January 20, 2016

On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Palin Vaults Into 2016 Race, Endorses Donald Trump JILL COLVIN Associated Press AMES, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump received a key endorsement Tuesday from conservative heavyweight Sarah Palin, giving the billionaire businessman a potential boost with some voters less than two weeks before voting begins with the Iowa caucuses.

“I am greatly honored to receive Sarah’s endorse-

In this 2011 photo, Donald Trump walks with former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin in New York City. The Republican presidential front-runner Trump received a key endorsement from conservative heavyweight Sarah Palin, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.

(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

ment,” Trump said in a statement announcing the support of the former Alas-

ka governor and former running mate of Sen. John McCain in his 2008 bid for

the White House. “She is a friend, and a high-quality person whom I have great

respect for. I am proud to have her support.”

Continued on Page 3

A2 UP

Wednesday 20 January 2016

FRONT

Carter: US looking to coalition for more trainers for Iraq

Iraqi security forces clear houses of Islamic State fighters in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that he wants coalition and other Arab countries to “greatly” increase the number of trainers they provide for Iraqi security forces and police.

(AP Photo)

LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that he wants coalition and other Arab countries to “greatly” increase the number of trainers they provide for Iraqi security forces and police, and said the U.S. will also look at boosting its numbers.

Speaking to reporters as he traveled to Paris for a meeting with several, mainly European, defense ministers, Carter said the U.S. is open to doing more when there is an opportunity “to make a difference.”

“I think we’re certainly open to that,” Carter said when asked if the U.S. would consider providing more trainers. But he added that other countries can also provide more training so “there’s no reason why the United States should do all of that.”

He said the special commando force that the U.S. deployed to Iraq has not yet started operations, which are expected to include direct action and intelligence gathering missions.

The approximately 200 special operations forces have been sent to Iraq to better capitalize on intelligence and put more pressure on the Islamic State. The U.S. has more than 3,300 troops in Iraq.

Carter is in Paris to meet with a handful of key coalition countries battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as they map out plans for the coming year’s fight.

He and defense leaders from France, Australia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will gather Wednesday and Carter has said he won’t hesitate to challenge them to do more in the fight.

U.S. military leaders believe that the coalition is gaining ground on IS. And they are hoping that the six core nations can reach out to other countries to encourage them to contribute to the operations to capitalize on the progress.

While European nations have been heavily involved, the coalition would

like to see more direct military contributions — both equipment and training — from Arab and Asian countries. Arab nations joined the coalition’s airstrike campaign early on, but their participation has waned a bit over time, particularly as the fight between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen has increased.

No Arab country was invited to the meeting, but Carter said he talks with Arab leaders frequently.

There also are concerns that IS is winning the propaganda war, and meetings like this are aimed, in part, at eroding that effort and getting out the message that the militants are losing ground.

Carter and his defense counterparts are also expected to talk about plans to retake key cities in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. has a plan to help Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces retake Mosul in northern Iraq and to assist the Syrian moderate forces oust Islamic State militants from the group’s power center in Raqqa, Syria.

The U.S. has already requested special operations forces, fighter jet and reconnaissance aircraft, weapons and munitions, training and other combat support. But the key needs are trainers and surveillance assets, such as drones.

Iraqi security forces, which waged a long battle to retake Ramadi, need increased training on niche capabilities, including how to counter improvised explosive devices.

While in Paris, Carter also will meet with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The U.S. has been forging a closer military and intelligence relationship with France, particularly in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last year.

Part of the conversation may involve the weekend attack at a hotel in the West Africa nation of Burkina Faso. At least 30 people were killed in the attack, and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility.q

U.S. NEWS A3

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Clinton gets endorsement from largest US gay organization KEN THOMAS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Hillary Clinton’s received an endorsement Tuesday for her White House bid by the largest U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.

But the campaign of her main rival, Bernie Sanders, disputed the group’s decision, pointing to the senator’s record on gay rights.

The Human Rights Campaign announced its endorsement for the Democratic front-runner, which she is expected to accept at an event in Iowa next Sunday ahead of the state’s leadoff Feb. 1 caucus, the start of a process to choose its delegates for the presidential nominating convention.

The organization’s board of directors, comprised of 32 community leaders nationwide, voted to endorse Clinton, the group said in a statement outlining plans

to mobilize its 1.5 million members on her behalf and get them to vote.

“Too many LGBT Americans still face discrimination — in employment, in housing, in education, in health care — because of who they are or who they love,” Clinton said in a statement Tuesday. “The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher.”

Clinton’s views on gay marriage have evolved over time. She opposed gay marriage as first lady, New York senator and as a 2008 presidential candidate but backed it in 2013 after leaving the State Department.

She has maintained strong political ties to members of the gay community, who point to her record on gay rights as secretary of state.

Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said the Human Rights Campaign endorsement had to have been “based on something other than the facts and the record.q

Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump Continued from front

Palin is scheduled to appear with Trump at a rally at an agricultural center at the Iowa State University later Tuesday and will also be joining Trump at two events Wednesday, including a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The endorsement comes less than two weeks ahead of the critical lead-off Iowa caucus, where Trump is locked in a dead heat with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

In the statement announcing the endorsement, Trump’s campaign described Palin as a conservative who “helped launch the careers of several key future leaders of the Republican Party and conservative movement.”

The statement also quoted Cruz as once saying he “would not be in the United States Senate were it not for Gov. Sarah Palin. ...

She can pick winners.”

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Tuesday, Cruz said, “Regardless of what

Sarah intends to do in 2016, I will remain a big, big fan of Sarah Palin.”

Trump’s national political director Michael Glassner previously worked with Palin, who was a virtual newcomer to the national political arena when McCain named her as his running mate. She has since risen to prominence as one of the most outspoken conservatives in the party.

She signed on as a Fox News commentator after resigning as Alaska’s governor in 2010, a job she held until last year.

Asked Tuesday morning about his thoughts on a potential Palin endorsement, as rumors of her potential backing swirled, Trump said, “I’m a big fan of Sarah Palin.”

While Trump said he doesn’t typically put much stock in endorsements, he said, “I think it could very well result in votes.”

Earlier Tuesday, Trump received an endorsement from the daughter of movie star John Wayne.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, poses for a photograph after speaking at a town hall at the Toledo Civic Center in Toledo, Iowa, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A4 U.S.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

NEWS

Election-year clash on immigration heads to US Supreme Court MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court stepped into a boiling political dispute over immigration Tuesday, setting up a likely decision in the middle of a presidential campaign marked by harsh rhetoric about immigrants.

The justices agreed to review whether President Barack Obama, acting without congressional approval, has the power to shield from deportation up to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and make them eligible to work without fear of being rounded up.

Underscoring the political dimension, the case will be argued in April and decided by late June, about a month before both political parties gather for their nominating conventions.

If Obama prevails against opponents led by Republi-

Ingrid Vaca, originally of Bolivia speaks during rally for immigration reform in front of the White House in Washington. The Supreme Court has agreed to an election-year review of President Barack Obama’s executive orders to allow up to 5 million immigrants to “come out of the shadows” and work legally in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

can governors, there would be roughly seven months left in his presidency to implement plans that would

affect the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as some people who arrived

in the United States before they turned 16.

“We are confident that the policies will be upheld as lawful,” White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said after the court’s announcement Tuesday.

At issue is the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program, which Obama said in late 2014 would allow people who have been in the United States more than five years and who have children who are in the country legally to “come out of the shadows and get right with the law.” He also announced the expansion of a program that affects people who came here illegally as children.

That earlier program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is not being challenged and has resulted in more than 720,000 young immigrants being granted permission to live and work in the United States.

When he announced the measures 14 months ago, Obama said he was acting under his own authority because Congress had failed to overhaul the immigra-

tion system. The Senate did pass legislation on a bipartisan vote, but House Republicans refused to put the matter to a vote.

Texas quickly led a legal challenge to Obama’s program on behalf of 26 states and has won every round in court so far.

Most recently, in November, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court.

Texas actually asked the Supreme Court not to hear the case challenging those rulings, but state Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was pleased the justices will examine the president’s constitutional power to intercede without congressional approval.

The U.S. solicitor general, Donald Verrilli Jr., said in his Supreme Court filing that allowing the lower court rulings to stand would force millions of people “to continue to work off the books, without the option of lawful employment to provide for their families.”

The administration said Texas and the other states don’t even have the right to challenge the plan in federal court.

The lower courts decided that Texas does have the right, or standing, to sue because at least 500,000 people living in Texas would qualify for work permits and thus become eligible for driver’s licenses, the costs of which are subsidized by the state. “Texas would incur millions of dollars in costs,” the state said in its brief.

The justices also said they would consider whether, if the states can pursue their lawsuit, Obama exceeded his authority under federal laws and the Constitution.

Some court observers saw in the court’s decision to look at Obama’s power under the Constitution a potentially ominous sign. q

U.S. NEWS A5

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Experts:

Willingness claim unlikely to help “affluenza” teen

Tonya Couch, center, the mother of a Texas teen who used an “affluenza” defense in a drunken wreck, leaves Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas.

(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

EMILY SCHMALL Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An argument raised Tuesday by lawyers for a Texas teenager known for using an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunkendriving wreck — that he may have been taken to Mexico against his will — is unlikely to help his case, outside juvenile defense attorneys said.

And even if a judge agrees that Ethan Couch was forced to flee to Mexico, he could still be locked up if the judge determines he violated probation by attending a party where people were drinking.

Attorneys for Couch said the 18-year-old is dropping his deportation fight in Mexico as they investigate whether he fled there or was brought against his wishes.

He was arrested there with his mother, who is now charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon. She was returned to the U.S. quickly, but Couch won a delay based on a constitutional appeal that normally leads to a lengthy trial process.

Authorities allege the two crossed into Mexico in December, as Texas prosecutors investigated whether Couch violated his probation in the 2013 drunken-driving case. His attorney, Scott Brown, said Tuesday that whether his client “was voluntarily or involuntarily taken to Mexico is something that is still being investigated.”

That comment came after a brief hearing in

juvenile court scheduled to determine whether Couch, who is being held at a Mexico City detention facility, violated his probation and if the case should be transferred to adult court. But the judge cut the hearing short after Couch’s attorneys said his parents weren’t properly notified. Another hearing was set for Feb. 19.

Dallas attorney Peter Schulte said the new defense argument might be related to the “affluenza” claim that Couch was coddled into a sense of irresponsibility by his wealthy parents. The condition is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association, and its use drew widespread derision.

The latest argument, Schulte said, could be “some extension of affluenza, that he can’t make decisions on his own and any time mommy says to do something he does it.”

But the argument is unlikely to impress a judge because of Couch’s age, Schulte said.

Attorney Seth Fuller of Denton, Texas, said Couch’s defenses are limited to claiming he didn’t realize he was violating probation by going to Mexico or that he went there involuntarily.

“This is just grasping at straws,” he said, adding, “It doesn’t seem like a good defense, but it is one of the few available.”

Neither Schulte nor Fuller is involved in Couch’s case.

The latest strategy, though, could affect Couch’s mother.

If Ethan Couch can prove he was taken against his will, Tonya Couch can be charged with kidnapping.

Tarrant County district attorney spokeswoman Samantha Jordan said there would have to be “adequate proof” that Tonya Couch forced her son to go to Mexico before prosecutors brought additional charges against her. “We’d have to see the evidence,” she said.

Whether Couch is able to prove that he was taken to Mexico against his wishes will not affect prosecutors’ efforts to transfer his case to the adult system, Jordan added.

Attorneys for Tonya Couch declined to comment Tuesday. The 48-year-old was released on bond last week in Texas after she was brought back from Mexico.

