winter TCA in Pasadena, Calif.

Associated Press

New Yorker itself, like its cartoonists and fact checkers.

Random Manhattan sites are visited, like a hat maker in Harlem or the Morbid Anatomy Museum, where hipster girls skin rats.

Most of the show’s pieces are inspired by things in the magazine, but Gibney didn’t want video recitations of print articles. He asked filmmakers to focus on angles that interest them. One longer piece, Jarecki’s look at Cuba, came from nothing that had been in the magazine.

“What does The New Yorker magazine provide for people?” Cooperman asked. “What it really does in each issue is provide a window into many different

worlds. And I thought this show could do something similar.”

It fills a void, too. Traditional newsmagazines, with the exception of “60 Minutes,” are scarce on network TV. “The New Yorker Presents” and Vice’s work with HBO are taking the format in new directions.

The involvement of Gibney and Cooperman sold David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, on an idea he initially regarded with wariness.“I’m a complicated customer,” Remnick said. “Anything we do that’s called The New Yorker, I don’t want to sound snobby, but I want it to be as good as the magazine, or at least how I imagine

the magazine is.”

Not every piece works. An essay on elevators seems caught between sociology and history, and doesn’t satisfy on either level. But the batting average is high, and the show avoids stuffiness. It will appeal to the sensibility of the average New Yorker reader and, Remnick hopes, people who aren’t familiar with the magazine or website.

Most stories during the initial run were filmed last summer. One of the only real topical pieces, an Adam Gopnik essay on gun violence, was prepared in the aftermath of the San Bernardino, California shooting. Gibney said if the series continues he’d like to fig-

ure a way to make it more current and on top of the news. His dream is to make “The New Yorker Presents” available as often as “60 Minutes.”

Producers are also figuring out ways to take advantage of the magazine’s cultural critics.Remnick said he hadn’t been actively looking to expand into television. But given today’s media environment, he said he’d be foolish not to listen. He’s pleased with how the series has turned out, comparing it with the magazine’s own infancy.

“The New Yorker wasn’t very good in 1925,” he said. “This program is good right off the bat and that’s a huge achievement.”q ___