July 24, 2017

Spieth Wins British Open

Monday

July 24, 2017 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com

Page 17

Tragedy in Texas At Press Time:

9 Die in Immigrant-Smuggling Attempt in Sweltering Truck San Antonio police officers investigate the scene Sunday, July 23, 2017, where 9 people were found dead in a tractor-trailer loaded with at least 30 others outside a Walmart store in stifling summer heat in what police are calling a horrific human trafficking case, in San Antonio.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay) Page 4

White House Indicates Trump Would Sign New Sanctions Bill

By RICHARD LARDNER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House indicated Sunday President Donald Trump would sign a sweeping Russia sanctions measure, which the House could take up this week, that requires him to get Congress’ permission before lifting or easing the economic penalties against Moscow.

Lawmakers are scheduled to consider the sanctions package as early as Tuesday, and the bill could be sent to Trump before Congress breaks for the August recess. The legislation is aimed at punishing Moscow for meddling in the presidential election and its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the newly appointed White House press secretary, said the administration is supportive of being tough on Russia and “particularly putting these sanctions in place.” “We support where the legislation is now, and will continue to work with the House and Senate to put those tough sanctions in place on Russia until the situation in Ukraine is fully resolved,” Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Congressional Republicans and Democrats announced Saturday that they’d settled lingering issues with the bill, which also includes stiff economic penalties against Iran and North Korea.

Continued on Page 3

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington. The White House indicated Sunday President Donald Trump could sign sweeping Russia sanctions measures.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A2 UP

Monday 24 July 2017

FRONT

Kislyak, Russian ambassador to US, concludes assignment

By CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak — a high-profile figure in the controversy over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election— has concluded his assignment in Washington.

The Russian Embassy in Washington announced on Twitter that Kislyak’s tenure ended on Saturday.

Kislyak’s successor has not been announced, although it is widely expected to be Anatoly Antonov, a deputy foreign minister and former deputy defense minister seen as a hardliner regarding the United States.

A Washington fixture with a sprawling network, Kislyak has emerged as a central figure in the investigations into Russian interference in the election and whether any Trump associates were involved. President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed the story as “fake news,” but the investigations have shown no signs of stopping, with a focus on top aides heightening.

In this Monday, July 17, 2017 photo, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergei Kislyak arrives at the State Department in Washington. Kislyak, a prominent figure in the controversy over Russia’s possible involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has ended his assignment in Washington.

The Russian Embassy in Washington announced on Twitter that Kislyak’s tenure ended on Saturday, July 22, 2017.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired after the White House concluded he had not been truthful about conversations he had with Kislyak. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investi-

gation after acknowledging two previously undisclosed contacts with Kislyak.

On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Kislyak said he discussed electionrelated issues with Sessions when the men met last

year. The Post cited anonymous U.S. officials who described U.S. intelligence intercepts of Kislyak’s descriptions of his meetings

with Sessions. The Justice Department said Sessions stands by his previous assertion that he never had conversations with Russian officials about any type of interference with the election.

The president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has also been criticized for failing to immediately disclose a meeting with Kislyak on his security clearance questionnaire.

In that December meeting, he proposed a secret back channel between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team.

During a long diplomatic career, Kislyak has led the life of a fairly typical global envoy, making himself a reliable presence on the circuit of receptions, teas and forums that make up the calendar of any ambassador.

Kislyak, who was appointed to his post in 2008, is regularly spotted walking around town, heading to and from meetings. q

Cuba’s public face of diplomatic opening with US departing post

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ANDREA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — The public face of Cuba’s diplomatic opening with the United States is leaving her post to become ambassador to Canada, officials said Sunday.

Josefina Vidal was sworn in to her new role at a ceremony presided over by President Raul Castro, according to Cuban media.

Officials said Vidal’s deputy Gustavo Machin would also leave the division of U.S. affairs to become ambassador to Spain.