Brown, Ethan Couch’s U.S. lawyer, said “documents have been filed to release the injunction” that objected to his return, but did not say how long the process would take.

Immigration and federal courts officials in Mexico said they didn’t have any information indicating Couch was dropping his deportation fight. Couch’s lawyer in Mexico didn’t return messages, and U.S. Marshals spokesman Trent Touchstone said he had no information about the issue.q

A6 U.S.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

American Living:

NEWS

As wealthy Brazilians snap up Miami real estate, few benefit

JOSH BOAK JENNIFER KAY Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Facing a teetering economy at home, wealthy Brazilians have been pouring money into what they increasingly see as the safest place to

No American skyline has undergone a more drastic face-lift from foreign cash in the past decade: Luxury condo towers and swanky retailers crowd a downtown once marred by empty lots.

And almost no developer

efits of that income being disposed of in the local economy,” said Ned Murray, associate director of Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center.

“That impacts local businesses, and we’re losing opportunities to create

Carlos Rosso, president of the condominium division at The Related Group, poses for a photo at his office in Miami. Wealthy expats fleeing financial and political turmoil have poured their fortunes into glass and steel condo towers for years. The buying frenzy out of Brazil paused briefly this year, when its currency weakened in value against the dollar, but as the situation worsens in Brazil, real estate developers say sales are picking up again in Miami.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

invest: South Florida real estate.

So are Argentinians, Colombians, Mexicans, Venezuelans, French and Turks — almost anyone with money to shelter, a direct flight to Miami and a shaky economy to flee.

Their cash has helped drive the latest twist in Miami’s ever-evolving transformation — from a 19th century rail stop to a tourist-andretiree hub to a haven for Cuban refugees to now a harbor for global investors.

expects the demand to stop.

Yet Miamians as a whole have scarcely benefited from the glitz. Wages have actually dropped for Miami workers in the past year. Area unemployment tops the national average.

Miami contains the largest share of renters in the country who devote over 30 percent of their pay to housing — the level the government deems burdensome.

“We’re not seeing the ben-

year-round housing for our workers. They’re moving out.” But with its glamorous locale and easy access, Miami real estate offers an asset that’s appreciating at a time when other investments have shrunk or turned frighteningly volatile. That’s despite being on a stretch of land prone to natural disasters.

“All of the insecurity around the rest of the world only reminds people how important it is to have assets in the United States,” said

Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, a developer who is leading sales efforts for the planned 57-story Elysee, with condo units starting at $1.65 million and personal wine storage available for residents.

No fewer than 126 residential towers are planned for construction in South Florida. One sign of the scale of wealth from abroad is that the majority of foreign purchases are being funded with cash, not debt.

Last year, foreigners spent $6.1 billion on Miami-area real estate — 36 percent of all such investment, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. Nationally, foreigners account for just 8 percent of sales.

The influx has been sudden enough that the federal government has announced plans to monitor home purchases exceeding $3 million in Miami and New York City. Starting in March, the government will temporarily require title companies to identify buyers of property. Authorities have grown concerned that money launderers may be using anonymous holding companies to stash money in high-end real estate.

The average luxury condo price in Miami Beach has surged 35 percent from a year ago to $3.7 million, according to the real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman.

Downtown Miami is similarly “beginning to shift, but the question is, to whose benefit?” said Arden Shank, executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida. “It doesn’t benefit the people who have been there for a long time.”

The metro area’s unem-

ployment rate is 5.5 percent, compared with 5 percent nationally. Average hourly earnings have dipped 0.4 percent to $22.57 from a year ago. By contrast, the national average wage has risen more than 2 percent in that time.

Census Bureau data show that high rents burden 66 percent of Miami tenants, compared with 52 percent nationwide.

Regardless of wealth, everyone in South Florida faces the potentially dire consequences of climate change. Experts warn that as the seas rise further, flooding may become permanent, turning streets into canals, endangering access to drinking water and eroding the man-made beaches that have long drawn people to Miami.

“There is a disconnect — there’s a real estate bubble, and then there’s where we see sea level rise going,” said Henry Briceno, who studies the effects of rising sea levels through the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University.

“That’s what really worries me: The rush to make money right away without thinking of the future and who is going to pay.”

Yet to many wealthy international buyers, the opportunities appear to outweigh those risks.

Because so many of her clients now own Miami property, Sao Paulo-based interior designer Brunete Fraccaroli recently bought a condo at One Paraiso, a 53-story tower with a beach club slated to be finished next year. She expects her Florida clientele to grow as Brazil’s plight intensifies.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Wednesday 20 January 2016

US Financial Front:

Health insurance customers begin new year with delays types of insurance. But brokers say this year has been exceptional.

Boyd, the Dallas broker, said her market was swamped after Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas stopped offering a popular plan that covered about 400,000 people with a wide network of providers. Boyd helped client Bridget Eyler find another plan with a

Chris Rogers, right, talks to Epilepsy Foundation Navigator Barbara Meneses as Rogers prepares to enroll for health care coverage, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Coral Gables, Fla. Thousands of health insurance consumers around the country have started the new year dealing with missing ID cards, billing errors and other problems tied to an enrollment surge at the end of 2015.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

KELLI KENNEDY TOM MURPHY Associated Press Thousands of health insurance consumers around the country have started the new year dealing with missing ID cards, billing errors and other problems tied to an enrollment surge at the end of 2015.

Brokers and insurers in several states told The Associated Press that they’ve been inundated with complaints about these issues from customers with individual plans and those with coverage through small businesses. Insurance provider Health Care Service Corp., for instance, has been dealing with delays for about 10,000 companies, while billing errors caused bank overdrafts for 3,200 individual customers of a North Carolina insurer.

These delays mean that some customers may have to pay for care up front or wait for their insurance cards to arrive before scheduling a doctor’s appointment, even though many have technically been covered since Jan. 1.

“I’ve been in the health insurance business 20 plus years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Dallas-based broker Tanya Boyd, who estimates that hundreds of customers have complained about delays in receiving their insurance cards or a confirmation of coverage.

The delays are due in part to more customers than expected shopping for coverage late last year after carriers ended plans in some markets, leaving thousands to find new ones. And a last-minute enrollment deadline extension from the federal government gave people two more days to sign up. An expansion of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that employers cover their workers also may have contributed to the rush.

It’s unclear how many people have had trouble so far this year. To be sure, a certain amount of problems can crop up at the start of every year, after insurers wrap up a busy holiday season clogged with enrollment periods for several

narrower network of providers after the insurer mistakenly enrolled her in a plan she didn’t choose. But Eyler, an attorney from the Dallas suburb of Coppell, says she wasn’t officially in the system until a few days ago and still has no documents proving she’s insured.

Changing federal deadlines also contributed to the

problem in some markets.

Consumers who wanted coverage that started Jan. 1 originally had to sign up

by Dec. 15. But HealthCare. gov, the federal website that handles applications for coverage from ACA exchanges in most states, announced Dec. 15 that it would extend the deadline two days due to heavy demand.q

WORLD NEWS EU chief Tusk gives migrant plan 2 months to work A8

Wednesday 20 January 2016

LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) The Euro-

ting thousands of people in danger and creating more business for smugglers.

of EU leaders in Brussels on March 17-18 “will be the last moment to see if our

Migrants walk through snow from the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016. Bracing cold temperatures and snow storms hundreds of migrants continue to arrive daily into Serbia in order to register and continue their journey further north towards Western Europe.

(AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

pean Union’s top official warned Tuesday the bloc has just two months to get its migration strategy in order amid criticism that its current policies are put-

“We have no more than two months to get things under control,” European Council President Donald Tusk toldEU lawmakers, warning that a summit

strategy works.”

The EU spent most of 2015 devising policies to cope with the arrival of more than 1 million people fleeing conflict or poverty but

few are having a real impact. A refugee sharing plan launched in September has barely got off the ground and countries are still not sending back people who don’t qualify for asylum.

A package of sweeteners earmarked for Turkey - including 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion), easier visa access for Turkish citizens and fast-tracking of the country’s EU membership process - has borne little fruit.

The failure has raised tensions between neighbors, particularly along the Balkan route used by migrants arriving in Greece to reach their preferred destinations like Germany or Sweden further north.

Tusk warned that if Europe fails to make the strategy work “we will face grave consequences such as the collapse of Schengen,” the 26-nation passport-free travel zone.

His remarks came after Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said that border closures and tougher policing only force people seeking sanctuary or

Germany:

Ex-Red Army Faction suspects linked to robberies

BERLIN (AP) — Three former members of the disbanded leftist militant group Red Army Faction have been linked to two botched armored car robberies after spending years in hiding, in what German authorities said Tuesday may have been attempts to continue financing their life underground.

Public broadcaster NDR first reported Monday that DNA matching that of Daniela Klette, Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub and Burkhard

Garweg was found in a getaway car used in a failed robbery June 6 in Stuhr, near the northern city of Bremen.

During the robbery three masked assailants armed with automatic rifles and an anti-tank weapon blocked an armored car in a supermarket parking lot, then one opened fire on the vehicle but they were unable to get inside.

Prosecutors in nearby Verden confirmed that they believe the trio was

involved in the failed heist and are investigating them for attempted murder and attempted serious robbery.

Prosecutors said there is no indication the attack had a “terrorist background.”

“Rather, it must be assumed that the crime was meant to finance a life underground,” Verden prosecutors said in a statement.

The trio is also suspected of attempting a similar robbery on Dec. 28 in the central German city of Wolfsburg. That too failed.

The Red Army Faction was founded in 1970 and is sometimes known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, after two of its most prominent members, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.

The group carried out numerous assassinations, kidnappings, bombings and robberies to further its political beliefs — from anti-imperialism to supporting the Palestinian cause — leading the West German government to classify it as a terrorist organization.q

jobs to find more dangerous routes to Europe.

“Policies of deterrence, along with their chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who flee, actively worsened the conditions of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children,” said MSF head of operations, Brice de le Vingne.

The group urged the EU to create more legal ways to come to Europe, allow asylum applications at the land border between Turkey and Greece, and set up a real search and rescue system, after more than 3,000 people died trying to reach the EU by sea in 2015. built As pressure among EU partner nations, four Central European members confirmed Tuesday their fierce opposition to a plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece, and called for the strict control and registration of all refugees on the external borders of the Schengen zone.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, who form an informal grouping known as the Visegrad Four or V4, rejected any compulsory refugee quotas. Officials from Slovenia and Serbia also warned of retaliatory measures if Austria tries to slow the entry of migrants. That, they say, would cause a domino effect and ratchet up tensions along the so-called Balkan migrant corridor back to Greece, where most migrants are arriving from Turkey.

“If Austria and Germany introduce certain measures that would mean tighter control of the flow of migrants, Slovenia will do the same,” Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said. q

WORLD NEWS 9

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Iran moves assets, awaits benefits as sanctions are lifted

Iranian shareholders monitor shares prices on screens at the Tehran Stock Exchange in Tehran, Iran. Iran said Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, it successfully transferred some of the billions of dollars’ worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of the nuclear deal with world powers. But ordinary Iranians are still waiting to see how their daily lives will improve and how fast Iranian companies will gain access to financial markets worldwide.

(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

NASSER KARIMI JON GAMBRELL Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran successfully transferred some of the billions of dollars’ worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of the nuclear deal with world powers, the head of the country’s central bank said Tuesday. But ordinary Iranians are still waiting to see how their daily lives will improve and how fast Iranian companies will gain access to financial markets worldwide.

Credit cards still don’t work in the Islamic Republic and its ATM machines remain separated from the rest of the world. That is not likely to change soon as many of the world’s major financial services companies operate in the United States.

