January 22, 2016

On Top Of The News Email:news@arubatoday.com website: www.arubatoday.com Tel:+297 582-7800 Friday, January 22, 2016

Primary Colors

In this Jan. 21, 2016, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gestures while speaking during a rally on the campus of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Clinton has questioned Bernie Sanders’ electability. She’s criticized his plans for health care, foreign policy and Wall Street. And she’s tagged him with flip-flopping on his support for tighter gun control laws. None of it appears to be sticking, a political reality that’s raising concerns among Democrats who fear that a months-long primary campaign could create lasting damage for their party.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Some Democrats Fear Clinton’s Message is Failing LISA LERER KEN THOMAS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has questioned rival Bernie Sanders’ electability.

She’s criticized his plans for health care, foreign policy and Wall Street. And she’s tagged him with flip-flopping on gun control.

None of it appears to be sticking — and that’s raising concerns among Democrats who fear that a months-long primary campaign could create lasting damage for their party.

While most believe Clinton will still capture the nomination, some say she is failing to respond effectively to Sanders, fueling both his primary rise and strengthening

the Republican argument against her. Others say she got too a late of a start going after Sanders and is still not hitting him enough — eroding her lead in states that should be safe.

“They didn’t take him seriously enough because they thought they had a gadfly,” said John Morgan, a Florida attorney and Clinton donor. “The gadfly

wasn’t a gadfly — he was a lightning bug. And people have been following that lightning bug all over America.” Though Sanders has dismissed questions about Clinton’s use of a private email account and server as secretary of state and how she responded to the deadly 2012 Benghazi attacks, some Democrats say she needs a better re-

sponse to his critique of her ties to Wall Street, which they argue reinforces months of Republican attacks on her character.

“The better she does, the more those stories seem to recede in the minds of voters,” said Boston-based Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh.

Continued on Page 4

Massive Blizzard Bears Down on US East Coast

Page 3

A2 UP

Friday 22 January 2016

Davos Watch:

FRONT

British future in EU? French PM warns of exit ‘tragedy’

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a panel session at the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. The overarching theme of the meeting, which takes place from 20 to 23 January, is “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.

(Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

PAN PYLAS Associated Press DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Worries over a British exit from the European Union weighed on participants at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, with France’s prime minister warning that it would be a “tragedy” that could prove an inspiration to populists around the region at a time when many countries are contending with massive numbers of refugees. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he’s in no hurry to hold a referendum on his country’s future in theEU, if a deal on his reform proposals doesn’t emerge at a summit of European leaders in February. But he insisted that his aim is to “secure” Britain’s future in a reformed EU, a stance that he says is the best outcome for both sides. “If there’s a good deal on the table, I will take it,” he told an audience of mainly business leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. “But if there isn’t the right deal, I’m not in a hurry. I can hold my referendum any time up until the end of 2017. And it’s much more important to get this right than to rush it.” One of the major tenets of the manifesto of Cameron’s Conservative Party, which won a governing majority in last May’s general election, was a pledge to hold a referendum on Britain’s future in the EU by the end of 2017 after a renegotiation process.

Britain’s future in the EU is set to be the main discussion point a summit of the EU’s 28 leaders on Feb. 18-19. The thinking until very recently was that an agreement would emerge then, paving the way for a referendum in the summer.

The refugee crisis that has engulfed Europe over the past few months as people leave conflict zones, notably from Syria, has raised worries that a deal may not be achieved in time — for one thing a referendum date will need time to legislate. Many European issues are up in the air at the mo-

ment, including what to do with the Schengen Agreement that allows borderless travel across much of the continent. Cameron laid out his four reform proposals, which he insisted were “not outrageous asks.” He said he wants to “hardwire” competitiveness into the EU’s DNA, make sure non-euro countries like Britain aren’t discriminated by the 19 EU countries that use the euro currency, get Britain out of the idea of an “ever-closer union” and curbs on migration and benefits.Since joining what was then known as the European Economic Community in 1973, Britain’s membership has often been strained. Over the past few years, a groundswell of opinion in the country thinks exiting the EU is the best option, especially at a time when many of its members are getting closer together, notably with the creation of the euro currency. In last May’s election, the U.K. Independence Party, which aims to get Britain out of the EU, won 4 million, or just under 13 percent of the total. Many supporters of Cameron’s Conservatives would likely vote for Brexit too whatever deal emerges. While Britain has been at the forefront of efforts to create the European single market and led a series of foreign policy and development initiatives, there have been growing concerns of late over high levels of immigration particularly from eastern Europe and over the influence of the 19-country eurozone.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said he’s “fairly optimistic” that a deal can emerge in February but that’s he’s “not absolutely sure.” Rutte, often referred to as Cameron’s best friend in the EU leaders club, said Europe needs Britain to remain in the EU as the country is outward-looking and tradeoriented, attributes that the stagnant economic region needs.q

U.S. NEWS A3 US East Coast ready for possible record snow storm Friday 22 January 2016

BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A massive blizzard bore down on the eastern United States on Thursday, a day after an inch of snow fell in the District of Columbia, Maryland and northern Virginia, causing hundreds of accidents and leaving drivers gridlocked for hours.

The preview raised concerns among people scrambling to prepare for up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of heavy wet snow and blizzard conditions across the Mid-Atlantic region. Icy conditions caused accidents that killed two drivers in North Carolina and one in Tennessee. A truck with a snowplow killed a pedestrian while it was snowing in Maryland.

“It’s going to be dangerous out there,” said Tonya Woods, 42, a Metro station manager. She had a much longer-than-usual drive home to suburban Clinton, Maryland, on Wednesday night, and worries that Friday will be much worse. “I say they should shut things down,” she said.

College basketball games, Garth Brooks concerts and other events in the storm’s path were canceled as were district schools. Federal workers were waiting to learn if they’ll be told to stay home on Friday.

States of emergency also were declared in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, where road crews were out in force Thursday. Blizzard watches were in effect along the storm’s path, from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky to the mid-Atlantic states and as far north as New York.

Kentucky’s legislature canceled its Friday session ahead of an expected 14 inches (356 millimeters) of snow. The heaviest snowfall, up to 2 feet was forecast for areas west and southwest of the nation’s capital. Washington itself could see up to 20 inches (51 centimeters), Philadelphia could get 12 to 18, and New York City and Long Island could see up to 10 inches (25 centimeters), said meteorologist Patrick Burke.

“In addition to heavy snow,

we’ll see really strong winds in the metro area, possibly 40 to 50 mph. That’s going to cause a lot of blowing and drifting snow, and it’s also going to reduce visibility to about zero at times” around Washington and Baltimore, National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Hofmann said.

High winds could make it miserable outdoors even where smaller amounts of snow are expected. Forecasters warned of 30 mph (48 kph) winds in Manhattan on Saturday and coastal flooding in New Jersey. Boston, which bore the brunt of massive snowstorms last year, is expected to get just a few inches.

The strongest winds and potentially life-threatening blizzard conditions are expected Friday night through Saturday night, making driving very dangerous along the Interstate 95 corridor. Train service could be disrupted as well, by frozen switches, the loss of third-rail electric power or trees falling on overhead wires.

About 1,000 track workers will be deployed to keep New York City’s subway system moving, and 79 trains will have “scraper shoes” to reduce icing on the rails, the Metropolitan Transit Authority said.

All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms. The airports included vary by carrier, but American Airlines, for example, has canceled most of its Friday and Saturday flights in the eastern U.S., including all 654 flights at its hub in Charlotte, North Carolina. American’s flights should resume on Sunday at the three Washington and Baltimore area airports and New York’s three airports, the company said.

The snow grounded the helicopter that President Barack Obama usually uses to travel from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House, and it took the presidential motorcade about an hour and 14 minutes to travel the 15 miles (24 kilometers).q

Richard Warner, of Newtown, Pa., tries to decide between snowblowers at a Lowe’s home improvement warehouse, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in Langhorne, Pa. The northern mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, is preparing for a weekend snowstorm that is now forecast to reach blizzard conditions.

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

A4 U.S.

NEWS Some Democrats Fear Clinton’s Message is Failing Friday 22 January 2016

Continued from front

“Now, Benghazi seems to be back. Email seems to be back. A number of other things seem to be back.”

Though the tightening nature of the race, particularly in Iowa, hasn’t sparked widespread panic among her supporters quite yet, it’s worrying some donors, as well as Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, who shared her concerns at a meeting with supporters in New York this week, according to people close to the campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

Democratic donors, strategists and pollsters, including some aligned with Clinton,

expressed their concerns in nearly two dozen interviews with The Associated Press. Clinton has long struggled to connect with liberal activists, who have gained influence as the party has shifted left during President Barack Obama’s two terms in office.

“Clinton’s message has always been more effective for a general election audience than the primary activist base,” said strategist Ben LaBolt, a former Obama campaign aide.

Sanders released a gauzy, uplifting ad on Thursday with images of his overflowing rallies over a soundtrack of Simon and Garfunkel’s “America.” The wordless spot contrasts with a recent Clinton ad New Hampshire that’s about her experi-

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speak to a crowd at the Jim Clyburn Fish Fry at the Charleston Visitor Center in Charleston, S.C. None Clinton’s attacks on rival candidate Bernie Sanders appear to be sticking, a political reality that’s raising concerns among Democrats who fear that a months-long primary campaign could create lasting damage for their party.

(AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

ence and plans. In recent days, Sanders has intensified his critique of Clinton with rhetoric that’s edged toward breaking one of his core campaign pledges — no attacks.

“Without naming any names, Goldman Sachs also provides very, very generous speaking fees to some unnamed candidates” he said this week in Iowa, meaning her.

His argument hasn’t gone unnoticed by Republicans.

The Republican National Committee jumped to Sanders’ defense during the last debate, blasting out emails undercutting her.

It’s all a win-win for Republicans, potentially bolstering Sanders, who they see as

the less formidable general election opponent, and reinforcing negative impressions of Clinton.

Clinton’s campaign released a statement accusing Sanders of following Republican cues to go after her (as much as it seems the other way around). The campaign’s communications director, Jen Palmieri, said it’s obvious that Clinton is the candidate Republicans are afraid to face. During Sanders’ rise in the summer, Clinton’s campaign avoided criticizing Sanders out of fear that would alienate his liberal supporters who will be important to the Democratic nominee this fall. That hesitancy has changed in recent weeks.q

US announces its plan for new visa rules for some Europeans ALICIA A. CALDWELL BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration tightened restrictions on European and other travelers who have visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan in the last five years, even as it said the new rules may not apply to those in certain occupations who have traveled for business.

The move quickly angered Republican lawmakers

who accused the administration of circumventing the will of Congress.

The administration said Thursday that people who traveled to those countries as journalists, for work with humanitarian agencies or on behalf of international organizations, regional organizations and provincial or local governments may still be eligible to visit the United States without first obtaining a visa. q

U.S. NEWS A5

Friday 22 January 2016

US program aims to get immigrants into court to track cases AMY TAXIN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — With tens of thousands of Central American immigrants arriving on the U.S.-Mexico border in the last two years, federal authorities are launching a program Thursday to encourage more of them to show up for their hearings in immigration court.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired a contractor to help some immigrant families find transportation, housing and low-cost lawyers, hoping that getting them on stable footing will make them more likely to attend court hearings that determine whether they should be allowed to stay in the country or deported.

When immigrants show up for court, federal authorities can keep track of asylum cases to ensure those who lose return home. Advocates want immigrants to attend the hearings because they believe many of those arriving from El Salvador, Guatemala and

Honduras have a strong shot of winning asylum but must be in court to do so.

Judges routinely issue deportation orders for those who don’t show.

As many as 800 families who pass an initial asylum screening can join the program in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago and Miami starting Thursday.

Caseworkers will help newly arriving immigrants with tasks such as finding transportation to immigration court and enrolling their children in school.

Later, they will help those who lose their bids to stay in the country head home.

The program will cost $11 million a year and reach a tiny sliver of the 54,000 Central American immigrants with children who have arrived on the southwestern border since October 2014. It comes as the Obama administration faces court-imposed limits on the detention of immigrant families and as authorities began arresting those who lost their asylum cases in

GRANT SCHULTE Associated Press LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would end Nebraska’s status as the only state which prohibits meatpackers from owning hogs received a skeptical reception Thursday from lawmakers, including many rural senators who said it would hurt family farms.

Supporters touted the measure as a way to help Nebraska’s hog industry, which has grown slower than in several nearby states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As of last year, Nebraska’s hog production had

matched the national growth rate at 14 percent over a decade, while South Dakota’s increased by 53 percent, Iowa 30 percent, Minnesota 25 percent and Missouri’s 22 percent.

But critics said the bill would give large packers too much leverage over small farms by allowing them to control the entire supply chain.

Contracts offered by packers impose tight controls on how the hogs are raised and place many of the risks onto producers, who are often saddled with debt to build their operations.

“If they lose their contracts, there’s really no place for

Immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala who entered the United States illegally board a bus after they were released from a family detention center in San Antonio.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

raids earlier this month.

Those eligible for the program include pregnant women, nursing mothers and immigrants with mental illness, ICE said.

“We are looking at Central American mothers, predominantly heads of households, because that is what we’re seeing now as the biggest population to be served,” said Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, ICE’s depu-

ty director for enforcement and removal.

Since 2014, immigrant families have been sent to family detention centers or released and told to appear in immigration court.

Nearly 790 deportation orders have been issued for immigrants with children who have arrived since July 2014 and were detained.

More than two-thirds were for those who didn’t show

up for hearings, court statistics show.