In a government renowned for its opacity, Vidal and Machin were given unusual rein to talk publicly about Cuba’s relations with Washington. They offered regular briefings to journalists about the state of diplomatic ties, which were re-established two years ago. Under their watch, the Cuban government often spoke more

openly than the U.S. administration about the state of bilateral relations.

Vidal took the reins of the U.S. affairs division in 2006, helped negotiate the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and stayed through the announcement of President Donald Trump’s new Cuba policy last month. The Cuban government appears to have decided to bring in new faces to deal with the Trump administration, although it did not immediately say who would take their places.

Trump retained most elements of the Obama policy, although he will reimpose limits on individual Americans’ ability to travel to Cuba.

Vidal’s counterpart in many aspects of the negotiations was the top U.S. diplomat in Havana, Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who left his post this month to return to the United States.q

U.S. NEWS A3

Monday 24 July 2017

Trump asserts all agree he has ‘complete power’ to pardon

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has “complete power” to issue pardons, an assertion that comes amid investigations into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election. It was one of many topics that appeared to occupy the president’s mind as the day broke.

On a day when most people are ready to forget about the issues that nagged them during the week, Trump revved up. In an early morning flurry of 10 tweets, he commented about pardons, former presidential rival Hillary Clinton, son Don Jr., health care, the USS Gerald Ford, the attorney general and other issues.

Trump said in one of his 10 messages: “While all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS

President Donald Trump, right, and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, left, applaud during commissioning ceremonies aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va., Saturday, July 22, 2017.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

against us. FAKE NEWS.” The Washington Post recently reported that Trump has inquired about the authority he has as president to pardon aides, relatives

White House indicates Trump would sign new sanctions bill Continued from Front

The sanctions targeting Russia, however, have drawn the most attention due to Trump’s persistent push for warmer relations with President Vladimir Putin and ongoing investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 campaign.

“North Korea, Iran and Russia have in different ways all threatened their neighbors and actively sought to undermine American interests,” according to a joint statement by California Republicans Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, and Ed Royce of California, the Foreign Affairs Committee chairman. The bill the House will vote, they said, “will now exclusively focus on these nations and hold them accountable for their dangerous actions.”

The White House had objected to a key section of the bill that would mandate a congressional re-

view if Trump attempts to terminate the sanctions against Moscow. Top administration officials said the provisions infringed on the president’s executive authority and tied his hands as he explores avenues of cooperation between the two former Cold War foes. But Sanders said the White House was able to work with the House and Senate to “make those changes that were necessary.”

Lawmakers included the review because of wariness in both parties over Trump’s affinity for Putin. Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the top ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump has been unwilling to respond seriously to Russia’s belligerence, “leaving Congress with the urgent responsibility to hold Vladimir Putin accountable.”

McCarthy had pushed to add the North Korea sanctions to the package. q

or even himself in connection with the widening investigation into Russian interference in the election and whether any Trump as-

sociates were involved.

The president has long criticized leaks of information about the investigation, and has urged authorities

to prosecute leakers.

Trump maintains that no crimes have been committed.

One of Trump’s attorneys, Jay Sekulow, said the president has not discussed the issue of pardons with his outside legal team.

Sekulow reiterated that point Saturday evening.

Speaking to reporters at the site of the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, he said that Trump’s private legal team is “not researching it because it’s not an issue.”

“I don’t know where this came from. There is nothing to pardon,” said Sekulow, who added that “what’s going on in Washington is an attack on the president.”

Congressional lawmakers say eldest son and his former campaign chairman won’t be forced to testify publicly next week as part of the Russia election meddling investigation. q

A4 U.S.

Monday 24 July 2017

NEWS

At Press Time:

9 die in immigrant-smuggling attempt in sweltering truck

By ERIC GAY WILL WEISSERT Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — At least nine people died after being crammed into a sweltering tractor-trailer found parked outside a Walmart in the midsummer Texas heat, victims of what authorities said on Sunday was an immigrant-smuggling attempt gone wrong.

The driver was arrested, and nearly 20 others rescued from the rig were hospitalized in dire condition, many with extreme dehydration and heatstroke, officials said.