Iranian state television quoted Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran’s central bank, as saying that Tehran trans-

ferred funds from banks in Japan and South Korea to other banks in Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

He did not say how much money was involved in the transfers, though he said the nuclear deal would give Tehran access to $32 billion in overseas assets and lower international currency transactions for the country by 15 percent.

The Mideast commercial hub of Dubai would be the most likely place in the seven-state Emirates federation for Iran to move its funds. The port city is home to a large Iranian expatriate community and has a long trading history with nearby Iran.

Emirates NBD, the largest bank in Dubai, declined to tell The Associated Press whether it was doing business with Iran now that nuclear-related sanctions have been lifted, citing a policy of confidentiality re-

garding potential or existing customers. However, it said “various regulatory authorities” have released guidance since the deal was implemented on Saturday. The bank said it is reviewing that guidance to better understand the obligations and restrictions that apply to banks in the UAE. “Any engagement with potential customers in previously sanctioned countries would take place in several stages and would require updates to policies, procedures, systems and controls as well as ongoing communication with regulators and correspondent banks,” it said.

Meanwhile, Seif also pledged to address the parallel exchange rate for Iranian rials and foreign currencies on the black market, which trade 20 percent higher than their official values. The black market rate is 36,000 Iranian rials to the dollar while

the official rate is 30,000 rials for a dollar.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose moderate administration pushed through the nuclear deal, said Iran now needs to attract foreign investment and liberalize its largely state-run economy.

“Government should withdraw from the economy in favor of the private sector, step by step,” Rouhani said.

Iran expects an economic breakthrough after the lifting of crippling sanctions, and in particular, accessing its overseas assets and being able to sell crude oil more freely abroad.

The U.S. Treasury put out guidance to Americabased companies after the deal, reminding them that

“U.S. persons — including U.S. companies — continue to be broadly prohibited from engaging in transactions or dealings with Iran or its government.”

That includes companies like payment processors MasterCard Inc. and Visa Inc., both based in the U.S. and thus rendering their branded credit cards useless in Iran.

That also includes online payment options like those offered by U.S.-based PayPal Inc., which in March agreed to pay $7.7 million in a settlement with U.S. regulators over payments involving countries including Iran. Money-transferring companies like Western Union Co. and MoneyGram International Inc. also don’t operate in Iran.q

A10 WORLD

NEWS Libya’s rivals declare unity Cabinet under UN plan

Wednesday 20 January 2016

RAMI MUSA MAGGIE MICHAEL Associated Press BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Representatives of Libya’s rival factions who are sitting in Tunis and negotiating through a U.N.-brokered process announced on Tuesday that they have formed a unity government aimed at stemming the chaos that has engulfed the country in recent years. In a statement received by The Associated Press, the Unity Presidential Council said it has agreed on a 32-member Cabinet, drawn of representatives from across the country. But whether that government will in fact be able to govern the country remains to be seen.

Libya slid into chaos following the 2011 toppling and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since 2014, its divisions only increased, splitting it into two governments and parliaments — the internationally recognized one in the country’s east, and an Islamistbacked one in the capital, Tripoli.

Damages are seen due to clashes between the Libyan military and Islamic militias in Benghazi, Libya. Representatives of Libya’s rival factions who are sitting in Tunis and negotiating through a U.N.-brokered process announced on Tuesday that they have formed a unity government aimed at stemming the chaos that has engulfed the country for the past years.

(AP Photo/Mohammed El-Sheikhy)

Each side is backed by an array of different militias.

Amid the chaos, a Libyan affiliate of the Islamic State group has surged, claiming responsibility for a series of deadly attacks as it tries to expand its territory and

take control of oil terminals and fields, the sole source of Libya’s wealth.

In December, blocs from Libya’s rival parliaments signed a U.N.-brokered deal to form the unity government and established a

Unity Presidential Council.

The Tunisia-based council includes representatives from the rival parliaments and governments, as well as delegates from other factions. But other members of both the two main

UN: Iraqi civilians dying at a ‘staggering’ rate SUSANNAH GEORGE BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq witnessed a sharp increase in civilian deaths following the fall of large swaths of territory to the Islamic State group in the summer of 2014. Now despite a string of recent battlefield losses for IS, civilians in Iraq continue to die at a “staggering” rate, according to a new United Nations report.

At least 18,802 civilians were killed and another

36,245 were wounded in Iraq between the start of 2014 and Oct. 31 of last year, according to the U.N. report released Tuesday. In just one six-month period between May and October last year, more than 10,000 civilians were killed.

“Despite their steady losses to pro-government forces, the scourge of ISIL continues to kill, maim and displace Iraqi civilians in the thousands and to cause

untold suffering,” U.N. envoy Jan Kubis said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for the extremist group.

The numbers are nowhere near the death tolls recorded during Iraq’s bloody civil war. In 2006 alone more than 34,000 civilians were killed, according to U.N. data.

The following year the Iraqi government refused to provide the U.N. with death

toll statistics, stating that the government wanted to prevent the data from painting a negative image of the country.

But civilian casualties since the rise of IS in Iraq are considerably higher than the preceding years of relative stability.

In 2011, the number of civilian deaths due to violence was at its lowest since the civil war, with fewer than 2,800 killed.q

factions have rejected the U.N. plan. The United Nations has warned that further delays in implementing the plan will only empower the Islamic State affiliate. U.N. envoy Marin Kobler, who brokered the plan, tweeted this week that the Libyan political scene is divided while the Islamic State is united and “set on its destructive goal.”

On Monday, Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Dairi of the internationally-recognized government told reporters during a visit to Cairo that the formation of a Cabinet was a condition for lifting an international arms embargo on the Libyan army fighting Islamic militants.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the Cabinet announcement an “essential step” and said Libya was now at a “critical juncture,” urging all key players in Libya to “uphold the interests of their country and its people.”

Italy praised the development as an opportunity to bring stability to its former colony, where the ongoing conflict has contributed to the migration crisis on Europe’s southern borders. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said it was now “fundamental” that Libya’s internationally-recognized government approves the Cabinet. Also in Rome, U.N. envoy Kobler and representatives of 18 countries and three international organizations were meeting to discuss international support for Libya’s political, economic, humanitarian and security needs.q

WORLD NEWS A11

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Japan FM: Russia key to Syria, North Korea solutions M. YAMAGUCHI

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s foreign minister pledged Tuesday to continue talks with Russia even though the two countries still lack a World War II peace treaty, saying Moscow is key to resolving international threats from Syria and North Korea.

Fumio Kishida also announced $350 million in new aid to help stabilize Syria and its neighboring countries amid the region’s massive refugee crisis, following $810 million in earlier humanitarian support.

Kishida said in a speech in Tokyo that a diplomatic dialogue between Japan and Russia is indispensable, even though a territorial dispute has prevented them from technically ending their World War II hostilities. He said the two sides are seeking to hold summit talks “at the most appropriate time” this year.

Media reports say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might visit Russia in April for talks with President Vladimir Putin ahead of a Group of Seven leaders’ meeting in Japan in May. “The international community is faced with various challenges, and Russia’s constructive role is essential in resolving the problems,” Kishida said, citing North Korea, Syria and the threat of terrorism.

“In that context, political dialogue, especially at a political level, is indispensable.”

Japan and Russia never signed a post-World War II peace treaty because of conflicting claims over islands north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.q

New Taiwan government wants US help on China M. PENNINGTON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan’s new government will carefully manage relations with mainland China and it wants Washington to keep encouraging reconciliation, a senior official of the victorious party said Tuesday. Joseph Wu is secretary-general of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party. He is meeting with senior U.S. officials this week following the party’s commanding victory in elections on the self-governing island Saturday. The DPP defeated the Nationalist Party that has forged closer ties with the mainland during its eightyear tenure.

The result was widely seen as a setback to Beijing, but Wu said his party’s presidential nominee, Tsai Ing-wen, has made clear she wants to maintain the status quo and safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

“We will do our utmost to find a mutually acceptable mode of interaction between Taiwan and the mainland, one that avoids confrontation and prevents surprises,” Wu told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen speaks in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan’s new government will carefully manage relations with mainland China and it wants Washington to keep encouraging reconciliation.

(AP Photo/Wally Santana)

Those remarks will be welcomed by the Obama administration. The United States is Taiwan’s most important ally and source of defensive arms but it has applauded the easing of cross-Strait relations under the outgoing Nationalist government.

China claims the island as its own territory and threatens to use force if Taiwan declares formal independence.

“We would need the United States to continue to encourage the two sides to speak with each other,” Wu said, adding that Washington can play a “balancing role” so Taiwan is “not dangling out there alone dealing withChina.”

Wu characterized Beijing’s reaction to the election as “measured,” but it has already warned that it will not budge on its bottom line that Taiwan’s leader must

agree that the communist mainland and democratic island are part of a single Chinese nation. Tsai has refused to endorse Beijing’s “one China principle” but hasn’t publicly repudiated it either.

Wu said a top priority for the new administration would be for legislation laying out the guiding principles for cross-Strait relations so there is more transparency in its dealings with Beijing.q

China’s Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia on Mideast tour A. AL-SHIHRI AYA BATRAWY Associated Press RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit as part of a Middle East tour that will include stops in Egypt and Iran.

Saudi state television reported that King Salman and President Xi held talks on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Crown Prince and

Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman greeted the Chinese delegation on their arrival. China and Saudi Arabia signed 14 memoranda of understanding to enhance cooperation, research, investment and development in the fields of trade, satellite navigation technology, renewable energy and oil.

Two Saudi loans for Chinese environmental projects were agreed on, but

the size of these loans was not discosed. In an official readout of their meeting, Saudi Arabia said that King Salman had decorated the Chinese president with the country’s most prestigious medal, named after the country’s founder, King Abdelaziz. During his two-day visit, Xi will also be holding talks with the chiefs of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Coopera-

tion while in the kingdom.

Economic ties between Saudi Arabia and China are central to their bilateral relationship. Saudi Arabia isChina’s biggest supplier of crude oil, accounting for one in six barrels of China’s crude oil imports, the Xinhua news agency reported. China is Saudi Arabia’s second largest trade partner, with twoway trade reaching $69 billion in 2014.q

A12 WORLD

Wednesday 20 January 2016

NEWS

Mexico probes possible money tie with actress, drug boss MEXICO CITY (AP) — There are indications that drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman had business dealings with actress Kate del Castillo, who arranged a meeting between the drug boss and actor Sean Penn, Mexico’s attorney general said in an interview published Tuesday.

Arely Gomez told the newspaper El Universal that officials are investigating possible money laundering in-

volving the actress’ tequila business. But she said they don’t have “legal certainty” a crime was committed.

Del Castillo arranged Penn’s Oct. 2 interview with Guzman, which was published by Rolling Stone magazine on Jan. 9, a day after the fugitive Guzman was recaptured.

Gomez said officials want to question del Castillo, possibly at a Mexican consulate in the United States,

where she lives.

“We have an investigation in the tequila case,” Gomez said, adding that information leads officials to believe the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel gave funds to that business.

Gomez said Penn wasn’t under investigation for any crime.

Del Castillo hasn’t replied to requests for comment.

On Twitter, she said last

week that many people are making up “items they think will make good stories.”

Authorities say the meeting between Penn, del Castillo and Guzman helped them locate the drug lord, though he managed to escape capture at that time.

Three months later, Mexican marines raided a safe house in the city of Los Mochis and Guzman was arrested after fleeing

through a storm sewer.

Guzman is being held in the same maximum security prison he escaped from through a mile-long (1.5-kilometer) tunnel in July.