Advocates welcomed the new program, hoping immigrants can prove they are fleeing persecution and win the right to stay in the U.S. It faces opposition from those who want the government to quickly screen immigrants on the border and turn away those who don’t qualify for asylum.q

them to go — and they’re out of business,” said Sen. Al Davis, a rancher from Hyannis.

Opponents aimed criticism at Smithfield Foods, a Chinese-owned pork processor that has quietly lobbied for the bill and contributed to at least 20 current state lawmakers, Gov. Pete Ricketts and Attorney General Doug Peterson.

Bold Nebraska, a progressive group, highlighted the donations earlier this week and said the bill would only benefit large corporations at the expense of family farmers.

The bill has divided farm groups. The Nebraska Pork

Producers, the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture have endorsed the legislation; the Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, the Center for Rural Affairs and the Nebraska Farmers Union oppose it.

Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala said he introduced the bill to keep Nebraska’s hog industry competitive with nearby states where it has grown faster. Schilz, a farmer and chairman of the Agriculture Committee, said the 1998 ownership ban only applies to instate meatpackers. He said some companies might opt to move to neighboring

Kansas or Iowa.

Sen. Kate Sullivan, the president of a family farm corporation in Cedar Rapids, said the bill would eventually turn producers into “serfs” who work for large meatpackers.

“It’s not about what other states are doing,” Sullivan said. “It’s about our state, our culture, our producers.”

Sen. David Schnoor, a farmer from Scribner, said the bill could open the door to a similar push by packers in the cattle industry.

Packers “do not care whether you survive or not,” Schnoor said. “This bill is for big industry. This bill is not for the farmer.”q

Nebraska bill to allow packer-owned hogs faces resistance

A6 U.S.

Friday 22 January 2016

NEWS

Police: Man forced girlfriend to walk naked on NYC street COLLEEN LONG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A man beat his girlfriend for sending texts to other men and then forced her to walk down a Manhattan street naked while he made a video recording of the humiliating episode that was later posted online, police said.

It shows the 22-year-old woman with long dark hair walking slowly in the winter

cold in a short white bath towel and dark shoes, as a man yells insults behind her in Spanish, and eventually yanks the towel away.

“Take off your towel and pay the price for the shame,” a male voice says in a mix of Spanish and English. The man taking the video complains that he wanted to “start a family” with her but meanwhile she was “talking to seven other men.”

As the man taunts the woman, he warns her he is going to post the video online.

Jason Melo was being held ahead of his arraignment after his arrest on charges of assault, coercion and acting in a manner injurious to a child after the video wound up online earlier this week.

News media re-ran it on several websites with the woman’s body and face

obscured.

The video prompted New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray to remind victims of abuse there are “many resources available” to women.

“The video displayed verbal abuse, forced humiliation, and harassment by the alleged offender, directed at his wife,” she said in a statement. “Posting that video online perpetuated the

abuse, which New York City does not tolerate.”

Though determined to speak out against the treatment depicted in the video, aides to McCray said they were worried that bringing further attention to it could lead to more people — and media organizations — sharing it online.

They say that’s why they made the decision not to link to the video or describe it explicitly.q

Judge tosses Pennsylvania woman’s defamation suit vs. Cosby

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby arrives for a court appearance in Elkins Park, Pa. A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Pittsburgh-area woman who claims Bill Cosby defamed her when he and his representatives responded to allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted her and other women.

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

JOE MANDAK Associated Press PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Pittsburgh-area woman who claims Bill Cosby defamed her when he and his representatives responded to allegations that he

drugged and sexually assaulted her and other women.

The October lawsuit filed

by Renita Hill, 48, was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she cannot try to amend and re-file it.

Hill went public with her allegations in November

2014 in an interview on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV in which she said she was “emboldened” by other women who had made similar accusations against Cosby.

Her lawsuit said she was made out to be a “liar” and “extortionist” when the comedian, his wife and his

attorney issued blanket denials.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab agreed with Cosby’s attorneys that the statements were opinions protected by the First Amendment.

“Even considering these three statements together as a combined, single statement, this newly ‘conjoined’ statement does not lead to an inference that plaintiff is a ‘liar and an extortionist,’” the judge wrote.

Cosby’s attorneys referred questions to a spokeswoman who didn’t immediately comment on the ruling.

Hill’s attorney, George Kontos, promised to appeal saying he strongly disagreed with the judge’s reasoning.

“The basis of his opinion is these are constitutionally protected, ‘pure’ opinions,” Kontos said. “But, looked at as a whole, they contain all sorts of innuendo and undisclosed facts.”

Cosby has yet to respond specifically to Hill’s allegations that he drugged and molested her several times

after they met on the TV show, “Picture Pages,” in 1983. Hill claims that went on for about four years, starting when she was 16, and that Cosby helped pay for her college and would fly her to cities where he was performing, until she cut off contact with him about four years later.

Seven women are suing Cosby in federal court in Massachusetts for defamation. Like Hill, those women contend Cosby defamed them by allowing his representatives to brand them as liars.

In December, Cosby countersued, saying the women made “malicious, opportunistic, and false and defamatory accusations” against him for monetary gain.

Since then, Cosby has been criminally charged in suburban Philadelphia with sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 after giving her drugs that made her drowsy and unable to resist. A judge has set a Feb. 2 hearing on a motion by Cosby’s attorneys to have those charges dismissed. q

Former fugitive pastor in Vegas child sex case found guilty

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Las Vegas area church pastor who became an international fugitive on accusations that he sexually assaulted girls as young as 7 in his congregation has been found guilty.

A Clark County District Court jury on Thursday found Otis Holland, 59, guilty of 17 felony charges, including child sexual assault, lewdness, conspiracy

to destroy evidence and bribing a witness. He faces life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 16.

The long-delayed trial started early January, but Holland has been in jail since his arrest in January 2012 in Tijuana, Mexico. A prosecutor said he had fled the country following his initial arrest in December 2010.

Known to his United Faith

Church congregation in Henderson as “Reverend Otis,” he was also featured before his arrest on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”

Prosecutors said Holland focused on sex as a path to spirituality. He taught from the pulpit that most women have burning desires blocked by sexual hangups that he could teach them to get past, if given

the chance.

Multiple women have testified that they had sex or sexual contact with the former pastor when they were teens. They said they didn’t talk at the time about the abuse with their parents, who had sent them to Holland for counseling against misbehavior like skipping school or smoking cigarettes.

One woman said she was

14 when Holland first took her after Sunday church services to a limousine fitted with a back seat that reclined into a bed and used a sex toy on her and told her he wanted to show her something that would relieve tension and frustration. Another said she started having sex with Holland when she was 15 and that he took her to get monthly birth control injections.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Friday 22 January 2016

US Financial Front:

Falling oil prices could lead consumers to spend more later

C. S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Sinking oil prices have cratered the stock market. But a silver lining could appear eventually.

Cheaper gasoline and heating oil are giving consumers worldwide more money that they can use to step up spending later — and perhaps energize economies in the United States, Europe and much of Asia.

The question is, will they — and when?

“It’s definitely a plus for consumers,” Sara Johnson, an economist at forecasting firm IHS Global Insight, said of the deep savings being accumulated from sharply lower energy prices. “We should see a pickup in spending in the first quarter.”

The price of oil reached a 12-year low of $28.15 a barrel by the end of trading Wednesday before poking above $29 on Thursday. As recently as June, the price was about $60.

Retail gasoline prices have sunk to a national average of $1.86 a gallon, the lowest since 2009, according to AAA. The timing and size of the economic benefit that many analysts expect to result from cheaper oil and gas isn’t clear. Oil prices began falling in mid-2014 but have so far failed to deliver the kind of boost to U.S. growth that economists had expected. One factor is that widespread layoffs and spending cuts by oil drillers have offset some of the boost from steady consumer spending.

And many Americans have saved, rather than spent, the money left over after filling up. That has depressed growth because consumer

spending drives about 70 percent of the U.S. economy. At some point, though, continued savings from cheaper energy could fuel more robust investment and spending.

“It’s a question of, do they spend it now, or do they spend it later?” said Scott

and remain healthy.

Another factor is the longterm nature of the price decline. Oil and gas prices have fallen for about 18 months. Eventually, Johnson said, the persistence of the price declines will likely assure consumers that cheaper gas is here to

“The country has really benefited from the lower oil price,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “People have a sort of sigh of relief.”

“At the same time, the government also started losing

Cornelio Bonilla pumps gas at Best Food Mart gas station in Gainesville Ga. Sinking oil prices have cratered the stock market, but a silver lining may soon appear. Cheaper gasoline and heating oil will give consumers worldwide more money to spend, or save and spend later, and possibly boost economic growth in the U.S., Europe and much of Asia.

(AP Photo/Kevin Liles)

Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics at Moody’s Analytics.

Since the start of the year, global stock prices have plummeted. Many stock investors fear that cheaper oil reflects a worldwide economic slump that has sapped demand, particularly in emerging markets like China and Brazil.

But most economists say that a huge increase in the supply of oil, rather than a falloff in demand, is the main culprit for tumbling energy prices. That makes it more likely, they say, that developed economies will benefit from energy savings

stay and encourage more spending.

Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclay’s, forecasts that consumer spending will grow at a 3 percent annual rate in the first half of this year, lifting growth back to a decent 2 percent to 2.5 percent range. In the final three months of 2015, most analysts think U.S. growth slowed to an annual rate below 1 percent.

Lower oil prices should also bolster Europe’s fragile recovery, according to economists at Citi. And many Asian countries are also optimistic about the long-term impact

money — revenue that had come from the import of oil,” he added.

“The drop in oil prices is good news for Korean consumers,” said Choi KyungHwan, South Korea’s former deputy prime minister.

Yet Choi, too, noted, in remarks at Davos, that falling oil prices reflect sluggish growth in emerging markets, which could hurt South Korea’s exports.

“A fall in oil prices is not just a blessing,” he said.

The outlook is also complicated in the United States.

Energy drilling companies, which scaled back their operations in 2015, will likely

have to cut back further this year. Last year, the U.S. mining sector, which includes oil and gas, shed 130,000 jobs even as overall hiring grew at a healthy clip.

Houston-based Southwestern Energy said Thursday that it would slash 1,100 jobs from a staff of about 2,780.

And Regions Bank, based in Birmingham, Alabama, said it would cut 260 jobs in the first three months of this year. The bank recently wrote off a large chunk of its loans to energy companies.

Last year, those layoffs and sharp reductions in spending by drilling companies partly offset the benefit to consumers of lower prices. And consumers saved more, perhaps reflecting lingering caution in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Americans saved 5.5 percent of their incomes in November, up nearly a full percentage point from a year earlier.

Overall, consumer spending likely rose just 2.6 percent last year, according to Jesse Edgerton, an economist at JPMorgan. That’s below the 3.6 percent increase he expected. Still, spending might have been ever lower without cheaper gas, he notes.

For now, there are already some signs of cheaper oil’s benefits.

Delta Air Lines told investors this week that bookings for this spring are ahead of last year’s pace because cheaper gasoline means consumers have more money.

And other airlines, including United Continental and Southwest Airlines, have reported big profit increases, thanks to savings from cheaper fuel.q

A8

Friday 22 January 2016

WORLD NEWS

US, coalition looks to boost propaganda war on IS

LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press PARIS (AP) — U.S. and coalition forces are battling Islamic State militants in the skies and on the ground across Iraq and Syria, but the allies are increasingly also targeting the airwaves, where they now are losing the propaganda war.

In Paris this week, Defense Secretary Ash Carter made clear the coalition must get better at projecting its own messages and touting its successes. He has spent much of his time giving speeches lately at doing just that — painting an increasingly rosy picture of victories in Iraq and Syria and describing a constrained Islamic State that is losing momentum.

The multipronged effort includes not only talking up military victories in Iraq and Syria, but also countering jihadi messaging that can recruit or inspire followers around the world to join the group or launch their own solo attacks in western nations.

So far, efforts by the U.S. and others to combat that propaganda campaign have been slow to form, with officials acknowledging that they are losing the communications war.

Speaking Thursday at École Militaire, a military war college in Paris, Carter said IS uses the Internet “to give encouragement or even instruction to people who have already been radicalized, or radicalizing some of these poor lost souls who sit in front of a screen and fantasize about a life as a

jihadi.”

And a senior defense official said that Islamic State “fanboys” are able to amplify the militant group’s message, spreading it fast-

to take back key IS power centers in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. Raqqa is the Islamic State’s de facto capital.

“We’re having some suc-

convey its anti-IS message.

One option could be to assign someone from the Defense Department to be at the center, but the official said it was not clear if that

U.S Defense Secretary Ashton Carter delivers a speech during a conference in Paris, Thursday, Jan 21, 2016. Carter said Wednesday that defense ministers from France and five other nations have agreed to intensify the campaign against Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and that the coalition will work together to fill the military requirements as the fight unfolds over the coming months.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

er and more broadly than their number might suggest.

In recent weeks, Carter and his military leaders have been more outspoken and upbeat in their assessment of the battles against the Islamic State, particularly in Iraq. Last month, Iraqi forces buttressed by coalition airstrikes and bridging equipment were able to take back the city of Ramadi. And officials are now talking about a new campaign plan that maps out the fight in coming months

cess, we’re going to have more in the future, I would like to have even more, but democracies are slow, and they only tell the truth,” said Carter. “And in a messagedriven Internet world, that puts you at a structural disadvantage compared to people who are nimble, agile, and lie. But we ought to try to do better.”