“We’re looking at a humantrafficking crime,” said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, calling it “a horrific tragedy.”

Authorities were called to the San Antonio parking lot late Saturday or early Sunday and found eight people dead inside the truck.

A ninth victim died at the hospital, said Liz Johnson, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

San Antonio police officers investigate the scene where at least nine people were found dead in a tractor-trailer loaded with at least 30 others outside a Walmart store in stifling summer heat in what police are calling a horrific human trafficking case, Sunday, July 23, 2017, in San Antonio.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The victims “were very hot to the touch. So these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.

Authorities would not say whether the trailer was locked when they arrived, but they said it had no working air conditioning.

It was just the latest smug-

gling-by-truck operation to end in tragedy. In one of the worst cases on record in the U.S., 19 immigrants locked inside a stifling rig died in Victoria, Texas, in 2003.

Based on initial interviews with survivors of the San Antonio tragedy, more than 100 people may have been packed into the

back of the 18-wheeler at one point in its journey, ICE acting Director Thomas Homan said. Officials said 39 people were inside when rescuers arrived, and the rest were believed to have escaped or hitched rides to their next destination.

Some of the survivors told authorities they were from Mexico, and four appeared to be between 10 and 17 years old, Homan said. Investigators gave no details on where the rig began its journey or where it was headed.

But Homan said it was unlikely the truck was used to carry the immigrants across the border into the United

States. He said people from Latin America who rely on smuggling networks typically cross the border on foot and are then picked up by a driver.

“Even though they have the driver in custody, I can guarantee you there’s going to be many more people we’re looking for to prosecute,” Homan said.

Federal prosecutors said James Mathew Bradley Jr., 60, of Clearwater, Florida, was taken into custody and would be charged on Monday. The local U.S. Attorney’s Office wouldn’t say whether Bradley was the alleged driver of the truck who was arrested.

It was not immediately known whether Bradley had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department stepped in to take the lead in the investigation from San Antonio police.

Department Secretary John Kelly said the incident demonstrates the brutality of smuggling organizations that “have no regard for human life and seek only profits.”

The truck had an Iowa license plate and was registered to Pyle Transportation Inc. of Schaller, Iowa.

A company official did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.q

Senator: US student arrested in China has now been freed

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Chinese authorities have dropped charges against an American college student who was arrested and detained in the Asian nation a week ago after reportedly injuring a taxi driver who was roughing up his mother in a fare dispute, a U.S. lawmaker said Sunday.

Guthrie McLean, a University of Montana senior, was released from a detention center in the central China city of Zhengzhou early

Monday local time, according to Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana.

“Prayer’s answered.

Guthrie’s home,” the 25-year-old student’s mother, Jennifer McLean, wrote in an email to Daines’ office.

Jennifer McLean confirmed her son’s release in an email to The Associated Press. She provided no further information.

Jennifer McLean has been teaching in Zhengzhou, where her son was visiting her this summer.q

U.S. NEWS A5

Monday 24 July 2017

Crews stop spread of huge wildfire near Yosemite

An air tanker drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Mariposa, Calif. Crews contending with triple-digit temperatures slowed the spread of an aggressive wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in a rural area of California near Yosemite National Park, officials said Sunday.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Crews contending with triple-digit temperatures slowed the spread of an aggressive wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in a rural area of California near Yosemite National Park, officials said Sunday.

The blaze burning for a week has scorched just over 118 square miles (305 square kilometers) of dense brush and dead trees in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Many evacuated residents

were allowed to return, but flames continue to threaten about 1,500 homes in Mariposa County.

The fire was 40 percent contained, but officials said it could take crews another two weeks to fully surround it.

“They are still out in front of an uncontrolled fire, but the fire isn’t moving at 30 mph (48 kph). The fire is crawling along,” fire spokesman Brandon Vaccaro said Saturday. Flames spared Mari-

Dad of Colorado boy arrested for boy’s 2012 death: officials DENVER (AP) — A Colorado man was arrested Saturday in connection with the 2012 death of his 13-year-old son, police said.