Gomez said authorities are also investigating del Castillo’s spending for the trip to meet Guzman.

“We have to make sure who provided the airplane, who paid for it, all of the logistics of the trip,” Gomez said.q

Several election offices attacked in Haiti as runoff nears

Protesters run past a burning car during a protest against President Michel Martelly’s government to demand the cancellation of the Jan. 24, elections, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

DAVID McFADDEN Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Stone-throwing demonstrators this week smashed car windows and set at least two vehicles ablaze in Haiti’s capital, after sev-

eral electoral offices were attacked in northern towns as the country prepares for a Jan. 24 presidential and legislative runoff.

Roughly 2,000 protesters took to the streets in downtown Port-au-Prince call-

ing for new elections and the immediate removal of outgoing President Michel Martelly, among other grievances. Roads were blocked with flaming tire barricades and more than a dozen motorists had their

cars pelted with rocks. A truck and an SUV were torched by young men near a police station.

Police dispersed opposition protesters and cleared most roadblocks by late afternoon. Officers scattered some demonstrators with tear gas in the downtown slum of Bel Air, one of many impoverished areas where young people who’ve never held any kind of steady job are easy pickings for political actors looking for protesters for hire.

High school science teacher Elisme Nerius walked his 9-year-old son home from school near a barricaded intersection where black smoke was still billowing from burning tires.

“My hope is that when my boy is old enough to vote this country can finally hold decent and calm elections,” Nerius said.

In northern Haiti, Police Inspector Michel Henri said three electoral offices were set on fire late Sunday in towns around the city of

Cap-Haitien and at least two others were damaged by hurled rocks. Henri said the three offices that were set ablaze “weren’t totally destroyed” because locals managed to douse the flames.

Gerardo de Icaza, electoral observation director at the Organization of American States, tweeted Monday that the OAS mission “deplores and strongly condemns” the violence targeting offices of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council. The OAS called on Haitian political actors to reject violence and “act peacefully.” Last month, several government buildings were burned and one demonstrator was killed in scattered violent protests sparked by the release of final legislative election results. Campaigning for Haiti’s presidential runoff kicked off earlier this month, but only government-backed candidate Jovenel Moise has been campaigning.q

Argentina’s Nisman remembered 1 year after his death ANA MANO Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Jewish rights groups organized acts in several Argentine cities this week to mark the first anniversary of prosecutor Alberto Nisman’s death.

The events included marches in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Parana and San Luis. Vice-President Gabriela Michetti and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich at-

tended the act in Buenos Aires, along with city officials.

Organizers read a letter written by Nisman’s daughters Iara and Kala, who met new President Mauricio Macri at his private residence over the weekend.

Nisman’s daughters did not attend the Buenos Aires event, but his mother, Sara Garfunkel, was present, along with hundreds of people who chanted: “We

want justice.” The prosecutor was found dead in the bathroom of his Buenos Aires apartment on Jan. 18, 2015 with a bullet to his head. At the time he was investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people. Authorities have not determined Nisman committed suicide or was killed, as some have asserted. No one has been convicted in the case. Shortly before

his death, Nisman had presented a claim against then-president Cristina Fernandez for an alleged cover up in the attack on the Jewish community center.

She denied the charges.

Macri has now since ordered the declassification of files related to Nisman’s death. The Macri government’s foreign and security ministries on Dec. 18 reiterated Argentina’s interest in retaining international

arrest orders enforced by Interpol for three Iranians accused of involvement in the bombing.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told reporters during the Buenos Aires event that Argentine law allows it to try the men in absentia.

Ricardo Saenz, a fellow prosecutor of Nisman, said during the ceremony that retaining the international arrest orders was “essential” to solving the crime. q

LOCAL A13

Wednesday 20 January 2016

As their High Volume Tour of the Season:

Princess Cruise Lines Honors Jolly Pirates Sail and Snorkel

ORANJESTAD- Jolly Pirates was honored during an Award presentation ceremony with luncheon and an impressive tour of the Royal Princess Cruise ship, one of the most popular ships at sea.

As part of the Princess Cruise Lines Shore excursion program, the Jolly Pirates Snorkeling and Sailing tour in Aruba received its award and recognition as a result of feedback from their guests. With consistent high ratings and positive passenger comments, the Jolly Pirate Sailing and Snorkeling tours were noted by

passengers as an excellent value. Onboard the Royal Princess Ship to accept the prestigious award was Julio Payares, the Jolly Pirate’s Captain, who has been turning flips for Jolly Pirates guests for more than 15 years. Also aboard was Supervisor Anacarina Matos, delighted to accept the coveted award on behalf of her team stating, “For our team to be recognized with this award it will only translate into more positive reviews and high scores for the Jolly Pirates Aruba Snorkeling experience”.

The Jolly Pirates teak Schoo-

ners have long been a favorite Aruba Activity made memorable by word-ofmouth approval as the top performing Sailing cruise in Aruba.

This most recent award serves as further confirmation as to the winning ways of the entire high-spirited Jolly Pirates team. The sailing, snorkeling and sunset tours offered by the Jolly Pirates remain the top choice among visitors to Aruba with repeat guests who continue to drive the demand recommending the cruises to friends with rave reviews.q

A14 LOCAL

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Harry and Shelley Pease Honored at the Tropicana Resort

EAGLE BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a very nice couple as Ambassadors of Goodwill at the Tropicana Resort and Casino. 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. Harry and Mrs. Shelley Pease from Huntington, Massachusetts.

This lovely couple loves Aruba very much because of the friendly people,

the climate, beaches, restaurants, the Tropicana Casino and being on Aruba and staying at the Tropicana is like being home for them and the wonderful staff of the resort is like family to them.

The certificates were presented at the recently renovated Tropicana Casino by Mr. Ernest Giel representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with Ms. Jacky Filiciana, Ms. Nelida Rodriquez and Mr. Richard Roy GM at the Tropicana Resort and Casino.q

LOCAL A15

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Group of Loyal Visitors Honored at the Paradise Beach Villas

EAGLE BEACH - Recently Jonathan Boekhoudt from the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure to present Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Cassie Pennings, together with Lyn Holliday

with Goodwill Ambassador Certificates. The honorary title is presented in the name of Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation for 20-or-more consecutive years’ visits to Aruba.

The ceremony was held at the Paradise Beach Villas.

The honorees love Aruba especially for the people. q

A16 LOCAL

Wednesday 20 January 2016

This Friday at 6:30pm:

Students of Aruba to Host Acts of Kindness Concert

ORANJESTAD - On Friday, January 22, 2016 from 6:30pm to 9pm at the Xavier University School of Medicine, located at Santa Helenastraat 23, Oranjestad, students of Aruba will host an ambitious Acts of Kindness Concert.

The Acts of Kindness Concert is a perfect platform to incorporate not only school spirit, but also gives students an opportunity to reach out to the community and promote social change. As medical students participating in dual

degrees at Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM) and Walden University, it is important to realize if one wants to change the world, one must be willing to go beyond medicine.

The goal is to raise awareness and funds on behalf of Aruba Animal Shelter and Ministerio di Ajudo Social by way of as many ticket sales as possible to the Acts of Kindness Concert entertainment festival hosted on XUSOM’s campus. This fundraising event will include both XUSOM students and community members.

Funds generated will be donated to Aruba Animal Shelter- whose mission and focus is to rescue stray dogs and cats; and Ministerio di

Ajudo Social- whose mission is to provide supplies to the elderly and sick such as packaged goods.

(Future goals include: donations of rent free wheelchairs to families in need of assistance.) The vision behind the concert is to bring unification between the medical students and the Aruba community. Accomplishment of this vision will help students learn how to work together as a collaborative team towards a common goal- Social

sity and Xavier University School of Medicine Aruba chartered the Student Ambassadors Chapter at the XUSOM Medical School.

This organization will work (in conjunction with) the Student Government Association of XUSOM Medical School to host a variety of activities and programs in support of increasing community activities and involvement.

Value Statement: The fundraiser will help student’s build social rela-

Change.

Additionally it gives students an opportunity to raise money through social interaction in the community within a nontraditional setting.

The event will have 40 participants, including performers, support staff, publicity coordinators, and sponsors.

In exchange for exposure on the school website and on the day of the event, the list of confirmed sponsors for the event already include Elite Production, Sponsor stage, lighting and fashion runway; Esther Jones, Sponsor fashion clothes for fashion show; DJ CJ, Sponsor Music for the event; Student Government Association (SGA), Sponsor Flyers.

Executive Board& Faculty involvement: The students (Juliette St. Louis-president; Alisha Nelson-vice president; Karla Simmonds-secretary; Phuong Vo-officer; and Sidhardh Kakar-officer) of the dual degree programs offered by Walden Univer-

tionships through human interaction and interrelationships with both members of the Aruba Animal Shelter and Ministerio di Ajudo Social. It serves as an exemplary opportunity for strengthening community bonds with both universities involved. It also gives an opportunity to underscore the vision of creating Scholars for Change.

It epitomizes the idea that students are learning in a classroom setting in order to learn how to attain social change beyond borders. This event will give XUSOM students an opportunity to make a difference in the Aruba community.

The show will not only involve XUSOM students, but also the ARUBA community, which depicts a great sense of compassion and unity. Lastly, it will allow students to get a better understanding of how the roles of health care and community services plays a role in people’s health.

For more information, call (297) 588-7766.q

SPORTS A17

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Resurgent Venus Stopped in 1st Round at Australian Open

Page 18

Silencer

Fernando Verdasco of Spain hits a forehand returnduring his first round match against compatriot Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.

(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Verdasco Shocks Nadal in Round 1 of Australian Open JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — For five sets and nearly five hours, two chiseled Spanish left-handers went head-to-head again at the Australian Open.

It wasn’t a semifinal this time, though, and It didn’t end nearly as well for Rafael Nadal, who lost 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to Fernando Verdasco and was eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time in a career that has

netted him 14 major titles.

Nadal won his only Australian title in 2009 after overcoming Verdasco in a 5-hour, 14-minute semifinal, a match that still ranks among the classics at Melbourne Park. This time, Verdasco rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the last two sets, and came from a break down in the fifth to win in 4:41 and reach the second round. Nadal’s only previous first-round exit in a Grand Slam was at Wimbledon in 2013, when he lost in straight sets to No.

135-ranked Steve Darcis of Belgium. “It’s a hard and painful loss,” Nadal said.

“He was playing amazing in the last set ... more aggressive than me. He took more risks than me, and he won.

Probably he deserved.”

No. 2 Simona Halep and seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams also went out in the first round on Tuesday, when a series of upsets took some focus off a match-fixing controversy that had overshadowed the first day of the season’s first major.

Halep, the 2014 French Open finalist, lost 6-4, 6-3 to Zhang Shuai, giving the No. 133-ranked Chinese qualifier her first win at a Grand Slam after 14 losses.

“It’s OK. I don’t want to make this match like dramatic,” said Halep, who refused to blame an Achilles tendon problem for contributing to her third firstround loss in five years at Melbourne Park.

Verdasco went for everything on his ground strokes, ripping 90 winners against only 37 for Nadal as he

worked to the extremes to unsettle his former No. 1-ranked rival.

“To win against Rafa here coming from two sets down is unbelievable,” the No. 45-ranked Verdasco said.

“I think I played unbelievable — the fifth set from the break that he made me, I just started hitting winners.

I don’t know how, just, you know I was closing the eyes and everything was coming in and I keep doing it and I was doing well.”

Continued on page 18

A18 SPORTS

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Resurgent Venus stopped in 1st round at Australian Open

Venus Williams of the United States makes a forehand return to Johanna Konta of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.