The senior defense official also said the U.S. is considering what it might contribute for a new strategic communications center the British are setting up to

would be a civilian or a military service member. The defense official said the five other mainly European coalition countries that Carter met with this week also support the effort.

The official was not authorized to talk about the discussions publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Responding to a question at the war college, Carter said that it will also be important to have other moderate religious leaders speaking out against the IS message.q

US urges Afghanistan, Pakistan on peace process

MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The United States on Thursday urged the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to support a credible peace process with the Afghan Taliban.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made the case to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the World Economic Fo-

rum in Davos. The White House said Biden and Kerry reaffirmed U.S. support for improved ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, offered condolences to both for recent terrorist attacks in their countries and called on them to stay committed to a negotiated end to the Afghan civil war.

Biden “reaffirmed U.S. support for reconciliation and improved bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan and called them important pillars of regional

stability (and) encouraged both leaders to remain committed to a credible peace process reinforced by tangible steps to reduce violence, eliminate militant safe havens, and promote bilateral cooperation,” the White House said in a statement. In a joint statement, the four nations said Monday their talks “made progress on a roadmap toward initiating peace talks with Taliban groups.” The statement said they hope to bring the two sides to-

gether for talks “aimed at reduction of violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region.” They called on all Taliban groups to enter into early peace talks and agreed to meet again in Islamabad on Feb. 6.

The war shows no sign of abating, with the Taliban challenging Afghan forces on a number of fronts since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of last year.q

AP: Top suspect in Iraq abductions of Americans named SUSANNAH GEORGE Associated Press BAGHDAD (AP) — Two powerful Shiite militias are top suspects in the abduction of three Americans last weekend in a southern neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, an Iraqi police commander and a Western security official in Baghdad said Thursday.

The Americans were abducted in Dora, a mixed neighborhood that is home to both Shiites and Sunnis, on Saturday. It was the latest in a series of brazen high-profile kidnappings undermining confidence in the Iraqi government’s ability to control state-sanctioned Shiite militias, which have grown in strength as Iraqi security forces battle the Islamic State group.

Two Shiite militias — Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya alSalam — were likely behind the attack, the Iraqi and Western official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

“Nobody can do anything in that neighborhood without the approval of those militias,” the police commander said. The Western security official confirmed that Iraqi and U.S. intelligence assessments had narrowed down the suspects to those the two groups. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

One of the militias named as a suspect is backed

by Iran, a key ally of Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder alAbadi’s government.

Al-Abadi said on Thursday that he doubts that there is an Iranian link to the kidnapping, adding “we don’t know if they have been kidnapped... they just went missing.”

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that several Americans are missing and said they are working with Iraqi authorities to locate them.

Speaking at Davos, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that he was working with Iraq on the issue.q

WORLD NEWS 9

Friday 22 January 2016

UK judge: Putin ‘probably approved’ killing of ex-KGB agent JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Almost a decade after former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko lay dying in a London hospital bed, a British judge has concluded who poisoned him: two Russian men, acting at the behest of Russia’s security services, probably with approval from President Vladimir Putin.

That finding prompted sharp exchanges Thursday between London and Moscow, and a diplomatic dilemma for both countries. With Russia and the West inching closer together after years of strain, neither side wants a new feud — even over a statesanctioned murder on British soil.

Judge Robert Owen, who led the public inquiry into the killing, said he was certain that two Russians with links to the security services had given Litvinenko green tea containing a fatal dose of radioactive polonium-210 during a meeting at a London hotel. He said there was a “strong probability” that Russia’s FSB, the successor to the Soviet Union’s KGB spy agency, directed the killing and that the operation was “probably approved”

by Putin, then as now the president of Russia.

Before he died, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his killing, but Owen’s report is the first public official statement linking the Russian president to the crime, and it sent a chilling jolt through U.K.-Russia relations.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said the evidence in the report of “state-sponsored” killing

was “absolutely appalling.” Britain summoned the Russian ambassador for a dressing-down and imposed an asset freeze on the two main suspects: Andrei Lugovoi, now a Russian lawmaker, and Dmitry Kovtun.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the involvement of the Russian state was “a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of international law and of civilized behavior.”

Moscow has always strongly denied being involved in Litvinenko’s death and accused Britain of conducting a secretive and politically motivated inquiry.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the “quasi-investigation” would “further poison the atmosphere of our bilateral relations.” He said the report “cannot be accepted by us as a verdict.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zhakarova said the British inquiry was neither public nor transparent, saying it had turned into a “shadow puppet theater.”

“There was one goal from the beginning: slander Russia and slander its officials,” she told reporters in Mos-

cow.

Litvinenko fled to Britain in 2000 and became a critic of Russia’s security services and of Putin, whom he ac-

secrets to Western intelligence services, and — the judge said — was widely regarded within the FSB as a traitor.

port.

The judge said the case for Russian state involvement was circumstantial but strong. Owen said Litvinen-

Marina Litvinenko, widow of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, centre, with her solicitor Elena Tsirlina, leaves Matrix Chambers on Gray’s Inn following a press conference and media interviews in London, Thursday Jan. 21, 2016. President Vladimir Putin probably approved a plan

by Russia’s FSB security service to kill former agent Alexander Litvinenko, a British judge said Thursday.

(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

cused of links to organized crime and other alleged transgressions including pedophilia, Owen said in the report. He was a very vocal annoyance, feeding inside information about Russia’s

“There were powerful motives for organizations and individuals within the Russian state to take action against Mr. Litvinenko, including killing him,” Owen wrote in the 326-page re-

ko had “personally targeted President Putin himself with highly personal public criticism,” allied himself with Putin’s opponents and was believed to be working for British intelligence.q

Colombia frees group of rebels to bolster talks CESAR GARCIA Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia released a group of imprisoned rebels late Wednesday, marking another milestone in a peace process that could end Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict.

President Juan Manuel Santos said late last year that

he would pardon a group of 30 rank-and-file members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia as a unilateral confidencebuilding gesture.

The pardons were slow to arrive, generating some friction with the rebel group.

On Wednesday night, nongovernment organizations working with the rebels and a government official con-

firmed that a contingent of those prisoners had been released. It was not immediately clear how many of the 30 had left government custody.

The fighters had been convicted of non-violent crimes including rebellion, illegal possession of weapons and false use of army uniforms.

Several were weeks away from completing their sen-

tences.

Four of the newly-freed men and women are expected to travel to Cuba in the coming days to participate in formal peace talks there.

The rebels have been in talks with the government for three years, working toward a ceasefire that would end a half century of drug-fueled fighting.q

A10 WORLD

Friday 22 January 2016

NEWS

Kerry says Syria peace talks may be delayed by a day or 2 MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Next week’s planned start of Syria peace talks may be delayed by “a day or two” for logistical reasons, but the process will begin roughly on time, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.

Kerry said any delay in the U.N.-led negotiations would be due to sending out invitations to participants.

Kerry met earlier with the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who is to convene the talks between the Syrian government and the opposition on Monday in Geneva.

“When you say a delay, it may be a day or two for invitations but there is not going to be a fundamental delay,” Kerry told reporters as he sat down to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum.

“The process will begin on the 25th and they will get together and see where we are.”

Kerry met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Zurich on Wednesday in a bid to overcome differenc-

es over which Syrian opposition groups would be eligible to attend the talks.

It was not clear whether progress was made in re-

agreed that the Syria talks should not be postponed until next month. But both sides said there was still work to do on determining

is envisioned to take effect once the negotiations begin.

The negotiations are the first step in a U.N.-endorsed

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Syria, in Zurich, Switzerland, before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos. Kerry’s trip is expected to last nine days and to encompass stops in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Cambodia, and China.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

solving the issue, which has threatened to delay the talks.

After that meeting, Lavrov said the U.S. and Russia

which opposition groups are deemed terrorist organizations and therefore ineligible for the peace talks and a cease-fire that

18-month political transition plan for Syria aimed at ending the nearly five-year civil war.

Russia and Iran, countries

Iran’s president seeks more free and fair election NASSER KARIMI Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s president lobbied on Thursday for more free and fair elections in Iran, saying moderate and reformist political factions should also be allowed to run in next month’s parliamentary elections.

Hassan Rouhani’s speech, which was broadcast on state TV, was a stab at Iran’s constitutional watchdog, which has disqualified large numbers of moderates and reformists from

running in the Feb. 26 vote.

Rouhani said that “the Parliament is the house of the people, not a particular faction.”

Rouhani, who took office on a pledge to bring about reforms, said elections are pointless if there are “no competitors” and that the upcoming balloting will be “the most important job ahead” that will reflect on his administration.

He said that while religious and other minorities — such as Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians whose combined

population in Iran numbers less than 500,000 — have four members in parliament in total, larger groups should also be represented.

“What about a faction that has up to 10 million supporters,” Rouhani asked in a reference to estimated number of supporters to moderates and reformists.

“We hope all factions will be able to send their representatives to the parliament,” he added.

Rouhani spoke a day after Iran’s reformist political factions called on the constitu-

tional watchdog to reverse its decision to disqualify the in large numbers. From over 12,000 hopefuls who had applied to run, around 4,700 have been approved by the Guardian Council that vets candidates.

While some hard-liners and conservatives have also been barred, reformists have been most affected.

Many were disqualified because they were not seen to be sufficiently loyal to the ruling system, as defined by hard-line council members.q

which back Syrian President Bashar Assad, have immense differences with Saudi Arabia, other Arab states, the United States and Europe over which opposition groups should be considered terrorists.

One dispute is over the groups Ahrar-as-Sham and Jaish al-Islam. Russia and Syria consider terrorists; Saudi Arabia, the United States and others view as legitimate opposition groups.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that only three groups are now on the terrorist list: the Islamic State group, al-Qaida-affiliate alNusra and al-Qaida itself.

Those groups had been identified as terrorist organizations from the start of the international process to get the peace talks started, meaning consensus on any others remains elusive.

Kerry is due to visit Saudi Arabia this weekend to pursue the matter.

At their meeting, Kerry and Netanyahu tried to play down tensions that have flared between the United States and Israel recently over the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and U.S. criticism of Israeli policy in the West Bank.

Netanyahu’s office responded angrily to criticism of Israeli settlements raised on Monday in a speech by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, saying it was “unacceptable and untrue” as well as inappropriate at a time of heightened violence with the Palestinians.

Shortly after the meeting, Kerry tweeted that he had “stressed importance of strengthening” Israel’s security and the Palestinian economy and had condemned recent Israeli-Palestinian violence.q

WORLD NEWS A11

Friday 22 January 2016

Unrest for 2nd day: 7,000 hold anti-govt protest in Moldova CORNELIU RUSNAC Associated Press CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Thousands of people held an anti-government protest Thursday in the Moldovan capital, a day after the legislature approved a new pro-European government. Protesters gathered outside government offices and Parliament in Chisinau to protest Prime Minister Pavel Filip, the former technology minister and excandy factory manager, who presented his Cabinet of politicians and specialists to President Nicolae Timofti late Wednesday.

It was the second straight day of protests. Scuffles broke out Wednesday between police and the protesters who stormed the Parliament, injuring 15 people, including nine police officers. On Thursday, protesters blocked a main artery in the capital as they staged a peaceful protest.

Demonstrators shouted “Down with the government! We are the people!” and “Early elections!”

Interior Minister Alexander

Jizdan said Thursday that protesters had broken or destroyed tables, chairs, a metal detector, a computer, banisters and other objects when they stormed Parliament on Wednesday.

Moldova has been mired in political instability since 2014. Last year, Moldova had five prime ministers and there were weeks of protests about $1.5 billion that went missing from three banks prior to the country’s November 2014 parliamentary election.

Many Moldovans are fed up with what they see as a corrupt ruling class and a drop in living standards in the impoverished Eastern European nation of about 4 million, where the average monthly salary is just 220 euros ($240). Some Moldovans prefer pro-Russian parties as an alternative to the current government, which has been in power since 2009. Other protesters criticize the government, which has EU membership as a goal, as having failed to carry out reforms and tackle corruption.q

Italian church groups to open a refugee ‘humanitarian corridor’ NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — An Italian ecumenical mission is in Lebanon this week to work out the final details of a pilot project to bring up to 1,000 refugees to Italy on humanitarian visas so they’re not tempted to risk deadly sea crossings to get to Europe.

The U.N. refugee agency has welcomed the initiative, one of many types of private sponsorships that are enabling particularly vulnerable or needy refugees to reach safety and start new lives in third countries.

In this case, the Federation

of Protestant Churches in Italy and the Rome-based Catholic Sant’Egidio Community teamed up to ask the Italian government to grant 1,000 humanitarian visas for refugees in camps in Lebanon, Morocco and Ethiopia.

The aim is to airlift an initial group of about 100 of the most vulnerable refugees —most of them Syrians who are sick, disabled or elderly, or women alone with young children — from a Lebanese camp by the end of the month or early February, said Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Sant’Egidio Community.q

Riot police officers stand in line in front of protesters, some wanting closer links to Russia, others demanding a crackdown on corruption, outside the parliament in Chisinau, Moldova, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Moldova’s new pro-European government has been sworn in, after protesters stormed Parliament and scuffled with police following a vote that ended a standoff between the president and the legislature.

(AP Photo/Roveliu Buga)

A12 WORLD

Friday 22 January 2016

NEWS

Hong Kong bourse boss not fan of China’s market intervention KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — The head of Hong Kong’s stock exchange said Thursday that he wasn’t a fan of recent moves by Beijing to prop up sagging share prices but it won’t stop the exchange from expanding ties with mainland Chinese counterparts.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing CEO Charles Li said that Beijing would

probably intervene again in the markets but hoped officials would do a better job.