Mark Redwine’s arrest in Bellingham, Washington, followed a grand jury indictment for second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Redwine is being held on $1 million cash-only bond, KDVR-TV in Denver reported (http://bit.ly/2uLOZt4).

Mark Redwine and Elaine Hall, the boy’s mother, had gone through a contentious divorce and custody battle. Mark Redwine has denied any involvement in Dylan’s death.

Some of Dylan Redwine’s remains were found about 10 miles from his father’s home in Vallecito in 2013.

The boy had reluctantly traveled to be with his father for a court-ordered

visit the previous Thanksgiving. Dylan’s skull was found by hikers in 2015, and forensic anthropologists said the skull had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma at two locations, the indictment said.

Surveillance video from the airport where Dylan’s flight arrived shows little or no interaction between the boy and his father, according to the indictment. Several witnesses said Dylan did not want to visit his father, after the two argued and fought during his previous visit.

Text messages showed that Dylan had asked to stay with a friend on the night of his arrival, but Mark Redwine denied the request, the indictment said. Next morning the boy’s friend sent a text to Dylan asking “where are you” and got no response.q

posa, a historic Gold Rushera town, but more than 60 nearby homes and about 64 other buildings were destroyed.

Nearly 4,500 firefighters fought the blaze using air tankers and fleets of helicopters and bulldozers.

The fire grew by up to 47 square miles (122 square kilometers) a day at its peak. But by the weekend, the growth rate was slowed despite dry, blistering weather, Vaccaro said.

The smoke blurred the scenic vistas of Yosemite National Park, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of the fire. Tourists expecting the grandeur of falls and granite peaks instead saw hazy gray silhouettes.

Some roads remained closed. But Mariposa, with

a population of about 2,000, was coming back to life.

Steve Valdez was back at work Saturday at a hardware store despite losing his home of 17 years to the fire.

“There are people out there who depend upon us to get power, to get water, to get their equipment fixed,” he said.

Valdez, 60, and his wife had 20 minutes to grab a few photographs, bills and some family Bibles before they fled the encroaching flames. When they returned, only the home’s chimney was still standing.

They plan to rebuild.

The fire was one of more than a dozen that have ravaged California in recent weeks.q

A6 U.S.

Monday 24 July 2017

NEWS

Next Minneapolis police chief has deep community roots

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press People who have worked closely with the man tapped to lead Minneapolis’ embattled police department say he has qualities that will fit well with the role: He’s friendly, forthright, has deep city roots and is African-American, which could help improve sour relations between police and the city’s black community.

But Medaria Arradondo’s rise from school resource officer and patrolman to assistant chief during 28 years on the force has some wondering whether an outsider would be better suited to changing the culture of a department accused of being too quick to use force.

Facing public anger over an officer’s fatal shooting last weekend of an unarmed, white 40-year-old Australian woman who had called 911 to report a possible sexual assault near her home, Mayor Betsy Hodges asked police Chief Janee Harteau to resign, which she did Friday.

Hodges nominated Arradondo as Harteau’s replacement and dismissed protesters’ calls for her to resign, too.

Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau, center, stands with police inspector Kathy Waite, left, and assistant chief Medaria Arradondo during a news conference in Minneapolis. People who have worked closely with Arradondo tapped to lead Minneapolis’ embattled police department say he has qualities that will fit well with the role: He’s friendly, forthright, has deep city roots and is African-American, which could help improve sour relations between the police and the city’s black community, Saturday, July 22, 2017.

(Maria Cardona/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

“Inside the department, outside the department, fans, critics, everybody — he builds relationships with people, which is going to be crucial as the department moves forward,” Hodges told The Associated Press Saturday.

“What’s needed at this time is someone who is good at making change and help-

ing usher people through change, which Arradondo has done and is doing,” The police department has stepped up training in recent years, focusing on community policing, Hodges said. She said Arradondo will work to cement those changes.

Arradondo, nicknamed “Rondo,” needs the city

council’s approval before he can begin the job.