(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

JUSTIN BERGMAN Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)

— When Johanna Konta found out she was playing Venus Williams in the

first round of the Australian Open, she thought to herself, “I just hope I stay out

there more than an hour.”

The Sydney- born British player did last more than an hour on Tuesday — one hour, 19 minutes to be exact — to reach the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

For the first time in a long time, the resurgent Williams was on the long list of women’s favorites coming into a Grand Slam tournament.

She had reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open last year and finished a career-reviving year with three titles to break back into the top 10 after a fouryear hiatus.

But the 35-year-old American, who was seeded eighth in her 16th appearance at Melbourne Park, fell in her opening match to a player making her tournament debut.

Williams has lost in the first round of a major eight times — in a career that has now

spanned a remarkable 69 Grand Slam tournaments.

And counting.

“It’s irrelevant how old (Venus) is because she’s such a champion with so much experience and so much knowledge about the game,” said Konta, who was born in Australia to Hungarian parents and moved to Britain a decade ago.

“Even if she’s playing with one leg out there, you’ve got to really take care of things on your own, because she’s an incredible player.”

Williams did have both of her legs against Konta at Rod Laver Arena, but little else in her game was working. She lacked pop on her serve, hitting just one ace to five for Konta, and couldn’t match the No. 47-ranked player’s power from the baseline.q

Verdasco Shocks Nadal in Round 1 of Australian Open Continued from page 17 Stan Wawrinka, who beat Nadal in the 2014 Australian final, and four-time runner-up Andy Murray advanced, along with No. 8 David Ferrer, No.

10 John Isner, no. 13 Milos Raonic and Lleyton Hewitt, the two-time major winner who is playing his 20th and last Australian Open tournament before retiring.

French Open champion Wawrinka was leading 7-6 (2), 6-3 when his opponent

Dmitry Tursonov retired with what appeared to be an upper leg injury.

After beating Halep, Zhang burst into tears when asked about breaking the drought.

“I think in my life, it’s the best tennis,” she said. “To win

against a top-two player, I’m so happy, so excited.”

Williams lost 6-4, 6-2 to Johanna Konta, her eighth first-round loss at a major.

No. 3 Garbine Muguruza and No. 7 Angelique Kerber advanced along with two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azerenka, who closed play on center court with a 6-0, 6-0 rout of Alison Van Uytvanck.

No. 2-ranked Murray, who opened with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win over Alexander Zverev, answered questions about reports, published by the BBC and Buzzfeed News, that match-fixing had gone

unchecked in tennis.

The ATP and the other governing bodies for tennis have denied the allegations, and no players have been identified in the reports, but Murray said the authorities should have taken a more obvious lead in stamping it out.

“I just think that it should be tennis that does a better job of explaining,” Murray said.

“You have to be proactive with things like this and go and speak to the players rather than them reading about it in the newspapers or listening to it on the TV or the radio.”q

SPORTS A19

Wednesday 20 January 2016

On the Fringe:

Even the world’s best golfers envy parts of others’ game

Fabian Gomez, of Argentina, follows his drive off the 16th tee box during the final round of the Sony Open golf tournament, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Honolulu.

(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer HONOLULU (AP) — Jimmy Walker does not like to talk about another player’s game when they are in the same group except for when “Good shot” is warranted. So he had to hold his tongue last summer while playing with Justin Rose.

“He drove it so good, on a rope. I was like ... wow,” Walker said. “I waited two days and I said, ‘Justin, I don’t give out compliments very often, but I’ve never seen anyone drive the golf ball as good as you did the last two days.’”

Rose appreciated the kind words, but it was his response — “I wish I could putt like you” — that got Walker to thinking.

“We all have something out here that somebody else wants,” Walker said.

“You watch somebody and think, ‘I wish I could do that.’ You admire things about people out here.

And there are people out here that I’m sure admire things about my game.”

A small sampling showed there might be some truth to that.

No one has everything, and if he does, then not for very long. And no one is ever satisfied with any aspect of his game. But do the world’s best at least recognize what they do well, and that someone else might want it?

“They definitely don’t want my short putter,” Adam

Scott said with a laugh.

The long putter is not what made him the first Australian to win a green jacket.

It’s not why he rose to No. 1 in the world a year later.

“I think I’m a good driver of the golf ball,” Scott said.

“Someone must want to take my driver.”

Scott has seen some good golf in his 15 years as a pro. He played a practice round with Tiger Woods before the 2000 U.S. Open that made Scott wonder if he should remain an amateur. He was paired with Ernie Els when the Big Easy shot 60 at Royal Melbourne in 2004, which Scott still considers the greatest round he ever saw.

But when asked if he could have something from another player, he went with Phil Mickelson’s short game.

“There are a few guys that have outstanding areas of their games, but Phil’s short game over all the years I’ve been out here stands out unbelievably,” he said.

Players do pay attention.

Luke Donald and Steve Stricker were in the same group Friday at the Sony Open. Both shot 65.

Donald, a former world No. 1, figured that someone would like to have his short game and bunker play.

What he wants is what he can’t have, much as he has tried. Donald would love to hit the ball 320 yards. He chased distance once in his career and it led to a wrist injury that ulti-

mately kept him out of the 2008 Ryder Cup. Stricker, meanwhile, has long been regarded as one of the best putters in golf, so it would seem obvious what another player would want from him. Think back to Doral in 2013, when Woods sought his help for 45 minutes on the putting green on Wednesday and then won by two shots over Stricker.

Or maybe not.

“I’ll say my wedge game,” Stricker said.

Not putting? He paused.

“Or my putting,” he added with a smile. “I’ve been putting so badly the last year that I haven’t given myself enough credit for it.”

As for what he would want

from someone else, Stricker leaned on fresh memories.

“You know, I was watching Luke Donald today and I was thinking, ‘Man, is he good out of the bunker.’

And he’s a good wedge player,” Stricker said.

Brandt Snedeker also felt that most of his peers wouldn’t mind having his putting. The way he sees it, he hits more putts that have a chance to go in, or he has fewer putts that don’t have a chance. So if he goes a round or two without making many, he’s doesn’t let it bother him because “I know they’re going to eventually go in.”

Here’s what will drive some players crazy — Snedeker really doesn’t practice it all

that much.

“Why would I practice something I’m great at?” he said with a grin. “I practice what I’m terrible at, which is hitting it off the tee and my iron play.”

Kevin Kisner, who always had a good short game and finally figured out how to hit the ball on the club face, was one of the few players who believes he has something that doesn’t involve a club in his hand.

“My head,” he said. “I’ve always been a confident guy. I know when I’m doing the things I can do that I can play with anybody.”

It would seem there is one thing on which everyone can agree: No one has everything.q

20 SPORTS

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Wilner column:

Want the Lombardi Trophy? Pay attention to your lessons

By BARRY WILNER CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Every team in the second round of the NFL playoffs learned some lessons about themselves.

For the four winners, how they apply those lessons will determine if they make the Super Bowl. All four have been to the big game in this century, with the Patriots, of course, leading the way. But even the four-time champions who looked the most solid of the survivors of the second round have some self-searching to do.

They simply have fewer questions to answer, which makes sense when Tom Brady is your quarterback.

“I think we had plenty of plays out there that we left on the field, things that we can definitely do better, and I think we can be sharper next week.” Brady said after the 27-20 win against Kansas City. “So that’s what we’re going to try to be. We’re going to need it.” Both NFC teams will need to find their previously staunch defenses.

Carolina was opportunistic and impenetrable for 30 minutes, almost amateurish for the next 30 in surviving Seattle 31-24.

Arizona was victimized for big plays by receivers few people outside of Green Bay knew in a 26-20 overtime victory.

And Denver must find the end zone rather than settling for field goals against New England after a 23-16 win over Pittsburgh.

Some things the final four — and the rest of the football world — learned over the weekend: NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots couldn’t run the ball against Kansas City, and Denver had the best reg-

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) runs against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

ular-season defense in the NFL. New England was helped greatly by a timid Chiefs defense, but to expect to so easily move the ball against the Broncos could be a major mistake.

Of course, the Patriots discovered that Julian Edelman could step right back in after missing nearly a month with a broken foot.

That’s a significant boost to the offense if Edelman came out of the victory in good shape.

The defending champions also have prospered with several backups being called upon because of injuries. Top linebackers Jerod Mayo and Jamie Collins were hurt on Saturday, so there could be more holes to fill.

DENVER: Peyton Manning came through with yet another winning drive, his 55th in the fourth quarter

or overtime, extending one of the dozen NFL records he owns. Not to be overlooked, though, is it was the only touchdown march for Denver; stalling in the red zone is a formula for failure against the Patriots.

Consistent pressure when Brady drops back to pass, as he will do from the outset next Sunday, also is required. Denver recognizes that, and also found it can provide it with a multi-dimension defense.

In fact, the Broncos’ best chance of getting Manning to another and likely final Super Bowl is the D. That fact was hit home pointedly against Pittsburgh.

“Our confidence is perfect.

We’re good,” cornerback Aqib Talib said. “We’re playing a team who we beat earlier in the year.

We’re at home. We’re healthy. So, let’s get it.”

CAROLINA: The Panthers saw what they lacked even as they were being schooled by the Seahawks: a finishing touch.

Yes, they have the league’s top record at 16-1, but playing half a game or so isn’t going to cut it anymore.

The Panthers seemed to wear down against Seattle, mentally and physically.

An immaturity still exists in Carolina on both sides of the ball.

“We have to find a way to complete a full game of football,” All-Pro quarterback Cam Newton said of his team turning 31-0 at halftime into a 31-24 thriller.” We have been known to take our foot off the throttle and we have to find that killer instinct. Yeah we won the football game, but there are some things we have to go back and fix and do better with.”

ARIZONA: Aaron Rodgers’ second sensational desperation pass in six weeks emphasized how vulnerable the Cardinals’ defense, particularly the secondary, is to big plays. Remember, Rodgers hit Jeff Janis for 60 yards on a fourth-and-20 before the Hail Mary to Janis forced overtime.

Just as worrisome and in need of immediate repair is Carson Palmer’s poor decision making, something that took many by surprise considering the great season he is having. Arizona’s running game is good, but the Cardinals will need to mount a steady passing attack minus those errors in Charlotte.

All of that said, any of these four teams is highly capable of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. Paying attention to the lessons learned will make that goal more reachable.q

SPORTS A21

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Infantino seeks regional World Cup if elected FIFA president ROB HARRIS AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — The World Cup could be spread across entire regions, emulating the continent-wide 2020 European Championship, if Gianni Infantino wins the FIFA presidential election next month.

The UEFA secretary general used his manifesto, which was published on Tuesday, to say FIFA should not limit the tournament to be being held in one or two countries. The 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea was the only time the event has been co-hosted.

Infantino, working alongside Michel Platini at UEFA, spearheaded spreading Euro 2020 across 13 countries.In November, Infantino told The Associated Press of his plan to expand the World Cup to 40 teams.

Allowing several countries to stage matches in about a dozen stadiums would ensure the tournament is not limited to just a few wealthy potential hosts.

“FIFA should investigate the possibility of organizing the World Cup not only in one or two countries but in a whole region, so enabling

several countries to enjoy the honor and benefits,” Infantino’s manifesto says.

The first World Cup bidding after the Feb. 26 election is for the 2026 tournament.

The launch of the contest has been stalled since last year when FIFA was swept up in a global soccer corruption scandal, which led to Sepp Blatter announcing plans to quit before being banned.

Infantino, who is Swiss, is one of five presidential candidates seeking votes from FIFA’s 209 member associations.