The emergency measures were aimed at stemming a painful decline on China’s stock markets that also contributed to a global slump in shares. The measures included curbs on stock sales by major shareholders and a botched “circuit breaker” mechanism on the Shanghai mar-

ket intended to prevent big share price swings but which traders said added to turmoil. They failed to stop the rout, with the Shanghai Composite down about 19 percent since the start of the year.

“What do you think of the Chinese obnoxious intervention policy? That’s what you’re asking,” Li said in a reply to a reporter’s questions. “I don’t like it. I don’t think you like it. I don’t think

anybody likes it. I don’t think they even like it but that’s what they did. That’s what they think they have to do, they probably will do it again.”

The comments highlight how the Chinese government’s clumsy meddling in markets has eroded confidence in its ability to steer the country through economic and financial reforms.

Li was speaking at a me-

dia event to outline the bourse’s strategy over the next three years, which is focused on expanding direct trading links with mainland Chinese equity, commodity and bond markets.

In late 2014, the ShanghaiHong Kong Stock Connect trading link was launched giving international investors wider access to China’s main stock market, which had been largely closed off to outsiders.q

ECB holds out chance of more stimulus at March meeting

President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos, left, and President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, shake hands as they meet in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank head Mario Draghi let rattled investors know that the bank is poised to take action as soon as its next meeting in March if plunging oil prices and market

turmoil threaten the economy.

At a news conference Thursday, Draghi underlined his willingness to expand existing stimulus efforts, saying several times that there was “no limit” to measures it might take.

As expected, the 25-mem-

ber ECB governing council left its key interest rates untouched Thursday and didn’t ramp up its existing 1.5 trillion-euro ($1.63 trillion) monetary stimulus program.

At its March 10 meeting, however, the bank that sets monetary policy for the 19

nations that use the shared euro currency will have a new set of staff estimates about the future course of inflation.

That could be fodder for a possible shift to do more to push up inflation in the eurozone, which is now considered way too low at 0.2 percent annually. Oil has fallen from around $45 per barrel since the bank’s Dec. 3 meeting to around $28 per barrel.

Draghi indicated the drastic recent fall in oil prices has increased risks that inflation will stay too low.

The bank’s goal is just under 2 percent, a level considered healthiest for the economy.

“It will therefore be necessary to review and possibly reconsider our monetary policy stance at our next meeting in early March,” he told reporters in Frankfurt, Germany.

“What was expected to be a dull first meeting of the year turned out to be an exciting ECB meeting, with

ECB president Mario Draghi opening the door widely for new ECB action in March,” wrote analyst Carsten Brzeski at ING-DiBa. “While today’s ECB meeting will again feed bold speculations about what could happen in March, the question remains whether Draghi will really be able to deliver on his promise.”

The bank made a similar statement in October before increasing stimulus on Dec. 3. The increase, however, was less than markets had expected, and shares sagged in its wake.

Draghi issued a mild caution against exaggerated expectations this next time.

He said he “abstained from blaming markets as such,” adding, “and why is that so? Because communication is a two-way affair. So it’s very hard to put the blame of some disappointment on one side only.”

He didn’t offer hints about the exact tools he bank might choose. q

Russian ruble keeps on falling, hits new record low JAMES ELLINGWORTH Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian ruble hit another historic low against the dollar Thursday as currencies slid across the former Soviet Union against the backdrop of low oil prices.

The ruble traded above 85 to the dollar for the first time in Moscow early Thursday afternoon, a fall of more than three percent, which beat the previous low of 82.4 to the dollar set in trad-

ing Wednesday evening.

It later recovered slightly to trade around 83.85 on Thursday evening.

Thursday’s slip means the ruble is at its lowest level since the currency was redenominated in 1998, during Russia’s worst postSoviet economic crisis.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted, however, that the situation was not critical.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘collapse.’ The rate is re-

ally changing, the rate is volatile, but it’s far from a collapse,” he said Thursday in comments reported

by Russian news agencies.

Putin had no plans for any emergency meetings, he added.

The steep decline in oil prices — which are trading at 12-year lows — has been a severe blow to Russia’s oildependent economy. The ruble’s new lows this week follow the lifting of international sanctions against

Iran, which increases the supply of oil on global markets.

The IMF predicted Tuesday that Russia’s economy will contract 1 percent in 2016 following a fall of 3.7 percent last year, before returning to 1 percent growth next year. The ruble has lost more than half its value against the dollar in the last two years.

Also Thursday, the Russian central bank said it had revoked the license of

Vneshprombank, one of the country’s top 50 lenders, after finding evidence that “persons exercising control over the bank” had stripped its assets, adding that law enforcement would be involved in tracking the missing money.

The funds may have been spent in Russia, Europe and the U.S. on property such as real estate, shares and “expensive vehicles,” the central bank said in a statement. q

LOCAL A13

Friday 22 January 2016

Loyal Visitors Honored by the Aruba Tourism Authority

PALM BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a group of loyal and friendly Visitors of Aruba at the Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort as Goodwill

Ambassadors and Emerald Ambassadors! The symbolic honorary titles are presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as tokens of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 20-to-34 and

35-or-more consecutive years.

The honorees for Goodwill Ambassador were Mr. Andy and Mrs. Judy Ellsworth of Pennsylvania, Ms. Barbara Hitchcock of Mas-

sachusetts, Ms. Collen Dalton of Massachusetts, and Ms. Andrea Russo of Connecticut, and the honorees for Emerald Ambassador were Mr. Rudolph and Mrs. Dorothy Wilhelm of New

York.

All of the honorees are loyal members of the Divi Resorts and they love Aruba very much because of the friendly people, the climate, beaches, restaurants, Casinos and Aruba feels like a second home, the people are like a family to them and the Divi Resorts is their home away from home.

The certificates were presented by Mrs. Marouska Heyliger representing the Aruba Tourism Authority together with family members of the honorees, staff members and GM Patrick Franssen and Gloria Defoe of the Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort.q

A14 LOCAL

Friday 22 January 2016

Celebrate “Betico Day” at Paseo Herencia!

PALM BEACH - Paseo Herencia invites everyone especially the island visitors on Monday, January 25th to celebrate Betico Day, a local holiday and great opportunity to learn about and enjoy the culture of the island.

The colorful and culturally enriching evening of events is scheduled to start at 8:00pm on the main stage of the plaza with cultural dance shows.

Paseo Herencia invites you to come and enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment.

At 9:00pm Paseo Herencia will have a unique Water Shows on the local music of the legendary Padu Lampe.

The stores at Paseo Herencia will be open for all shoppers on this local holiday from 5:00pm – 10:00pm; Restaurants will operate

normally and will have several specials on this day.

Paseo Herencia, Our Pride!q

LOCAL A15

Friday 22 January 2016

…Starting on Sunday January 24th…

L.G. Smith’s Sunday’s Brunch À La Carte

ORANJESTAD - Since his debut at LG Smith’s Steak & Chop House, Chef Augusto Riofrio has exceeded all expectations. During the holidays, Chef Riofrio’s menu was a great success, enough reason to start a new season with new offerings. Starting on January 24th LG Smith’s Steak & Chop House will offer a Sunday Brunch à la carte –once a month for only $44,95 excl. service charge.

The Peruvian Chef Augusto Riofrio specialized in international cuisine with ample experience in the culinary world has prepared yet another spectacular menu. Start the L.G Smith’s brunch experience with the delicious LG’s Deluxe Deli which includes ‘chipotle smoked bacon’ and salmon amongst others.

The cold section offers Asparagus á la Flamande, a combination of oysters pre-

pared in 4 different ways, ‘catch of the day’ or seafood ceviche and much more. There is also a warm selection which includes Escargot Smiths Style, Beef Short Rib and Mushroom Risotto. In addition to this, the menu also includes soups and salads. You can also choose Braised Bistro Filet, Pan Fried Seabass, Pisco Marinated Scallops & Shrimps, Lobster Permentier or Certified Angus Beef Lomo Salteado as entree or main dish. Of course, the dessert section will be well represented.

Brunch will be served between 11:00am and 2:30pm, it’s recommended to make early reservations.

For reservations call 5236195 or visit the LG Smith’s Steak & Chop House website www.lgsmiths.com.

Stay up to date of all offers and promotions on the LG Smith’s Steak & Chop House Facebook page.q

A16 LOCAL

Friday 22 January 2016

At the Cinemas at Renaissance: Local Students Enjoy Screening of “Cabeibusha: The Curly Gem ORANJESTAD - Schoolteacher Murielle Brown succeeded in her objective this week to get 200 elementary school students from the 5th and 6th grade of Mon Plaisir and Prinses Amalia elementary schools to see the film “Cabeibusha: The Curly Gem.” Together with the headmaster Roelien HoffmanKock of Prinses Amalia Elementary School, parents like Marja Hoveling and Marisol Tromp, several companies and private persons were successfully approached to join forces to sponsor this project. The educational objective was to promote self-esteem in these 10, 11 and 12-yearold students and broaden their horizons in order to instill in them that although they hail from a tiny humble island, that in Aruba we’ve got talent! To that end Sarah-Quita Offringa,

the leading actor, was present after the screening of the film for a question and answer session with

the students.

Some of the questions asked included “What lead you to do windsurfing?”

“What was your goal?”

“How many trophies do you have?” “Are you ever nervous during a competition?” “How did you come by the knick name “ Cabeibusha?” “How many languages do you speak?”

“What are some of your hobbies?” “Have you ever suffered a serious injury while windsurfing?”

Sarah-Quita replied that she was attracted to windsurfing due to the great vibe and atmosphere at the Aruba Hi-Winds and relaxed lifestyle of the sailors. Her goal when she first started was to win a world title and now her objective is to travel in search of great windsurf spots and at the same time meet people from different cultures.

“In all I believe I have approximately 40 trophies of which 10 are world titles,” she continued. “Being nervous is a plus as you tend to be more alert and I sedate myself by repeating my mantra: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I was pondering about an email address when my dad Ruud Offringa coined the word “Cabeibusha” which depicts my look succinctly. I speak Dutch, English, Papiamento, Spanish, French, Portuguese and understand German and Turkish.

My favorite hobbies are reading, arts & craft, tennis, surfing to name some. In my 10-year career as a windsurfer I have never suffered any serious injuries other than scratches and bruises until the penultimate slalom race in New Caledonia in 2014 when I catapulted while my head and feet flipped back causing me to sustain a bruised disc which causes stiffness in my back to this day.”

After that lively Q&A some

pupils handed SQ, a bouquet of flowers, drawings, paintings of her windsurfing, poems, a gift certificate and round of applause. Upon leaving the conference center a pupil shouted “Sarah-Quita you are an inspiration”. It was evident that this project impacted both the pupils, teachers and parents present. If you are not yet familiar with the documentary, it is a film portrait about Sarah-Quita Offringa produced by the German filmmaker Julian Robinet.

Together they travelled halfway around the globe.

They set out in search of the highest waves in Australia, visited Aruba, the home of Sarah-Quita, explored unknown territories in Iceland and travelled to Europe to document Sarah-Quita’s fight for the world championship title.

For those who missed out during the weeks gone by to see the film in the theater you have a LAST OPPORTUNITY to do so this week at The cinemas at Paseo Herencia weekdays at 5:00pm & 6:30pm and at Renaissance weekdays at 5:00pm while Saturday and Sunday at 3:00pm.

The very last screening will be on January 25th in the Cinemas at Renaissance at 3:00pm.

A beautiful, oversized coffee table book has been published to accompany the film, which Sarah-Quita personally inscribes. It is accompanied by a USB card containing the 73 minute movie. It can be purchased by calling 593-9066 and will be delivered.

For more information on the Aruban Gem go to her website www.sarah-quita. com or follow her on Facebook at: Sarah-Quita ARU91.q

SPORTS A17

Friday 22 January 2016

LAST DANCE

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia gestures during his second round match against David Ferrer of Spain at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Hewitt’s Last Hurrah a 2nd-Round Loss in Melbourne

JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — There’s a reason why Lleyton Hewitt could keep tennis fans awake until after 4 in the morning, even when he was playing at home, years after winning Grand Slam titles in faraway New York or London.

Hewitt contested every, single point. If he was smaller or less powerful than his rival across the net, he countered that by tenaciously chasing, retrieving and

grinding opponents down.

His relentless intensity and never-give-in attitude had critics bristling when he emerged as a brash, upand-coming teen wearing his cap back-to-front.

But they later applauded him when he matured and slightly mellowed into a tennis elder.

Hewitt’s 20th bid to win the Australian Open ended in a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 second-round loss to eighth-seeded David Ferrer on Thursday night, his last singles match as a pro.

Typically, it was a feisty affair. He launched a verbal volley at chair umpire Pascal Maria after the seventh game of the last set when he was angered by footfault calls at one end.

“Left nothing in the locker room. That’s something I can be proud of,” Hewitt, who turns 35 next month, told the crowd. “My whole career, I’ve given 100 percent.”

Nobody would argue with that. Before Roger Federer won the first of his record

17 Grand Slam titles, at Wimbledon in 2003, Hewitt had won the 2001 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2002. They were roughly the same age. Hewitt was the youngest man to hold the No. 1-ranking, aged 20 years and 8 months in November 2001. He held top spot for a total of 80 weeks.

Federer said Hewitt helped revolutionize the sport.

“Yeah, possibly,” Hewitt replied in a matter-of-fact response when Federer’s assessment was mentioned. “I

guess guys playing from the back of the court obviously started believing once they saw that I was able to do it, especially on all surfaces.