In an attempt to entice federations, Infantino is also offering them a greater share of FIFA’s wealth, saying a “proper risk analysis must be conducted” into whether the governing body requires cash reserves as high as $1.5 billion.

Each of FIFA’s members will be offered $5 million to invest in development projects and running costs — a huge increase on the $2.05 million per federation 20112014 — and another $1 million, if required, for travel, which would be attractive to small nations in remote regions.Additionally, each

UEFA secretary general Gianni Infantino arrives at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland. The World Cup could be spread across entire regions, emulating the continent-wide 2020 European Championship, if Gianni Infantino wins next month’s FIFA presidential election. Infantino used his manifesto, which was published Tuesday Jan. 19, 2016 to say FIFA should not limit the tournament to be being held in one or two countries.

(Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)

of the six confederations will be handed $40 million to invest in development projects and their regional offshoots in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Central America can request another $4 million to organize

youth tournaments.

The amounts are all within a four-year cycle.

“If the target of 50 percent of distribution of FIFA’s income is reached, these amounts will further increase significantly,” Infan-

tino said.

Infantino entered the race only after Platini, his boss at UEFA, was initially suspended by FIFA in October before being handed an eight-year ban last month.q

As trial was to start, settlement reached in MLB TV dispute Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Just as a trial was to begin, Major League Baseball and a group of its fans who had sued reached agreement Tuesday to expand the menu of online packages for televised games and lower prices.

The deal came weeks after baseball’s lawyers said for the first time the league was going to let fans buy singleteam online TV packages.

In the past, viewers who didn’t live in their favored teams’ home markets had to buy access to every televised MLB game included in the national plan.

Lawyers for fans who filed the class action lawsuit in 2012 said MLB will offer unbundled Internet packages for the next five years, including single-team packages for $84.99 next season. They said that’s a 23 percent drop from the

cheapest version previously available. The deal also calls for the cost of a league-wide package to drop to $109.99. The agreement provides other options to cable subscribers to regional sports broadcast networks. The league will let a subscriber buy access to a visiting team’s broadcast online. MLB also agreed to provide live local team broadcasts over the Internet for cable subscribers by

the start of the 2017 season.

In most instances, a subscription to a team’s cable outlet is necessary to view games online, though the agreement contemplates eventually enabling some fans to watch games online without traditional cable subscriptions.

“We believe this settlement brings significant change to the sports broadcasting landscape,” said Ned Diver, a plaintiffs’ lawyer. “It is

a big win for baseball fans.”

Major League Baseball confirmed the settlement but said it could not comment further because “the process remains ongoing.”

NBC Sports Regional Networks said in a statement it was pleased with the deal.

The trial had been scheduled to start Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, though officials indicated last week a settlement was likely. q

A22 HEALTH

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Dr. Viana’s 3 Steps to Health – Step 3, Lifestyle Our Biocompatible or “life friendly” protocol has three, easy to understand steps, to guide you back to health. The steps are: 1) GET the poison OUT; 2) BRING IN what the body needs and 3) BALANCE your lifestyle. If you follow these steps in the order outlined above, you most probably will enjoy health.

In Step 1, we explored what the saying; “Cleanliness is close to Godliness” is really talking about. It refers to keeping clean your God given temple, your body. To enjoy good health, you want to identify and eliminate toxics in your body. In Step 2, we discussed how clean water, quality food and dietary supplements are the materials that nourish and build a strong body.

Step 3 is to balance your life with healthy activity. The first activity for health should be rest. Most people believe rest is only the stopping of activity.

This is not so. Have you ever gone to bed later then the body wanted? Exhausted, you lay awake, too tired to sleep. Traditional Chinese medicine knows that to relax, you need resting or “Yin” energy.

A good night’s sleep is a fundamental natural medicine, yet, not everyone enjoys it. Nearly one out of every three people in industrialized countries experience chronic insomnia. Many other’s have some difficulty falling asleep. To help with their sleeping problems, people turn to prescription or over the counter medication.

However, there are

By: Dr. Carlos Viana

health concerns about these medications. Most “sleeping pills,” tranquilizers (Benzodiazepines) can be addictive and have other unwanted side effects.

The sleep provided by sleeping pills is not a normal sleep pattern. In a normal sleep pattern, there are several episodes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It is during REM sleep that the body repairs and rejuvenates. It is also during REM sleep that dreaming takes place.

Many believe dreaming is a method where the brain works through stress and unresolved issues of the day. Because people do not experience adequate REM sleep while on sleeping pills, they will wake up not refreshed turning to coffee and other stimulants get going. A vicious cycle develops where people artificially stimulate the body to wake up and then tranquilize it to sleep.

If sleep help is needed for a short period of time, a natural alternative which does not upset the natural sleep patterns is 5HTP ( 5 Hydroxy tryptophan) , which helps the body produce more serotonin, the body’s natural brain chemical that helps with sleep, mood and stress.

A better choice is to include the next activity necessary for health.

Exercise of some form is essential for everyone.

Some benefits of exercise are: 1. Burns fat 2. Boosts endurance and energy 3. Decreases risk of

osteoporosis

4. Aids digestion and elimination

5. Reduces

risk of heart attack 6. Improves Immune System 7. Lower (bad) cholesterol 8. Helps manage stress My favorite exercises are SCUBA diving, salsa and walking.

Perhaps the cheapest, safest, and easiest exercise is walking briskly for twenty minutes four times a week.

Gradually increase your time to an hour for the maximum benefit.

In warm, seaside places, swimming or playing in the ocean has the added benefits of resistance training along with helping the lungs and brain by breathing fresh, clean air, enjoying the sunshine, a natural antidepressant, sleep regulator, antiviral and source of vitamin D. The salt-water exfoliates dead skin, dries and heals oily, itchy skin, cleanses sinuses, provided natural minerals through the skin and helps detoxify the body. Of course, be sure to protect yourself during the hottest part of the day from sunburn.

If you are not lucky enough to have all these healing benefits in one package, include some type of weight bearing and aerobic exercise several times a week. Even those who are bedridden need to do some kind of movement from a sitting position. Whenever possible, try to get outdoors around plants and away from anything electrical,

walk in a park, work in your garden then take a natural aromatherapy or sea-salt soak in a tub.

Balancing work and relaxation or vacation time is part of a healthy lifestyle. We choose to take frequent short vacations, some with our children and some without.

Children need a break from their parents as we need breaks from our children.

In between vacations, we enjoy working productively.

If you cannot get away, create a “Time Out” regularly by scheduling a massage, your favorite hobby, or an acupuncture treatment that allows the body, mind and spirit to reset and balance.

Balancing spiritual activity and worldly pleasures is also important.

One, at the exclusion of the other is not healthy. We are here to experience all of life. Are you getting the most of life’s pleasures? Do you have the energy to put in a good day’s work and still enjoy your friends and family? If not, perhaps it is time to evaluate your life.

What would you have to change to feel healthy and enjoy life completely?

Get the Point! 20 years of clinical experience has helped us develop this Biocompatible or “life friendly” protocol.

With three, easy to understand steps, we can help guide you to the healthiest possible you. Remember, STEP 1 – CLEANSE, Get the poison out, STEP 2 – NOURISH, Bring in what the body needs and STEP 3 – Balance your LIFESTYLE. Call or write so we can help you with your 3 step

program to health!

CARLOS VIANA, Ph. D. is an Oriental Medical Doctor (O.M.D.) having studied in China; a US Board Cert.

Clinical Nutritionist (C.C.N.), an Addiction Professional (C.Ad.), Chairperson of the Latin American Committee of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), a Rejuvenating Cell Therapist specializing in Age Management, has a weekly radio program, writes and lectures extensively.

For information: VIANA HEALING CENTER, Kibaima 7, St Cruz TEL: 585-1270 Web Site: www.vianaheal.com “Prescriptions from Paradise” - Dr. Viana’s Award Winning BOOK: Prescriptions from Paradise, Introduction to Biocompatible Medicine – Available at local Bookstores, Hotel Gift shops and Boticas. Signed copies at Viana Healing Center, EBooks: Amazon kindle, Nook, Itunes check for Events at: facebook. com/vianahealingcenter.

Join the discussion: www.facebook.com/ prescriptionsformparadise

TECHNOLOGY A23

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Tech Toys:

Review: Under Armour’s fitness gadgets need to shape up

ANICK JESDANUN AP Technology Writer BAY LAKE, Fla. (AP) — You may know Under Armour mostly for its heavily marketed line of athletic sportswear. But the company has bigger ambitions: It’s jumping into the crowded market for wearable gadgets that aim to help both athletes and couch potatoes track their fitness.

Its $400 package, called the UA HealthBox, comes out this Friday. Made in partnership with gadget maker HTC, the HealthBox has a wrist tracker, a heartrate chest strap and a wireless bathroom scale. Other components — including shoes embedded with tracking sensors — are on the way.

That’s a lot of goodies, even for an avid runner like me, who’s accustomed to wearing multiple watches to track workouts. But does it make sense to get all these gadgets from one company? Under Armour isn’t first with any of these, and rival products do many things as well or better.

To find out, I tested Under Armour’s products and apps over more than 300 miles of running, including seven races over the past two weeks at Florida’s Disney World and California’s Disneyland.

FOR EXERCISE On its face, the UA Band is just another wristworn fitness tracker for measuring steps, sleep and heart rate.

And there’s an asterisk, too: The device disables heartrate tracking during runs and spin class. Under Armour wants you to use its UA Heart Rate chest strap instead, as wrist sensors aren’t as reliable.

Although the chest strap is

a pain to wear, there’s an advantage to having those devices working together.

A small light on the Band changes color as your pulse increases with workout intensity.

I aimed for the highest intensity — red — during shorter races, but for full and half marathons, red meant I wasn’t conserving

soft’s Band 2 fitness tracker.

You can recharge halfway in just 15 minutes, which is important if you’re wearing the gadget all night.

As is typical with fitness trackers, the Band automatically detects how long and how well you sleep. It goes further in singling out your last pulse reading before you wake up. That’s

monitor trends, there’s none that clearly connects calorie intake and exercise to weight. Under Armour says it’s working on that, but there’s no firm date.

THE ADD-ONS The three HealthBox devices are sold separately, but because they are designed to work together, Under Ar-

An Under Armour chest strap heart rate monitor is displayed in New York. A $400 package called the UA HealthBox comes out Friday, Jan. 22, just as New Year’s resolutions get going. Made in partnership with gadget maker HTC, the HealthBox has a wrist tracker, a heart-rate chest strap and a wireless bathroom scale.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

enough energy for the final miles. The colored lights help make up for the fact that the Band’s display is hard to read during runs.

Although the Band doesn’t have GPS, it does an adequate job at measuring distance during workouts. It does borrow your phone’s GPS to track route information.

FOR SLEEP The Band’s battery lasts a few days under normal use, which is comparable to Fitbits, but longer than smartwatches and Micro-

your resting heart rate; a high rate could suggest overtraining — or simply that you’re out of shape.

FOR WEIGHT CONTROL The UA Scale syncs weight and body-fat percentage with the company’s UA Record app, so you can track your weight. Because it’s a pain to log every single meal, Record lets you simply rate the day’s meals as light, medium or heavy — though it doesn’t distinguish between calories from vegetables or junk food.

Though charts help you

mour is pushing the $400 package. It’s a reasonable price, even though it might present a hurdle to digitalfitness newcomers.

The company has also partnered with audio maker Harman to make $250 wireless earphones with heart-rate tracking through the ear. It’s not coming until this spring, and Under Armour is still testing whether measurements are good enough to offer similar color tracking on the Band. I would prefer that over a chest strap. (For now, Under Armour has earphones

without the heart rate for $70 less.)

Also coming down the pike are shoes with built-in sensors for tracking runs. Ideally, these might let you ditch your phone and other GPS devices — at least so long as you hit a pace of 10 minutes per mile or faster.

That’s a high threshold for many recreational runners.

As a slowpoke, I got credit for only 14.3 of the 26.2 miles in a marathon. And it broke the marathon into two, possibly because I stopped midway to ride a roller coaster. (Hey, it’s Disney!) That’s one flaw with automated tracking.

Normally, you can just hit pause and resume.

If you have the phone with you, the shoes work with the company’s MapMyRun app to give steadier pace readings, as those based on GPS can be erratic. Under Armour is still working to get that data displayed on the Band.

THE APPS The dashboard of the UA Record app is divided into four quadrants for sleep, calories, workouts and daily steps. A circle in the middle is for your weight — normally hidden so you can take screenshots to boast to your friends. While other fitness apps tend to make you fish around for information, the Record’s quadrant design gives you a nice summary, and you can tap on any to dig deeper.

Even if you don’t own any Under Armour gadgets, the free app will pull in data from Fitbit, Garmin, Jawbone and other accounts.

You still need your device’s app to sync data, though.

And this could lead to double and triple counting your exercise totals.q

A24 BUSINESS

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Morgan Stanley swings to profit in 4Q, beating expectations KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Morgan Stanley swung back to a profit in the fourth quarter as the bank moved on from large legal settlements, its wealth management division improved and investment bank advisory activity picked up. The bank also announced a major reduction in its fixed income and commodities trading business, as the bank continues to move away from riskier businesses.

The New York-based investment bank said Tuesday it

had a profit of $908 million in the three month period ending in December, or 39 cents per share. That’s compared to a loss of $1.6 billion, or $1.37 per share.

Morgan Stanley had $3.1 billion in legal expenses in 2014, when the bank settled with state and federal regulators over its role in the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis.

Removing an adjustment tied to the value of Morgan Stanley’s debt, the bank earned $986 million, or 43 cents per share. Analysts were looking for Morgan

Stanley to earn 33 cents per share, according to FactSet. Morgan Stanley’s institutional securities division, which includes the bank’s trading desk and investment banking businesses, had a mixed quarter due to the difficult trading environment last quarter. While equity sales and trading revenues rose to $1.8 billion from $1.6 billion a year earlier, bond trading and commodities sales and trading fell to $550 million from $599 million in 2014. Morgan Stanley’s investment bank

advisory revenue was $516 million in the quarter compared with $488 million a year earlier.

Morgan Stanley said it will continue to unwind its commodity and fixed income trading businesses, which have been a major drag on the company’s results in recent years. The company plans to cut 25 percent of its workforce and stop trading products that the bank cannot build a team to specialize in. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, in a call with investors, said the restructured business will be

much more focused on the U.S. The company also announced a major expense reduction program, called Project Streamline, designed to simply the legal structure of Morgan Stanley’s business and move large portions of its back office infrastructure to lower cost parts of the world.

The goal is to get Morgan Stanley’s return on equity, the firm’s measure of profitability, to between 9 percent and 11 percent from its current level of 7 percent.q

Bank of America profit grows, but says growth is a struggle KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America reported higher profits on better performance in consumer banking and lower costs, but the bank acknowledged that it is struggling to increase revenue despite an improving U.S. economy.

BofA said Tuesday it earned a profit of $3.01 billion, or 28 cents per share, after payment of dividends to preferred shareholders. That’s an improvement of nearly 10 percent over the $2.74 billion, or 25 cents per share the bank earned during the same period last year.

The results beat expectations. Analysts surveyed by Factset expected earnings of 27 cents per share, on average.

For the year, Bank of America earned $14.41 billion, up from $3.38 billion a year

This photo shows a branch office of Bank of America, in New York. Bank of America reported financial earnings on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

earlier.

BofA CEO Brian Moynihan said in a prepared statement that results for the year, which were the high-

est earnings in a decade for the bank, were the result of “doing more business with each customer and client.”

But in a conference call with investors, the bank’s Chief Financial Officer Paul Donofrio said that growing company revenue

has been difficult. Bank of America is more heavily exposed to low interest rates than other big banks because it depends so heavily on its large retail banking business, and less so on trading.

“Although the U.S. economy is improving slowly, revenue growth remains challenging,” he said.

It’s a problem shared by much of corporate America in recent quarters, and it is a major concern for investors.

For example, revenue at BofA’s consumer banking business, by far its largest business, rose by just 0.4 percent in the quarter to $7.79 billion The division was able to boost profits, though, by 9 percent. It reported net income of $1.8 billion, versus $1.65 billion a year earlier, as deposits and loans grew in the quarter. q

UnitedHealth 4Q profit drops, still tops Street 4Q forecasts TOM MURPHY AP Business Writer UnitedHealth Group closed 2015 with a 19-percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, but the nation’s largest health insurer still topped Wall Street’s expectations thanks in part to growth outside of its core business.

The Minnetonka, Minnesota, company said Tuesday that operating earnings from its Optum segment jumped 50 percent in the quarter and now makes

up nearly 40 percent of the company’s annual total.

Health insurance is UnitedHealth’s main business, but it has been leaning more on its Optum segment for growth, especially as it takes financial hits from coverage it sells on the Affordable Care Act’s public insurance exchanges. Optum runs the company’s pharmacy benefits management business, provides technology services and also operates clinics

and doctor’s offices.

Operating earnings from Optum climbed to $1.5 billion from $1 billion in last year’s quarter, stoked in part by a big acquisition, while operating earnings from the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance segment dropped 44 percent to $949 million, from $1.7 billion.

Overall, UnitedHealth earned $1.22 billion in the final three months of the year, down from $1.51 bil-

lion in the previous year’s quarter. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs, totaled $1.40 per share.

Analysts expected, on average, earnings of $1.37 per share, according to Zacks Investment Research.

Total revenue jumped 30 percent to $43.6 billion, which surpassed analyst expectations for $43.1 billion.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Jennifer Lynch in a research note that better-

than-expected medical costs and good administrative expense control helped the company’s results.

But struggles on the ACA’s insurance exchanges balanced some of the company’s gains.

UnitedHealth booked a $245-million charge in the fourth quarter for advanced recognition of losses it expects this year from coverage it sells on the exchanges.q

BUSINESS A25

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Wall Street inches up in shaky trading, led by utilities MARLEY JAY AP Markets Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks struggled through a turbulent day of trading Tuesday and eked out small gains, led by utility and consumer stocks. The price of crude oil continued to fall, and energy and mining stocks tumbled.

Stocks in Asia and Europe had rallied earlier in the day as investors were satisfied with China’s fourthquarter economic growth.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose as much as 183 points in the first minutes of trading Tuesday.

The gains faded in the afternoon before a late spurt of buying in the last half hour sent indexes mostly higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 27.94 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,016.02. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose one point to 1,881.33. The Nasdaq composite index fell 11.47 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,476.95. Major indexes had plunged Friday, and the Dow and S&P 500 are coming off their worst opening weeks of a year in history.

The Chinese government’s report confirmed that the world’s second-largest economy is slowing, as annual growth hit a 25-year low in 2015. That can affect demand for everything from energy to metals to consumer goods and heavy machinery.

Fears about a slowdown in China, and how abrupt

and painful it might be, has helped knock oil prices to 12-year lows.

Safe-play stocks like utilities and telecommunications companies rose the most.

AT&T added 52 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $34.51 and NextEra Energy gained

Energy stocks continued to fall on concerns about reduced worldwide demand. Chesapeake Energy lost 48 cents, or 13.5 percent, to $3.08. Marathon Oil fell 46 cents, or 5.7 percent, to $7.68.

The price of gold fell $1.60

Ran shares have skidded 41.5 percent in 2016.

Delta Air Lines reported a bigger fourth-quarter profit because of falling fuel prices. Delta said it expects fuel to be even less expensive in the first quarter.

Its shares rose $1.46, or 3.3

Reenactors of the 26th United States Colored Troops, a platoon of New York-based African American Civil War soldiers, visit the floor of the New York Stock Exchange prior to ringing the closing bell, in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. U.S. stocks inched higher Tuesday after sharp sell-offs a week earlier.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

$2.55, or 2.4 percent, to $107.81. Consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble, the maker of Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, gained $1.75, or 2.3 percent, to $76.73.

U.S. crude fell 96 cents, or 3.3 percent, to close at $28.46 a barrel in New York.

Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, rose 21 cents to close at $28.76 a barrel in London.

to $1,089.10 an ounce. Silver rose 22.5 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $14.121 an ounce. Copper gained 3.4 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $1.978 a pound. Gold miner Newmont Mining lost $1.39, or 7.9 percent, to $16.31 and copper producer Freeport-McMoRan gave up 39 cents, or 9 percent, to $3.96. Freeport-McMo-

percent, to $45.96. Health insurer UnitedHealth Group posted stronger-than-expected results in the fourth quarter. Its stock rose $3.31, or 3 percent, to $112.58.

Netflix surged aftermarket as the company’s net income surpassed analyst forecasts and its international subscriber growth was stronger than Netflix

had expected. Netflix’s stock surged 8 percent in extended trading to $116.75.q

A26 COMICS

Wednesday 20 January 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

Wednesday 20 January 2016

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Dr. Aljaf Tel. 582-8337 San Nicolas Dr.Luchmun Tel: 584-0299

EMERGENCIA

911

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100

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527-3140 527-3200 527-2900 584-5000 11141 115 582-1108 527-4000 587-9850 582-1234 523-8833

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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

204343 ____________________________

Divi Phoenix week 37 studio Ocean view room 208 villas 22 weeks remaining $2000 Divi Phoenix week 38 studio Ocean view room 904 tower 35 weeks remaining $3500 Divi Golf & Beach week 11 1 B 2 bath $6500 FSBO Ritchey5652@comcast.net 204323 _________________________ Time Share Resale Paradise Beach Villas One Bedroom wk 2 rm #322 One Bedroom wk 3 rm #324 Pool/Ocean view Price:$8.500 each More Info Call:(297) 630-1307

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118 587-5900 588-0035 587-2300 583-3232

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A28 SCIENCE

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Support leg breaks as SpaceX rocket lands on ocean barge C. WEBER JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — After successfully delivering a U.S.-European oceanmonitoring satellite into orbit, a Space X rocket made a hard landing on a floating barge in the roiling Pacific, breaking a support leg and toppling over.

SpaceX announcers said the first stage of the Falcon 9 was not upright after reaching the 300-by-170 foot landing pad in choppy seas about 200 miles west of San Diego on Sunday.

The rocket launched as planned at 10:42 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Los Angeles, streaking through a cloud-filled sky before eventually sending its second stage and a Jason-3 satellite into orbit.

The failed landing was a setback for the Hawthorne, California, company’s plan to reduce launch costs by reusing rockets rather than having them fall into the ocean. Meteorologists predicted swells of 10- to 13-feet where the barge

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen at Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 East with the Jason-3 spacecraft onboard in California. After successfully delivering an oceanmonitoring satellite into orbit, the Space X rocket made a hard landing on a floating barge in the roiling Pacific, breaking a support leg and toppling over.

(Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

waited for the landing attempt.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Twitter that the rocket’s speed at touchdown was OK, “but a leg lockout didn’t latch, so it tipped over after landing.”

Two previous attempts to land a rocket on a barge in the Atlantic failed, but last month SpaceX succeeded in returning a rocket to a vertical landing at Cape Canaveral, Florida, after putting a cluster of satellites into orbit.