“It was really kind of the total changing of how tennis was played in a lot of ways, especially on grass.”

Apart from Andrew Agassi, Hewitt said, “there wasn’t a lot of guys that would stay back and play from the back of the court.”

Continued on page 20

A18 SPORTS

Friday 22 January 2016

Panthers QB Newton confident, thriving in 5th season at helm STEVE REED Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — In the waning moments of a strange 35-35 game against the New York Giants, as things seemed to be collapsing all around him and tempers were flaring after every whistle, Cam Newton stood calmly on the sideline, his hands tucked firmly inside his shoulder pads near his neck as he nodded his head confidently.

Sure, the Carolina Panthers had just squandered a 28-point lead on the road, but Newton’s locked-in facial expression was that of a man who seemed to know he had the game in the bag.

He just knew.

Such is the demeanor of Newton, who has gone from Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Auburn to No. 1 pick in the draft and now, in his fifth season, a leading MVP candidate for the NFL’s best team.

“I don’t get nervous,” Newton said bluntly. “I’ve been playing football too long for me to get nervous. I have dreamed of being in this position.”

Newton is in position to get

the Panthers to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2003. All that stands in the way is the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC champion-

the huddle, saunters up the line and looks over the defense. It’s there when he shakes off a 280-pound defensive end — what other

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton talks about the crowd cheering for Luke Kuechly during a news conference in advance of the NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

ship game on Sunday.

“This,” Newton said, “is why you play football.”

Newton’s confidence is on display weekly.

It’s there when he breaks

quarterback not named Roethlisberger does that?

— and finds an open receiver down the field. It’s on display when he breaks free from the pocket and

the 245-pounder looks to run over a defensive back, not around him, knowing he has the guy by 40 pounds.

Center Ryan Kalil said Newton hasn’t changed an iota as a person since coming into the league in 2011, but what changed is his self-confidence — particularly in a season when he became the first QB to throw for 35 touchdowns and run for 10 in a season.

“Honestly that comes from experience and playing more football,” center Ryan Kalil. “The longer you play the more reps you get, the more good situations and bad situations you are exposed to, the easier the game gets.

The game slows down for you so you can play with more confidence — and that’s what we have seen from Cam. He’s grown up.”

Well, sort of.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera calls Newton a “big kid” who likes to enjoy himself on the field.

During training camp Newton can be seen singing on the field between plays or with his arms spread pretending to fly like a bird as he runs. It can be seen in his touchdown celebrations where he breaks into the dab or runs to the stadium wall and hands a child a football. It can be seen in the numerous communityrelated projects he does in the Charlotte area during the offseason, most of which revolve around kids.

“When you see me play, you see a kid out there,” Newton said. “Some peo-

ple call it immaturity, I could care less.”

What opponents see is Newton’s energy and how it makes those around him better.

“It’s contagious,” Arizona defensive tackle Calais Campbell said. “You can see the whole team feeds off of it.

That’s what you want from your quarterback — a guy that’s going to bring the fire and lead the troops. I think the heart of their team definitely feeds off of his energy. I understand why he does it.

He looks like he’s having fun out there. He’s just a kid on the field and that’s the way the game is supposed to be played.”

Panthers wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said he has no doubt Newton is ready for the pressure that is ahead in the NFC title game —and potentially the Super Bowl.

“Most certainly,” Cotchery said. “A lot of people don’t like to factor into what a person has done in college and all of those things but he led a team to a national championship and he has been in big moments and has the experience of playing in three straight playoffs. He is ready for these moments.”

Newton led the Panthers to the winning field goal that day last December against the Giants, calmly driving 49 yards in eight plays in 1:46 to set up Graham Gano’s 43-yard field goal as time expired.

It got Carolina to 14-0 on the season.q

SPORTS A19

Friday 22 January 2016

McIlroy upstages Spieth in Abu Dhabi; US amateur takes lead STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Jordan Spieth was aggrieved at being given a warning for slow play, and complained that his tee shots were “short and crooked.”

But after his opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday, the top-ranked Spieth’s biggest concern might just be the sublime form of his playing partner.

Rory McIlroy got the better of Spieth in their first headto-head of 2016, using his power and accuracy with the driver to set up a 6-under 66 that put him two shots off the lead held by American amateur Bryson DeChambeau.

Spieth, who scrambled well to shoot a 68, made an early-season statement two weeks ago by winning by eight strokes in Hawaii to back up his stellar 2015.

McIlroy laid down a marker of his own in his first event of the year after a two-month break and laser eye surgery.

“It was the Rory that I have seen win majors,” Spieth said. “It was spectacular. It was a pretty unbelievable round on a very challenging golf course.”

McIlroy says his eye operation in December will improve his ability to read greens and that seemed to be the case, the No. 3-ranked Northern Irishman making eight birdies — beginning on his first hole with a 20-footer. But it was his driving that set him apart on a warm, wind-free morning in the gulf emirate.

“I was really excited to get going, especially playing in a group like that,” said the No. 3-ranked McIlroy, who was also playing alongside No. 6-ranked Rickie Fowler (70). “Couldn’t be happier.”

Spieth’s first round in a regular European Tour event was a mixed bag and ended with a brush with a rules official, who gave the American a “monitoring penalty” for taking too long over a putt on No. 8 — his 17th hole. Spieth said the decision “didn’t make any sense to me” and was

a “bit odd.”

“The guys behind us hadn’t even reached the fairway, on a par 5,” said Spieth, who acknowledged that he had taken extra time to line up the putt.

It was the first round since the European Tour modified its Pace of Play policy — and officials made an example of the biggest name in golf.

“Sometimes referees have to use a bit of common sense,” said McIlroy, who sympathized with Spieth.

There were no such problems for another 22-yearold American.

DeChambeau was making only his seventh start in a professional event but showed no nerves in shooting seven birdies and an eagle for a 64 to lead a stellar field. Henrik Stenson (65) was a shot behind, with McIlroy and Branden Grace a further stroke adrift.

DeChambeau is one of golf’s characters — calling himself the “Golf Scientist,” he has modified his irons to make them all the same length, has two driver swings, puts his balls in Epsom salts to establish which of them are slightly flawed, and wears a Ben Hoganstyle flat cap.

“I’m just growing in confidence and belief every single day,” said DeChambeau, who is regarded as one of the hottest young players in the sport after also winning the U.S. Amateur and NCAA titles in 2015.

“Not too bad on one leg,” quipped Stenson, a runnerup in 2006.

McIlroy has also finished second in Abu Dhabi — four times, in fact — and the course suits his game.

He thrived in playing with esteemed company and said he took the way he was hitting the ball on the range in Dubai last week onto the course.

“There’ve been times where it’s taken me at least four or five days to find the middle of the clubface (after a break) and there’ve been times where it’s taken me a couple of hours,” McIlroy said. “This time it’s the latter.”q

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland strikes the ball at the 14th fairway during the round one of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Martin Dokoupil)

20 SPORTS

Friday 22 January 2016

Hewitt

Continued from page 17

“A lot of guys learnt or believed that they could do it playing that way. That was probably my biggest thing,” he said. “Obviously the other guys came in, and Roger and that took it to a totally new level.”

The so-called Big Four — Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — have become dominant, while Hewitt has struggled with hip and foot injuries, and has increasingly reduced his workload to the point where the Grand Slam tournaments and the majors were his only real focus.

Murray, who has won two majors, the Davis Cup and reached four finals at the Australian Open, said he learned a lot about tennis by watching Hewitt After his 6-0, 6-4, 6-1 second-round win over Sam Groth on Thursday extended his unbeaten streak against Australians to 17, Murray took time to pay

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia makes a forehand return to David Ferrer of Spain during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

tribute to Hewitt, who was scheduled to play the next match on Rod Laver Arena.

“He was someone I loved watching growing up. His

attitude toward competition — I loved,” Murray said. “He fought, well, fights extremely hard to this day.

He still has the same pas-

sion to win.

“He was an idol for me — I actually named one of my dogs after him because he was someone that I loved

growing up.”

In other matches, 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka had a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over 37-year-old qualifier Radek Stepanek, joining No. 10 John Isner, No. 13 Milos Raonic and No. 16 Bernard Tomic in the next round.

Hewitt, who played his first Australian Open in 1997, never achieved his ambition of winning the national championship. He was involved in some memorable matches at Melbourne Park, though, including a run to the 2005 final, which he lost to Marat Safin. In 2008, he played Marcos Baghdatis in a third-round match that started before midnight and finished at 4:34 a.m. There was still a big crowd in Rod Laver Arena when he won it.

“I felt like this was the perfect place to finish,” Hewitt said Thursday, sharing the court with his three children. “A couple of the roars during the match tonight was as loud as I’ve ever played in front of. I was getting goosebumps at times.”q

SPORTS A21

Friday 22 January 2016

Australian Open: What to Watch for on Friday DENNIS PASSA AP Sports Writer MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are back on court Friday for their third-round matches at the Australian Open.

Six-time champion Williams is playing Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina.

Djokovic, seeking his sixth Australian Open title, plays No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi. Djokovic has never lost in 11 career meetings with the Italian player, including a straight-set victory in the third round of the U.S. Open last year, but he’s not taking anything for granted.

“He likes playing here,” Djokovic said of Seppi, who has advanced to the fourth round in two of the past three years. “He’s not really overwhelmed by a big occasion.”

If Djokovic gets past Seppi, he could face Gilles Simon in the fourth round and potentially Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals — if Nishokori wins his third-round match Friday against No. 26-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Here are some other things to watch on Friday: SISTER ACT: Serena will have a chance to exact some family revenge on Kasatkina, who beat Venus Williams in an Australian Open warm-up tournament at Auckland last week. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” Serena Williams said of her night match at Rod Laver.

“Any time someone is beating Venus they are more than likely playing really good.” Serena has never played Kasatkina, so will do some advance scouting.

“I obviously will ask Venus what she thought of the match, and I’m sure Patrick (coach Patrick Mouratoglou) will know everything about her match and stuff.

He’s really good at studying.”

FEDERER AND MORE: Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov meet for the second time this month when they play their third-round match on Rod Laver Arena.

Dimitrov, who has a similar playing style to the Swiss star and was even nicknamed “Baby Fed” when he first came on tour, hasn’t beaten Federer in four meetings. In fact he hadn’t taken a set from Federer until the Brisbane International two weeks ago, when he lost in three sets. Federer lost the Brisbane final to Milos Roanic and Dimitrov went on to make the Sydney International final. “Brisbane overall was tough to judge in the sense that I was just playing within myself, trying to sort of get through the matches without too many long rallies,” Federer said. “I think he did well in Sydney, and that definitely also gave him a bit of a lift if he takes the positives out of the tournament ... so he’s on a high right now.”

SERENA IN SIGHT: Fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova plays Lauren Davis, and a win would keep her in with a chance of facing Serena Williams in a quarterfinal featuring last year’s finalists. Sharapova hasn’t played Davis but goes into the match fully recovered from a left forearm injury that forced her to withdraw from the Brisbane International, where she was defending champion. “I feel pretty good, I felt I was more confident with my left hand today,” Sharapova said after her second-round win.

“That’s always something that especially when it’s like in the hand/wrist area, it’s in the back of your mind even though you’re feeling it.” Davis advanced on Wednesday when Magdalena Rybarikova retired after losing the first set.q

Azarenka introduces “dabbing” Down Under JOCELYN GECKER Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Victoria Azarenka is introducing tennis fans Down Under to “the dab.”

The what?

“The dab. D-a-b,” Azarenka said, and then spelled, when asked about the distinctive victory salute she

Azarenka explained Thursday after hustling through her second-round match against Danka Kovinic to win 6-1, 6-2 in just 63 minutes. “I think it’s really fun.

It’s entertaining. I love doing it.”

If Azarenka’s recent performance is any guide, she will be “dabbing” at

first tournament victory in 28 months. She had entered the Brisbane tournament unseeded after slipping to No. 22 in the rankings at the end of 2015, following two injury-interrupted seasons.

The former No. 1-ranked player is visibly fired up and determined to win. She has dispatched her first two op-

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates with a “dab” after defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

has displayed after winning her first two matches at the Australian Open. It entails leaning into a bended elbow and raising the other arm up straight.

“It comes from American football,”

Melbourne Park for a few rounds to come. In the third round she faces Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka.

The 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion started 2016 by winning the Brisbane International for her

ponents in Melbourne in quick, clinical straight sets with a dominance that puts her on the short list to potentially win the Australian Open — where she could meet No. 1 Serena Williams in the final.q

Shuai turning game around in Australia JUSTIN BERGMAN Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Zhang Shuai went eight years without a victory at a Grand Slam tournament.

Now, within a span of two days, she has two.

Zhang has turned her career around at the Australian Open with a shocking upset win over No. 2 Simona Halep in the first round and another victory on Thursday against France’s Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-3.

When Zhang’s ranking fell to No. 200 last year, the Chinese player considered walking away from the game. She had only won four main draw matches all year and had come up

short at the Grand Slams again, extending her winless streak to 0-14.

“So very tough. I was feeling very sad every day,” she said. “I almost retire.”

Two wins later, the 27-yearold Tianjin native says it’s “like a dream come true.”

Zhang had once been considered the best hope to step into Li Na’s sneakers when the two-time major champion retired and lead the next generation of Chinese players. She had shown tremendous potential early on in her career, notching a win over thenNo. 1 Dinara Safina in Beijing in 2009 and rising to No. 30 in the rankings.

But a string of losses last

year knocked Zhang’s confidence. And after losing in qualifying at the U.S. Open, she thought about quitting tennis for good. “But, I’m feeling no, I want come back. I want to try one more time, only one more time,” she said. “I will try last tournament at the Australian Open. If Australian Open not good, maybe I’ll finish tennis.” Since it might have been her last tournament, Zhang decided to bring her parents with her from China. Her father had never watched her play before. “I want them come to see the last 20 years what I’m doing,” she said.

“So, yeah, this is so lucky my parents coming and I win.”

A22

Friday 22 January 2016

SPORTS

English Preview: Arsenal looks to boost title hopes with Chelsea DAVID GERGES LONDON (AP) — Chelsea will make the short journey across London to the Emirates Stadium to face an Arsenal side looking to end its 12-year wait for the league title.

While the defending champion has endured a disas-

Fixtures between Arsenal and Chelsea have been notorious for the regularity with which Mourinho would taunt Wenger.

The Portuguese coach would often remind his counterpart of his trophy drought and branded Wenger a “specialist in fail-

guided the Blues to four draws and one win in his first five league games.

The squad is largely void of the confidence that it exuded last season as it won the title at a canter.

Last season’s player of the year Eden Hazard has yet to score and misses out

Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta, top, fights for the ball against Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday Jan. 16, 2016.

(AP Photo/Jon Super)

trous season culminating in Jose Mourinho’s dismissal, the Gunners are level at the top of the standings.

In the most unpredictable of seasons, Leicester, a side that was bottom of the table in April, shares the lead with the Gunners, while Manchester City is a point adrift in third.

The onus is on Arsenal to win the title, with several rivals struggling for form. And with Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola available at the end of the season, manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping his side capitalizes on its chance or face the insurmountable criticism and calls for his departure that will likely ensue.

Here are some of the talking points ahead of Saturday’s Premier League matches: NO MORE MOURINHO

ure” back in February 2014.

It will undoubtedly come as a relief to the Frenchman to see a different man standing alongside him on the touchline on Sunday, given his atrocious record against Mourinho.

Just one win in 15 attempts against the former Blues boss, a narrow 1-0 win in the Community Shield, highlighted the superiority Mourinho had in matches that ultimately mattered.

Indeed, a 2-0 home win at Stamford Bridge, while Mourinho was still in charge, saw the visitors finish the game with nine men after Gabriel and Santi Cazorla were dismissed.

Guus Hiddink, who is back at Chelsea for the second time in his managerial career, has been tasked with salvaging its miserable campaign.

However, so far he has

through injury, and while striker Diego Costa has struggled for consistency this season, three goals in his last four appearances will be of some concern to the Gunners defense.

TOTTENHAM’S TITLE TILT A win for Tottenham away to Crystal Palace on Saturday could provisionally lift Mauricio Pochettino’s side to within two points of the summit.

Spurs responded to losing at home to Leicester with a 4-1 thrashing of relegationthreatened Sunderland before exacting some revenge over the Foxes by beating Claudio Ranieri’s side 2-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday.Another London derby pits the North Londoners against Alan Pardew’s side, without a win in five league matches.q

Italian Preview:

A tough task for Roma and coach Spalletti at Juventus DANIELLA MATAR Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Roma coach Luciano Spalletti needs to turn things around and fast.

However, if his first match in charge last week should have been one of the easiest, this weekend’s is possibly one of the hardest.

The draw against rock-bottom Hellas Verona was met with boos but a similar result at Juventus — which is looking for an 11th consecutive victory — would be a positive result.

“We’re expecting a tricky match against an opponent which is full of confidence and is in the middle of a great comeback,” Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic said. “It’s not by chance they won four successive titles ... we’ll do our utmost to win.”

Roma has won only one of its past eight matches, slipping to fifth in the table, nine points behind Serie A leader Napoli.

Juventus has climbed up the standings to second, and could move top for the first time this season if Napoli slips up at Sampdoria earlier on Sunday.

Inter is four points behind Napoli and will be looking to capitalize on any mistake from the top two when it hosts relegation-threatened Carpi.

Also Sunday, it’s: Fiorentina vs. Torino; Lazio vs. Chievo Verona; Palermo vs. Udinese; Sassuolo vs. Bologna; and Hellas Verona vs. Genoa.

AC Milan visits Empoli on Saturday night, after Frosinone hosts Atalanta.

Here are a few things to know about Serie A entering this weekend’s matches: DZEKO DOWN IN THE DUMPS When proven goalscorer Edin Dzeko arrived at Roma in the summer, he was perceived as the solution to the club’s attacking problems.

Roma had scored just 54 goals the previous season — by far the worst of any side in the top six.

Things appeared to be going according to plan when Dzeko opened his Serie A account against Juventus in his second match, but the Bosnia and Herzegovina forward has scored just two league goals since — both penalties.

“When you play in a club which is as important as Roma, it’s talked about if you go through a period which isn’t brilliant,” Spalletti said. “That’s what’s happening to Edin. But with our squad, we have the ability to manage to help him get himself out of this negative period.”

Dzeko recently posted on his Instagram account a picture with the words “you have to fight through the bad days in order to earn the best days.”

RECORD-CHASING FORM Juventus is back with a bang.

After spending much of the first half of the season closer to the relegation zone than the title, Massimiliano Allegri’s side is now second, just two points off top spot.

“We’re focusing on ourselves in the league,” Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner said after scoring in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Lazio, which booked the side a spot in the Italian Cup quarterfinals. “The teams around us are playing well, even Roma isn’t out of the title chase yet, but we’ll take things game by game.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Spalletti or (Rudi) Garcia (in charge of Roma). q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Friday 22 January 2016

In Tech: Minecraft for schools, Amazon Dash, data encryption The Associated Press -MICROSOFT is buying the educational version of Minecraft and has plans to create a bigger and better version of the popular world-building video game that’s designed for classrooms.

The Redmond, Washington, software company will partner with TeacherGaming LLC, creator of MinecraftEdu, to transform that game into “Minecraft: Education Edition.” Financial terms were not disclosed.

Microsoft says the new version will add and expand features intended to make the game classroom friendly, including better maps and coordinates that will help teachers and students find their way around a Minecraft world together.

Developers will also beef up the game’s multi-player capabilities so that a classroom of up to 40 kids can work together.

The game lets players explore, fight monsters and build surprisingly complex structures — even electrical circuits — out of blocks.

You could easily use it to teach math, said Deirdre Quaranstrom, Microsoft’s director of Minecraft education. But kids could also explore ancient temples in the game for a history class or view the inside of an eyeball as part of a sci-

ence lesson.

Perks for educators include an online community with a mentorship program for connecting teachers experienced with Minecraft to those new to it.

-VERIZON is the latest cellphone company to offer Web surfing for customers that doesn’t count against their data caps.

Under such caps, you can get hit with extra fees or

websites, watch video clips or download their apps without using up their data allotment. Verizon says brands that have signed up include Hearst Magazines and AOL, which Veri-

The Verizon logo is seen at Verizon store in Mountain View, Calif. Verizon is the latest cellphone company to offer Web surfing for customers that doesn’t count against their data caps.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

The new game will be available this summer, with free trials available for teachers and students. Microsoft will announce pricing details before the end of the current school year, but says it currently plans to keep the price at $5 per user per year.

— Bree Fowler, AP Technology Writer

slower speeds if you go over your plan’s data limit.

That’s not particularly difficult, especially if you’re often watching video and listening to music on the go.

Verizon has said that it’s interested in “sponsored data” as another source of revenue. A company can pay Verizon so that phone users can browse their

zon owns.

AT&T also launched a sponsored data program two years ago, but relatively few companies are participating.

By contrast, T-Mobile exempts several dozen music and video providers from caps, but says it isn’t charging them. It says it wants to appeal to customers who

Heart-pounding action? Hollywood can now measure that

RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ever been told a movie is a heart-pounding thriller that’ll have you on the edge of your seat? Thanks to wearable technology, Hollywood has the tools to prove it.

20th Century Fox says that it used a wearable wristband on over 100 people in test screenings for Oscarcontender “The Revenant” before it hit theaters in December. It’s unclear if it’s the first studio to obtain this sort of data from audiences, but experts say it’s unlikely to be the last.

By measuring heart rate, skin moisture, movement, and audible gasps, Fox found the Leonardo Di-

Caprio vehicle had 14 heart-pounding moments where it measured significant jumps in people’s heart rates. Fifteen scenes evoked fight-or-flight responses, as determined by a range of indicators taken together. The audience was also almost completely motionless for just over half of the 2.6-hour movie — in other words, says the studio, on the edge of their seats.

George Dewey, Fox’s senior vice president of digital, said the data complements traditional written surveys and focus groups.

One of its advantages, he said, is that it cuts through some of the statistical “noise” that results when audience members influ-

ence each other after the movie.

“This is a pure way to measure individual audience response,” he said.

Companies like the Innerscope Research unit of measurement and ratings giant Nielsen have been doing such biometricbased audience testing for nearly a decade, said Carl Marci, Nielsen’s chief neuroscientist. But Hollywood, he said, has been shy about applying these techniques to movies due to the time and expense involved.

Taking such measurements has previously involved bringing viewers into the lab one at a time, where they can be monitored by medical-grade equipment

that tracks everything from brainwaves to eye movement. The spread of inexpensive wearable sensors, however, is bringing costs down to the point where even movie producers with tight budgets can consider them. Sensors that are “wearable and smaller and lighter and less expensive” are starting to hit the marketplace, Marci said. “This is one example of the wave.”

Lightwave Inc., the technology company Fox hired to run the test, said it opted for the sensor-laden wristband to avoid “white coat syndrome” — the sort of elevated blood pressure and heart rate people experience when they know they’re being tested. (Or just going to the doctor.)q

watch a lot of video in a way that doesn’t strain its network as much. To do that, it degrades video quality across the board, even for video that isn’t exempted from caps. T-Mobile says that lets customers watch more.

Government regulators have asked AT&T and TMobile for more information about their strategies.

While net neutrality rules enacted last year don’t ban the practice of picking and choosing services that won’t count against data caps, technically known as “zero rating,” some advocates say it could hinder innovation or favor some companies over others.

Net neutrality refers to the concept that websites and apps should be treated equally by Internet service providers.

— Tali Arbel, AP Technology Writer -AMAZON is expanding its smart-home ordering service to a range of new appliances. Its Dash “replenishment” service lets users reorder common household items with a touch of a button. (Its first incarnation involved plastic “Dash buttons” dedicated to particular products; pressing one orders a set quantity of, say, diapers or dishwasher detergent.)

The new Dash devices will work in a similar fashion, although they won’t be dedicated buttons anymore. Instead, Brother connected printers will let you order replacement toner or ink automatically. A GE washer will reorder detergent when it runs low. And a Gmate glucose meter, which tests blood sugar for diabetics, automatically reorders testing strips and blood-drawing lancets when needed. Users can sign up online to activate the service.

Amazon first announced the expansion to the Dash line in October; now the new products are hitting the market. Others in the works include Purell handsanitizer dispensers, Samsung laser printers, “smart” home locks from Austin and others.q

A24 BUSINESS

Friday 22 January 2016

US stocks rise as energy stocks rally after big slump MARLEY JAY AP Markets Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose Thursday and recovered some of their steep losses from the day before.

The price of oil also recovered from a big decline.

That lifted energy companies, which have been struggling as energy prices tumble.

European markets also rose on hopes the European Central Bank will do more to aid the region’s economy.

In the U.S., energy stocks climbed as oil prices bounced back from their worst day in four months, and strong earnings from Verizon lifted telecom stocks. Blue chip stocks did better than the rest of the market. The Dow Jones industrial average had its second-best day of 2016.

The Dow added 115.94 points, or 0.7 percent, to 15,882.68. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 9.66 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,868.99. The Nasdaq composite index added less than half a point and closed at 4,472.06.

Stocks were on pace for much larger gains earlier in the day. The Dow was up 272 points shortly after noon, which would have canceled out Wednesday’s loss.

U.S. crude rose $1.18, or 4.2 percent, to close at $29.53 a barrel in New York. On Wednesday U.S. crude took its biggest one-day loss since September. Brent

crude, a benchmark for international oils, rose $1.37, or 4.9 percent, to $29.25 a barrel in London.

Energy stocks have crum-

Pipeline company Kinder Morgan rose $1.87, or 15.6 percent, to $13.88. Consol and Southwestern were the second- and third-worst

10-year bonds issued by European countries dropped following Draghi’s remarks.

That suggests investors expect government bond

Stock traders follow stock prices at the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks rose Thursday and recovered some of their steep losses from the day before. The price of oil also recovered from a big decline. That lifted energy companies, which have been struggling as energy prices tumble.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

bled as the price of oil fell from $100 a barrel in mid2014. The price of oil is the lowest it’s been since 2003.

Natural gas company Southwestern Energy jumped after saying it will eliminate around 1,100 jobs, or 44 percent of its work force, in the next few months. Its shares added $1.42, or 19.2 percent, to $8.80. Coal and natural gas company Consol Energy surged 97 cents, or 19.1 percent, to $6.04.

performing S&P 500 stocks in 2015. European Central Bank head Mario Draghi said the ECB will consider using more stimulus measures at its next meeting in March as it tries to bolster the European economy.

The prospect of more stimulus sent the euro down to $1.0875 from $1.0894 late Wednesday. The ECB has been buying governmentbacked bonds as part of its efforts to stimulate the region’s economy. Yields on

prices to rise further.

European stock indexes also rose. Britain’s FTSE 100 increased 1.8 percent, Germany’s DAX climbed 1.9 percent and France’s CAC gained 2 percent.