Meanwhile NASA said Jason-3 was “ready for science operations” after it reached orbit and had its solar arrays deployed. The satellite’s mission is to continue an unbroken record of more than two decades of sea level measurements from orbit. As the current El Nino in the eastern Pacific has strengthened, Jason-3 had been stuck on the ground.

Jason-3’s launch was originally scheduled for August 2015 aboard a SpaceX

Falcon 9 rocket. However, the launch was postponed after a different Falcon 9 rocket failed during a supply mission to the International Space Station in June. After correcting the problem, a successful launch last month restored Falcon 9s to flight status.

Like its predecessors, Jason-3 is equipped with radar altimeter to bounce microwave energy off the ocean and a GPS system to identify the satellite’s precise location. Timing of

how long it takes the signal to return indicates sea level height, which rises or falls depending on the temperature of the water.

The data collected can detect the weather-altering El Nino condition and its opposite, La Nina, and are most familiar to the public in images of the Pacific Ocean that use colors to illustrate variations in heat. Other pragmatic uses include measuring global sea level rise, and forecasting the strength of hurricanes, other severe weather and ocean conditions for the shipping industry and in response to oil spills.

“Jason allows us to get the big picture in terms of sealevel change in the years to come,” said Laury Miller, Jason-3 program scientist.

Jason-3 is a project of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. It was built by Thales Alenia of France.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Calls for boycott over diversity throw Oscars into turmoil JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Growing calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards over the lack of diversity among this year’s Oscar nominees are forcing stars to choose sides and threatening to throw the movie industry’s biggest night of the year into turmoil.

The backlash over the second straight year of allwhite acting nominees is also putting heavy pressure on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to diversify its overwhelmingly white male membership.

The furor grew on Tuesday when the Rev. Al Sharpton said he would lead a campaign encouraging people not to watch the Feb. 28 telecast. On Monday, Spike Lee, this year’s Oscar honoree for lifetime achievement, and Jada Pinkett Smith an-

nounced they will boycott the ceremony in protest.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who has led efforts to diversify the academy, responded late Monday evening with a forceful statement saying that those previous measures weren’t enough.

Isaacs, the academy’s first African American president, said that “it’s time for big changes” and that she will review membership recruiting to bring about “much-need diversity” in the academy’s ranks.

At a Los Angeles gala honoring Boone Isaacs on Monday night, actor David Oyelowo — who was famously snubbed last year for his performance as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma” — expressed frustration with the academy.

“This institution doesn’t reflect its president and it doesn’t reflect this room,”

Comedian Chris Rock speaks during an event celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Riverside Church in New York. Rock, who is scheduled to host the Oscars Feb. 28, has unveiled a new promotion for the broadcast, calling the ceremony “The White BET Awards.”

(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Oyelowo said.

“I am an academy member and it doesn’t reflect me and it doesn’t reflect this nation.”

Other stars began weigh-

ing in. George Clooney, in comments to Variety, said that after earlier progress by the industry, “you feel like we’re moving in the wrong direction.” He noted

that movies like “Creed,” ‘’Straight Outta Compton,” ‘’Beasts of No Nation” and “Concussion” may have deserved more attention from the academy.q

A30 PEOPLE

Wednesday 20 January 2016

& ARTS

New darkly comic Web series takes on bulimia, body shame LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — It takes a special kind of filmmaker to make bulimia funny. Jessie Kahnweiler is that person.

Before hooking up with Jill Soloway and her Wifey.

TV for the new Web series, “The Skinny,” the Los Angeles comedian kept busy making shorts that have landed her all over the Internet. But this project, inspired by her more than 10-

year relationship with the eating disorder, is different.

It’s her first series, and it’s taking her to Sundance after she raised about $12,000 on Kickstarter to help pay for it. That’s after chatting up Soloway as a partner and tracking down Illeana Douglas to join her as a producer and the mother to her feminist wannabe YouTube star.

“I’m a broke indie filmmaker ... and I’m an avid TV

addict, and I noticed that there weren’t that many stories that really spoke to the truth of my experience, of what it was really like to have an eating disorder and also be this strong, feminist, crazy, loud, Jewish chick,” the 30-year-old Atlanta native said. “I started shopping it around to Hollywood and everyone was like, eating disorders aren’t sexy and nobody wants to watch that.”

you know, I tend to find a lot of comedy in the hardest, most tragic moments,” she said. “Going back from when I was a little kid, I would really use humor as a way to cope and handle and interact, and make meaning of my life.”

Hence, the Jessie of “The Skinny” bumbles her way through a breakup after collecting her live-in boyfriend from rehab, only to have him move in with her

binge and purge, stealing chocolate laxative, partying, showing a younger Vine star how it’s done on one’s knees, face in a toilet bowl.

A salami Jessie stuffs down her dress in an early episode is pulled out in the bathroom of a party after her better-looking friend catches the attention of a dude. She’s then discovered by said dude, Stuart, played by Ryan Pinkston,

Jessie Kahnweiler, star of the web series “The Skinny,” poses in New York. The Los Angeles comedian has made shorts that have landed her all over the Internet. But her current project, “The Skinny,” was inspired by her more than 10-year relationship with bulimia.

(Scott Gries/Invision/AP)

After friends and family came through on Kickstarter, she shipped off a spec pilot to Soloway, who got her together with Refinery29.com, where the first six 10-minute episodes will debut Jan. 27.

So how does a broke indie filmmaker meet the likes of Soloway?

“I’ve known Jill for a few years. I’m really good at stalking people. You can ask all my ex-boyfriends. So I stalked Jill on Facebook and I sent her a short film that I made,” Kahnweiler said. “Jill really gave me permission to give myself permission. She taught me how to trust my own voice and trust my intuition.”

Clearly, Kahnweiler knows there’s nothing funny about having an eating disorder.

“Having an eating disorder is awful and horrifying ... but for me, my experience as a person, a woman, an artist,

mom. The story is often told through the adventures she has on the streets of Los Angeles making YouTube videos, and through the trips she takes to the bathroom to purge after eating binges.

The first off-the-rails, bingeand-purge cycle has her stuffing cake down her throat from a black plastic garbage bag as she cleans up from an impromptu welcome home party for her boyfriend, Cole, played by Spencer Hill. He walks in on her right after the big flush as she sits euphoric on the tile, rattling on about bad sushi to hide the obvious.

“You’re stillll doing this,” he says.

“No, I have food poisoning,” she responds weakly, head downcast.

Clingy, needy, co-dependent — the Jessie in this comedy is dark. Trigger after trigger has her on the

who becomes her hyperactive manager as she continues to go about her work — getting discovered with her “female branded content.”

Kahnweiler not only stars, she wrote, directed and helps produce. And “The Skinny” comes after a comedic short film she created and stars in based on her experience as a rape victim. In “Meet My Rapist,” she runs into her rapist at a farmer’s market and takes him around, showing him the effect he had on her life.

“For me, comedy is really about authenticity,” Kahnweiler said. “Jill was really helpful in helping me not use ‘The Skinny’ as therapy, so while it’s a really personal story ... it’s not a documentary. It’s not just for people who have an eating disorder, just for women, just for young Jewish girls.q

PEOPLE & ARTS

A31

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Latin-focused comedy from new digital studio Mas Mejor

Actor Fred Armisen attends the 74th Annual Peabody Awards in New York. Armisen and Sanz are on board in a video reprising their “SNL” roles as Cuban toy collectors who provide Spanishlanguage commentary, with English subtitles, on the American toys they exactingly un-package.

(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) — You think the online comedy supply is good enough?

Well, now it’s getting better. At least, that’s the call to arms of Mas Mejor, a new comedy studio for digital content powered

by Latino voices, both wellknown and emerging — and whose name, a joking grammar-twisted idiom, translates into something like “More better.”

Launched by Broadway Video, which produces “Saturday Night Live” and many other shows, Mas

Mejor has assembled a talent lineup of Latino comics, sketch comedians and producers whose videos will be distributed across Mas Mejor’s channels and other social platforms.

Among the talent roster: “SNL” alumni Horatio Sanz and Fred Armisen.

In a recent interview, Armisen (who, half-Venezuelan, is already busy with “Portlandia” and bandleader duties on “Late Night with Seth Meyers”) says he’s psyched about his behind-the-scenes Mas Mejor responsibilities.

“I’m going to be finding talent and comedians in Spanish-speaking countries and in this country, and working with them to create online content,” he says. “I haven’t done enough directing, where I don’t have to jump in front of the camera, as much as I love it.” He’ll be on-camera for some Mas Mejor videos, “but I like the discomfort of NOT jumping in front of the camera.”

“I think it’s really cool that we can show that Latins can make comedy in both English and in Spanish,” says David Lopez, a member of the talent pool with two dozen videos in the works. “Some of them might be very Latin. Some will just be a Latin guy making funny videos.”

A good place to start with Mas Mejor is at its own

website. There you might find a Latin-centric comic video about girls gone wild as tourists overwhelmed in Mexico City, where the motto is: “Live it to believe it — if you can survive it.”

Or a parody commercial for Trumpcestry.com that finds Ronaldo, in a satisfied testimonial, declaring, “I used to think I was Mexican. But then I sent my DNA to Trumpcestry.com and it turns out I’m almost half rapist!”

A universal topic for lampooning: people who like to text while out in public.

“Looking at your cellphone while you’re walking is dangerous for you and for the ones around you,” warns a voiceover. “It’s time to stop.” The answer: a “Seeing Eye Dog for Social Media Junkies” as they focus exclusively on their screen.

Meanwhile, Armisen and Sanz are onboard in a video reprising their “SNL” roles as Cuban toy collectors who provide Spanish-language commentary, with English subtitles, on handling the American toys they exactingly un-package. q

Bette Midler to return to Broadway in ‘Hello, Dolly!’

MARK KENNEDY AP Drama Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a match made in musical theater heaven — Bette Midler will star in a Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!”

Movie and theatrical producer Scott Rudin said Tuesday that the Divine Miss M will take on the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in a revival of the classic musical due to start next year.

“There has not been a new production in 50 years,” Rudin told The Associated Press. “Partly it was the difficulty of who could play Dolly. It had to be someone who could take it to a different level. Bette is the only one who can. Never has there been something more inevitable than her in this role.”

The musical tells the story of matchmaker and schemer Dolly Levi who receives her toughest challenge yet when a rich grump seeks a

suitable wife. It’s a musical version of Thornton Wilder’s play “The Matchmaker.”

Performances on Broadway begin on March 13, 2017, with an official opening night of April 20, 2017.

Rehearsals begin one year from Tuesday.

Midler and Rudin were in conversations about the role for a year. The actress and singer threw herself into researching it, reading and watching all she could, Rudin said. He added that both wanted to explore Dolly’s warmth, desperation and humanity.

The show features a rousing score by Jerry Herman that’s bursting with joy and tunes like “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” ‘’Before the Parade Passes By” and “It Only Takes a Moment.”

The revival will be directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks and have choreography by Tonywinner Warren Carlyle. The creators say the new work

Bette Midler performs at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Midler will star in a revival of “Hello, Dolly!” Producer Scott Rudin said Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, that Midler will take on the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in a revival the classic musical due to start next year.

(John Shearer/Invision/AP)

will pay tribute to Gower Champion, the show’s original director and choreographer.

Midler steps into the role previously performed by

Pearl Bailey, Phillis Diller, Betty Grable, Ethel Merman, Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers and, of course, Carol Channing, who originated it on Broadway in 1964

— it ran for seven years and became the longest playing Broadway musical at the time — and who came back in revivals in 1995-96 and 1978. q