David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategist at UBS Wealth Management, said the ECB is responding to the current turmoil in the markets while the Fed wants to keep raising interest rates and Chinese economic policy seems to be in disarray. q

Average US rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.81% WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week for a third straight week as global stock markets continued to be pounded by falling oil prices and worries over economic growth.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined to 3.81 percent from 3.92 percent a week earlier. That was its lowest level in three months. The rate has increased from

its 3.63 percent average a year ago but remains well below its historic average of 6 percent. The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages dipped to 3.10 percent from 3.19 percent.

On Wall Street Wednesday, stocks tumbled as the price of oil suffered its worst oneday drop since September.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 500 points during the day. The market clawed back much of the decline but still ended sharply

lower with a loss of 249.28 points, or 1.6 percent. The continuing tumult in stock markets around the world has pushed up prices of U.S. government bonds as investors seek safety.

That has depressed the yields on the bonds, which mortgage rates track. The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond dropped to 1.98 percent Wednesday — its lowest level since October — from 2.09 percent a week earlier. The yield slipped further to 1.97 per-

cent Thursday morning.The benchmark yield has fallen sharply since the start of the year amid the stock market turbulence. At the end of 2015, it stood at 2.30 percent.To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country at the beginning of each week. The average doesn’t include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates.

One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.q

Applications for US unemployment aid up to 6-month high C. S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since July, though applications remained at historically low levels.

THE NUMBERS: Weekly applications for unemployment aid rose 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 293,000. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, increased to 285,000, the highest since April.

The number of Americans receiving aid has fallen nearly 9 percent in the past year to 2.2 million.

THE TAKEAWAY: The applications figure remains below 300,000, where it has stood since last March.

That is a low level that points to few layoffs.

Yet it has increased nearly 10 percent in the past month. The rise could reflect volatility in the data after the winter holidays, when many temporary retail employees are laid off.

The government adjusts the figures to reflect those seasonal trends, but isn’t always able to do so perfectly.

KEY DRIVERS: Global financial markets have plunged since the year began over fears that world economic growth is slowing by more than most analysts expected. A sharp plunge in oil prices has also unnerved investors, who see it as a potential sign of slower growth.

Applications for unemployment aid are a proxy for layoffs and can indicate whether businesses are sufficiently nervous about the economy to cut jobs.

Some companies have announced job cuts in recent weeks, including Johnson & Johnson, Regions Bank and Aeropostale.

Last week’s rise in applications “is not a big move, but it is enough to be concerning,” said Jim O’Sullivan, an economist at High Frequency Economics. “The data are starting to suggest some slowing. Claims will be very important to watch in coming weeks.”q

BUSINESS A25

Friday 22 January 2016

United’s rising profit still misses and revenue falls DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer United Airlines’ fourth-quarter profit spiked on cheaper jet fuel but it still fell short of Wall Street expectations.

United is in the middle of a turnaround effort that has included a shake-up of its top ranks. It has shown improvement in some areas like on-time performance, but revenue is shrinking at both the main airline and the United Express division.

Still, with jet fuel prices tumbling, airlines are making more money even while charging lower average fares.

The airlines are raising pay for employees and buying new planes. United announced Thursday that it will buy 40 new Boeing 737700 jets that will enter the fleet starting in mid-2017.

Those planes will replace smaller planes used by regional airlines that operate United Express flights.

United also announced that later this year it will begin selling new “entry-level” fares for the most costconscious passengers. Delta has a “basic economy” ticket that doesn’t allow changes or let passengers pick their seat. American has said it will introduce a no-frills fare this year.

The big airlines are trying to compete with discount carriers such as Spirit Air-

lines for the large number of passengers who shop mostly by price.

United Continental Holdings Inc. on Thursday re-

the $9.08 billion average forecast from the FactSet analysts. The decline was caused by lower average fares — both United and

Travelers check in at the United Airlines ticket counter at Terminal 1 in O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. United Continental reported quarterly financial results Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016.

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

ported earnings of $823 million in the fourth quarter, up from $28 million a year ago.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned $2.54 per share, a nickel short of expectations by industry analysts according to polls by both Zacks Investment Research and FactSet. Revenue fell 3 percent to $9.04 billion, slightly below

Southwest reported that passengers paid 7 percent less per mile than in late 2014.

Revenue fell 3 percent on so-called mainline United flights, 9 percent on United Express, and 11 percent for cargo. Only “other” revenue — things like bag fees, ticketing fees, and money from the MileagePlus loyalty program — grew; up

Southwest’s’ 4Q profit soars on cheap fuel

DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines Co. earned a record fourth-quarter profit of $536 million as fuel costs fell by nearly one-third and offset lower fares and rising labor costs.

Net income nearly tripled from a year ago.

Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly said travel demand in 2016 continues to be strong but at weaker average fares.

With all the cash it is generating, the airline plans to buy back even more stock.

Its shares edged up in premarket trading.

Southwest said Thursday that profit excluding onetime items like fuel-hedg-

11 percent.

Like other airlines, United was helped greatly by plunging oil prices, which helped cut its fourth-quar-

ing costs was 90 cents per share, matching the expectations of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research and FactSet. The net income of $536 million compared with $190 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Revenue rose more than 7 percent to $4.98 billion, just below the FactSet analysts’ forecast of $4.99 billion.

Passengers flew 11 percent more miles, which helped offset a 5 percent decline in the average one-way fare, to $149.94 from $158.06 a year earlier.

There weren’t many empty seats. Even with Southwest’s aggressive expansion, especially in Dallas and new international flights in Hous-

ton, the average flight was 84.1 percent full, up from 82 percent a year earlier.

Like other airlines, Southwest benefited greatly from plunging oil prices. The nation’s fourth-biggest airline cut its fuel bill by $369 million, or 32 percent. Southwest expects the savings to extend into 2016. It forecast that it will spend $1.70 per gallon on fuel in the first quarter, compared with $2 a gallon in the same quarter of 2015.

Investors may turn their focus to labor costs, where Southwest reported a 19 percent increase in the fourth quarter, making salaries and benefits the airline’s top expense, bigger than fuel.

ter fuel bill by 36 percent, a savings of $912 million from the year before.

Labor costs rose nearly 8 percent and eclipsed fuel

as the top expense. That too is a pattern being seen at other airlines.

United has struggled since its 2010 merger with Continental Airlines, a deal that briefly made it the world’s biggest airline — it has since slipped behind American and Delta in passenger traffic. The airline has been plagued by technology outages and flight delays.

In September, CEO Jeff Smisek left as a result of company and government investigations into dealings with the agency that operates the airport in Newark, New Jersey, a United hub.

His replacement, Oscar Munoz, suffered a heart attack after six weeks on the job and had a heart transplant two weeks ago. General counsel Brett Hart has been the acting CEO. During a conference call with analysts Thursday, Munoz said “I feel great” and said that he expects to return by the end of March.

Under Munoz and now Hart, the company has been reviewing its operations from the boarding process to the coffee served in flight.

A26 COMICS

Friday 22 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

Friday 22 January 2016

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A28 SCIENCE

Friday 22 January 2016

Scientists ID new genus of tree frogs long thought extinct

This photo provided by biologist S.D. Biju shows a Frankixalus jerdonii, belonging to a newly found genus of frogs, placed on a leaf for scientific documentation of external appearance in the wild.

(Systematics Lab, Delhi University via AP)

KATY DAIGLE AP Environment Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — For more than a century, two mysterious tree frog specimens collected by a British naturalist in 1870 and housed at the Natural History Museum in London were assumed to be part of a vanished species, never again found in the wild. Until now.

A group of scientists, led by renowned Indian biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju, has rediscovered the frogs and also identified them as part of a new genus — one step higher than a species on the taxonomic ranking.

Not only have they found

the frogs in abundance in northeast Indian jungles, they believe they could also be living across a wide swathe of Asia from China to Thailand.

“This is an exciting find, but it doesn’t mean the frogs are safe,” Biju said, adding that he hopes the discovery leads to more awareness of the dangers of unfettered development to the animals. The frogs were found at high altitudes in four northeast Indian states, underlining the rain-soaked region’s role as a biodiversity hotspot.

Some of the forest areas where Biju’s team collect-

ed frogs in 2007 and 2008 were already slashed and burned by 2014 for agricultural development. The region’s tropical forests are quickly disappearing because of programs to cut trees, plant rice, expand human settlements and build roads.

Industrial growth amid a decade-long economic boom has also increased pollution, to which frogs are particularly vulnerable.

That same sensitivity to climate and water quality makes them perfect environmental barometers, putting them at risk when ecological systems go

awry. Of the more than 7,000 amphibian species known globally, about 32 percent are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“This frog is facing extreme stress in these areas, and could be pushed to extinction simply from habitat loss,” Biju said. “We’re lucky in a way to have found it before that happens, but we’re all worried.”

Finding the frogs was an accident. The team had been searching the forest floor for other amphibians in 2007 when, one night, “we heard a full musical orchestra coming from the treetops. It was magical.

Of course we had to investigate,” Biju said.

For the study of the new frog genus, Frankixalus, published Wednesday by the Public Library of Sciencejournal PLOS ONE, Biju and his doctoral students teamed up with researchers from the central Indian state of Pune, Sri Lanka, Brussels and the American Museum of Natural History.

They looked at the frogs’ behavior, collected specimens and described their outer appearance and skeletal features. But it wasn’t until they had sequenced the frogs’ genetic code that they confirmed it as a new genus, and surprisingly found another DNA match from a single tadpole specimen reported recently under a

mistaken identity in China.

The frogs had long been considered lost to science, with the first — and only — previously known specimens collected in 1870 by British naturalist T.C. Jerdon in the forests of Darjeeling. Over decades, the frogs were reclassified at least four times in cases of incorrect identity as scientists drew conclusions from their enlarged snouts or the webbing between their toes.

Biju believes the frogs remained hidden from science so long because of their secretive lifestyle living in tree holes at heights up to 6 meters (20 feet) above ground. Most tree frogs live in shrubs or tree holes closer to the ground.

But other experts suggest that, while the uniquely high habitat does make them hard to find, the frogs probably remained in obscurity simply because there are so few scientists working in the remote region.

“This part of Southeast Asia, in particular, is poorly inventoried,” said James Hanken, a biology professor and director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Given the habitat threats and alarming rate of extinctions worldwide, he said the “remarkable” tree frog find “points out that we may be losing even more species than we know or can fully document.”q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Friday 22 January 2016

Sundance fest promises films on race, sexuality, violence SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The culmination of the Sundance Institute’s yearround work developing fresh perspectives in drama and documentary films is taking over Park City, Utah, for the next 11 days.

Among themes filmmakers are exploring this year: Sexuality, identity, race and gun violence.

Both a showcase and marketplace for independent film, the Sundance Film Festival draws emerging and established artists from around the world seeking a wider audience for their work, and distributors hungry for fresh content.

“Our competition is as eclectic and diverse as it ever is,” said festival director John Cooper. Of 12,700 submissions, 123 features will play at the festival, which starts Thursday and continues through January 31. “We’re drawn to originality. We’re drawn to ex-

cellence. We’re drawn to different ways of storytelling.”

Love stories are also a trend this year, said programming director Trevor Groth.

“They’re not traditional love stories, but that is what they are at their core,” he said.

“It was really interesting to see that filmmakers finding fresh ways of getting into ideas and stories that have been told countless times, but they’re still finding fresh perspectives and angles to tell them.”

While movies are the main event, the spirit and celebrity of Sundance extends throughout Park City with exclusive parties and other starry events, and even a whole other film festival.

Here’s a look at the most anticipated movies at Sundance and other festivalrelated happenings: — DRAMAS: Several directors who have become Sundance regulars are back with premieres of their latest films, including Todd

Solondz, Ira Sachs and Kelly Reichardt.

Other notable premieres include “Indignation,” a coming-of-age story set in

deavor from John Carney (“Once”); and “Mr. Pig,” from co-writer and director Diego Luna, which stars Danny Glover as a man

People leave the Festival Box Office during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016, in Park City, Utah. The Sundance Film Festival starts Thursday and continues through Jan. 31.

(Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)

the early 1950s that marks the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter James Schamus, former chief of Focus Features; “Sing Street,” the latest musical en-

who takes a road trip with his giant pig.

Some of the love stories in the dramatic competition are “Southside With You,” a take on Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date;

“Morris from America,” about an African-American kid coming of age in Germany; and “Lovesong,” starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone as friends who discover a new intimacy in their relationship.

Other films include “Swiss Army Man,” starring Daniel Radcliffe as a dead body discovered by Paul Dano; “Goat,” an exploration of fraternity hazing and violence starring Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer; and writer-director Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” based on the true story of slave-rebellion leader Nat Turner.

— DOCUMENTARIES: The slate of documentary premieres is artist-centric, with portraits of Norman Lear, Frank Zappa, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mike Nichols and Maya Angelou in the mix, along with Spike Lee’s anticipated documentary, “Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to ‘Off the Wall.’”q

A30 PEOPLE

Friday 22 January 2016

& ARTS

John Legend, Colombian star Juanes perform outside jail ASTRID GALVAN Associated Press ELOY, Ariz. (AP) — Colombian musician Juanes and singer John Legend met immigrants at a jail in Arizona on Wednesday before performing for a small crowd outside the facility to draw attention to immigration and mass incarceration.

The Grammy winners each played two songs separately and one together — Bob Marley’s “Redemp-

tion Song” — as dozens of people sang along in Eloy, about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix.

“The reason why we’re here, one, is because we want to bear witness to what’s happening so we could tell the world about it,” Legend said to the cheering crowd.

Juanes played the guitar and Legend the piano atop a flatbed truck parked across the street

John Legend, left, and Colombian rock star Juanes arrive to perform in front of a detention center in Eloy, Arizona, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. Legend and Juanes played two songs each separately and one together at the facility, to draw attention to immigration.

(AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

from the federal detention center.

An empty desert field served as the backdrop while people in the crowd held large signs and chanted “Not one more deportation” and “Si se puede,” meaning “Yes we can.”

The concert was staged for an audience made up primarily of activists brought there by an advocacy group, along with some relatives of detainees.

The concert was also filmed by a camera crew for a documentary and a broadcast of the performance on “Good Morning America.”

The performers’ original intention was for the detainees to hear the music.

But organizers were told the inmates were not let out of their cells to hear the concert.

Earlier, Juanes and Legend took a tour of the deten-

tion center and spoke to detainees inside.

Juanes said in Spanish that he was “heartbroken” by what he saw.

“It’s very hard to understand that someone is deprived of their freedom unjustly, and that’s why we’re here with our music, with our culture, which is the strongest tool to bring attention and give a voice to those who don’t have one,” he said.q

Will Smith joins Oscars boycott; won’t attend JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Will Smith says he will not attend the Academy Awards next month, joining his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and others in protest against two straight years of allwhite acting nominees.

“My wife’s not going. It would be awkward for me to show up with Charlize (Theron),” said Smith on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday.

“We’ve discussed it, but at this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say this is OK.” Smith, who some thought might be nominated for his performance in the football drama “Concussion,” said his decision was “deeply not about me.”

“This is about children that

are going to sit down and they’re going to watch the show and they’re not going to see themselves represented,” said Smith.

Smith, who would likely have been a sought-after presenter at the Feb. 28 ceremony, becomes the biggest name to join a boycott of the Academy Awards following announcements by Spike Lee (an honorary Oscar recipient this year) and Pinkett Smith.

Mark Ruffalo, nominated for his performance in the newspaper drama “Spotlight,” told BBC News on Thursday that he was “weighing” whether to skip the ceremony. But later in the day, he clarified that he will attend the Oscars “in support of the victims of clergy sexual abuse and

good journalism” — the subjects of “Spotlight.”

“I do support the Oscar Ban movement’s position that the nominations do not reflect the diversity of our community,” said Ruffalo.

Following the announcements by Lee and Pinkett Smith, academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has pledged “dramatic changes” to diversity in the academy’s membership.

Smith, who has been nominated twice before, for 2001’s “Ali” and 2006’s “The Pursuit of Happyness,” said he believes the industry can do better.

“Diversity is the American superpower. That’s why we’re great,” said Smith.

“When I look at the series of nominations of the academy, it’s not reflecting that beauty.”q

PEOPLE & ARTS

A31

Friday 22 January 2016

Jillian Michaels takes on farm life, parenting in new show LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Don’t get Jillian Michaels started on the chickens.

There were supposed to be six but only five showed up when her partner, Heidi Rhoades, cajoled her into collecting them from a loading dock for their farm, where they live with their two kids near Malibu, California.

“I was 20 minutes late to lunch with my lawyer,” Michaels said in a Tuesday interview. “I’ve got every employee on the dock of the post office looking for the sixth chicken that never effing existed in the first place.”

Heidi’s dream farm, and her dream role as the raiser of chickens, is just one slice of life that brings the funny in “Just Jillian,” an eight-part, docu-series on E! that puts a spotlight on the personal side of the health guru as

she navigates her rapid-fire existence.

“She raised these damn chickens in the living room for three months, until they had feathers and could

driveway.”

The 40-year-old Michaels is loving life post “The Bigger Loser” and is hoping you laugh with her, not always just at her, about chickens

Jillian Michaels poses for a portrait on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016, in New York to promote her new series, “Just Jillian,” premiering Tuesday on E! (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

go outside,” Michaels said.

“I couldn’t even get out of my driveway the other day because the chickens were in the middle of the

and loads of other things.

“Opening up my life and my world in such a big way ... has been actually kind of a great experience for

me thus far. No. 1, I love my life. ... On top of that, I am somebody that has been kind of put in a corner and become a cartoon character, so for people to see all sides of me now — the good, the bad, the soft, the hard, the laugh, the sad — is very welcome.”

Michaels has been off the NBC weight-loss competition that boosted her celebrity as a badass trainer for a couple of years and now declares: “I’m done with ‘Biggest Loser.’”

Instead, she loves taking on the “comedy of errors” of her life that occur on “Just Jillian” as “we go about our daily routine.”

By that, she’s talking about the dance of women everywhere “to be the best mom, the best co-worker, the best friend, the best daughter, and all of the absurdity in the minutiae.

It’s just a lot of fun.”

Her kids, a 3-year-old son

and a 5-year-old daughter, appear along with Michaels’ adorable work husband, business partner Giancarlo Chersich, and others in her entourage.

Also caught on camera is Michaels’ unique parenting style, including the moment she teaches her daughter the meaning of the word “bull (bleep).”

“I told her, it’s when people run out of Halloween candy on Halloween,” Michaels said.

The show promises guest appearances by the next generation of fitness celebs. And watch for the beads of sweat when Heidi brings up the subject of marriage. The two have been together forever but are not legally hitched.

“I’m unbelievably superstitious,” Michaels said. “I’m like, we have this great relationship, we have this great life, why do you want to invite the devil?”q

Review-Moretz fights for the human race in ‘The 5th Wave’ JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer One major reason that young-adult fiction is so alluring — when done well — is that it gives youngsters such a fulfilling scenario of independence from those older adults in their lives who always think they’re smarter and stronger. That scenario is front and center in “The 5th Wave,” where every adult is either evil, inhuman (literally), or nice but helpless. It’s truly up to the young — make that the young, buff and goodlooking — to save humanity.

But if this movie, starring Chloe Grace Moretz as the latest plucky teen to fight for our species, performs its appointed task with efficiency, it does little more.

Yes, the winsome Moretz is a fine, if one-note, reluctant heroine (the film’s based on Rick Yancey’s best-selling novel, and directed by J Blakeson). And she’s surrounded by more than one appealing young man (the YA action-film rulebook seems to dictate at least two, so we can have a triangle.) But the

script has more than a few lines that should have been sent directly to rewrite, and there’s a nagging feeling throughout that we’ve sorta seen it all before.

Not that this will deter fans of Yancey’s book, which is the beginning of a trilogy, meaning we’re sure to see more of Moretz’s Cassie in years to come. She is, when we first meet her, a pretty perfect Ohio high schooler.

Yes, she goes to a party and drinks beer and crushes on a cute football player named Ben. But then she goes home early and sings her little brother Sam to sleep.

The next day, life changes forever. A giant alien craft appears in the sky. For days, the Others, as the aliens are known, don’t make a move. Then come the four waves. First all power and technology is knocked out; planes and cars crash.

Then giant tsunamis are unleashed, killing billions. Then there’s crippling disease, transmitted by birds and killing countless more. The fourth wave brings attackers to Earth in unexpected form, all building up to the

This photo provided by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows, Alex Roe, left, as Evan Walker and Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan in a scene from the Columbia Pictures release, “The 5th Wave.” The movie opens in U.S. theaters on Jan. 22, 2016.

(Chuck Zlotnick/Sony/Columbia Pictures via AP)

climactic fifth wave.

Meanwhile, Cassie, her brother and father have left home for a refugee camp. Dad (Ron Livingston, noble and powerless) gives Cassie a gun. “I thought we were safe here,” Cassie protests. “Pumpkin,” he replies, “nowhere’s safe any-

more” (one of many lines you can recite before you even hear it). When the U.S. Army’s Col. Vosch (Liev Schreiber, inscrutable and calm here, perhaps a little too calm) orders youngsters onto a school bus to a military base, the family reluctantly agrees.

But Cassie and Sam are separated when Cassie runs back for Sam’s stuffed toy. Cassie is forced to follow on foot, a journey of many miles. But that’s a theme of the movie, people not being who they say they are — or not even being people, actually. q

PEOPLE & ARTS Mulder, Scully, paranoia return in ‘The X-Files’ reboot A32

Friday 22 January 2016

LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter is pleased to update the original template with his 21st-century unease. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are glad to be playing opposite each other again as Scully and Mulder.

And admirers likely will do a happy dance to the Fox TV drama’s eerie theme music as it returns with a six-episode limited run.

The two-part opener is scheduled to air at 10 p.m.

EST Sunday, immediately after the end of the NFL’s NFC championship game on Fox, and at 8 p.m. EST Monday. Subsequent episodes also air at 8 p.m.

Monday EST. Will the reboot retain the dark magic of the original TV series, which in its 19932002 lifespan offered a wildlyentertaining blend of government conspiracies, otherworldly suspense and black comedy that was placed in the hands of two unknown but charismatic actors?

Creator and executive producer Carter offers assurances, but with the caveat that he insisted on more than an exercise in nostalgia for the franchise that included two big-screen movies.

“Someone said to me, ‘Great, a victory lap,’” when the new project was announced, he said.

“That’s the opposite of why we came back. We didn’t want to do something that

This photo provided by FOX shows, David Duchovny, left, as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in the “Founder’s Mutation” season premiere, part two, episode of “The X-Files,” airing Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT on FOX. (Ed Araquel/FOX via AP)

reworked old material or was just a sequel to what we’d done before. I wanted to make something fresh and original.”

Current events and figures proved helpful, Carter said, citing National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and eroding personal privacy as examples.

“These are interesting and heady times, and perfect for telling ‘X-Files’ tales,” he said, promising a series more directly topical than the original. “We deal with fear in a lot of different ways. ... The fact that we’re being spied on and don’t seem to be raising any protest is a frightening prospect for me.”

One tricky aspect is balancing the interests of “XFiles” devotees and potential newcomers.

“We have to be respectful of people who are familiar with the show so we don’t beat them over the head with things they know,” Carter said.

“I think our approach is artful in what it gives fans and what it will provide nonfans.”

He’s joined in the cause by members of the creative team that helped make the first series a sensation, with Darin Morgan, Glen Morgan and James Wong splitting writing and directing duties with Carter on the new episodes.

Also back are Mitch Pileggi, who played FBI assistant di-

rector Walter Skinner in the original series; William B. Davis as the shadowy Cigarette Smoking Man; and, despite their deaths, the beloved conspiracy-theory geeks known collectively as the Lone Gunmen.

“No one is every truly dead on ‘The X-Files,’” Carter said, drolly.

Newcomer Joel McHale is onboard as Tad O’Malley, a news anchor.

In the first go-round, FBI agent Fox Mulder was driven to prove the government was hiding evidence of aliens on Earth. Fellow agent Dana Scully was his initially skeptical colleague.

In the reboot, new evidence reunites them in the quest to uncover the truth.

It’s personal as well, Ander-

son said.

“There’s something that’s missing in Scully’s life, and that thing is clearly Mulder. Both of them feel disconnected from the world and themselves because they’re missing a limb,” she said.

She and Duchovny have moved on to a variety of on-screen and other projects, including writing (both have published novels), and, in Duchovny’s case, music. But they said returning to the “X-Files” fold, with Carter again in charge, felt right.

“Chris is a serious person and an artist. And if he says he’s got a way to make it work, I trust that,” Duchovny said.

Said Anderson: “There were aspects of it that felt ridiculously familiar and kind of felt we never left. Some elements were much more challenging — running in heels,” she added, laughing.

Last summer’s taping in Vancouver, Canada, was arranged around her London-based family life. But she brought part of it with her: daughter Piper, who is studying production design, was on the set to gain work experience and ended up contributing to the series, Anderson said.

Whatever work-related tension that existed between the stars, the by-product of churning out some twodozen episodes a season and becoming instant stars, is long gone, Duchovny said.q

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ release delayed to Dec. 2017 JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — There is a disturbance in the force.

The release of “Star Wars: Episode VIII” has been delayed from May 2017 to Dec. 15, 2017, the Walt Disney Co. announced this week. The date change postpones the next “Star Wars” installment set to follow the box-office hit “The Force Awakens.”

Though “Star Wars” was once synonymous with the summer blockbuster, the

date change means that the franchise will again look to dominate movie theaters in the holiday season. It has proven a lucrative match for “The Force Awakens,” which has made a record $861 million domestically and $1.88 billion globally in five weeks of release.

Disney offered no reason for the delay, but rumors have recently swirled that writer-director Rian Johnson (“Looper”), who is taking over for J.J. Abrams, is rewriting the script. Pro-

duction is set to begin next month in London.

In the interim, Gareth Edwards’ “Star Wars” spin-off “Rogue One” is due out Dec. 16 this year.

With prominent release dates now staked out by studios years in advance for their largest franchises, the impact of the switch immediately caused ripples.

The new date sets up a potential but unlikely headto-head between “Star Wars” and “Avatar.” James Cameron’s “Avatar 2” had

been planned for Christmas 2017, though few expect 20th Century Fox to hit that date with the muchdelayed “Avatar” sequel.

A spokesman for Fox didn’t immediately respond to an email Wednesday.

One movie definitely affected is Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” a science-fiction release for Warner Bros. It’s scheduled for the same Dec. 15 weekend in 2017.

Disney moved one of its other billion-dollar fran-

chises, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” to May 26, 2017.

The Johnny Depp series returns with “Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

At the same time, Sony Pictures moved two of its biggest movies into summer 2017.

The next “Spider-Man,” starring Tom Holland and directed by Jon Watts, shifted up three weeks to July 28, 2017. Jake Kasdan’s “Jumanji” remake shifted from Christmas 2016 to July 28, 2017.q