He served as the department’s public face for most of a week after the July 15 police shooting of Justine Damond, until Harteau returned from vacation on Thursday.

Linea Palmisano, a city councilwoman who represents the ward where the

shooting happened, said she’s impressed with Arradondo, but wonders if someone from outside the department would be better able to make changes and enforce procedures such as turning on body cameras.

Neither the Somali-American officer who shot Damond, Mohamed Noor, nor the officer with him, Matthew Harrity, turned on their body cameras.

Others say an insider is exactly what the department needs: Someone who was brought up in the Twin Cities and can spot the dysfunction beneath “Minnesota nice.”

“He’s a fifth-generation Minnesotan, and he’s appreciated and well-respected as a police officer,” said Raeisha Williams, a 5th Ward city council candidate and the former communications director for the local NAACP. “He’s African-American, obviously, and he knows the climate, he knows the community, he knows the culture.”

That’s vitally important when policing a region where 40 percent of residents are people of color, Williams said.q

U.S. NEWS A7

Monday 24 July 2017

Futuristic NY pier project pits billionaire vs billionaire ery said.

The plan to tear down the old, deteriorating Pier 54 on the Manhattan waterfront and replace it with a new structure, Pier 55, seemed like a fait accompli when it was first announced in 2014.

The design calls for an undulating 2.4-acre (0.97-hectare) landscape of trees and fields rising over a cluster of mushroom-like pillars.

This undated artist rendering provided by Pier55 Inc./ Heatherwick Studio, shows the proposed redevelopment of Pier 55 in New York City. Media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, fashion maven Diane von Furstenberg propose to spend about $200 million transforming Pier 55 on Manhattan’s West Side from a bunch of historic piles jutting from the water into a futuristic, undulating park and performance space rising over a cluster of white mushroom-like caissons.

(Pier55 Inc./Heatherwick Studio via AP)

By VERENA DOBNIK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A battle between two New York billionaires has been holding up a plan to replace a crumbling pier on Manhattan’s Hudson River waterfront with an avant-garde park on pilings rising above the riverbed.

Now, that years-long fight could be entering another round — or finally headed to detente.

Proponents and opponents of the $250 million project plan to meet Monday to try and reach a settlement that would avoid more legal action in a conflict that has pitted media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, fashion maven Diane von

Furstenberg, against Douglas Durst, the real estate developer and skyscraper baron.

Diller helped hatch the idea for the park and has promised, with his wife, to pay for it through a family charitable foundation. He told the AP that he didn’t plan to attend the meeting but hoped the negotiations would be successful.

“I wish them well,” he said.

Durst, who has funded lawsuits opposing the park, declined to be interviewed.

But Richard Emery, a lawyer for the project opponents, confirmed the meeting.

“There’s a lot of anxiety that Diller won’t follow through if this is further delayed,” Em-

It would have three venues for dance, theater and musical performances and would be accessible via two walkways out over the water. The press dubbed it “Diller Island” after Diller and von Furstenberg promised to fund the project.

It would be built on a stretch of Hudson River waterfront that has been transformed over many years from a long-faded port district into

a green string of popular recreational piers and esplanades known as the Hudson River Park.

Opposition emerged, though, partly based on environmental concerns about the pier’s impact on aquatic life, and partly rooted in complaints from some over the way in which the project had been planned without broader public input.q

A8

Monday 24 July 2017

WORLD NEWS

Divided UK, inconclusive election could put brakes on Brexit

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Lucy Harris thinks Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is a dream come true. Nick Hopkinson thinks it’s a nightmare.

The two Britons — a “leave” supporter and a “remainer” — represent the great divide in a country that stepped into the unknown just over a year ago, when British voters decided by 52 percent to 48 percent to end more than four decades of EU membership.

They are also as uncertain as the rest of the country about what Brexit will look like, and even when it will happen. Since the shock referendum result, work on negotiating the divorce from the EU has slowed to a crawl as the scale and complexity of the challenge becomes clearer.

Harris, founder of the proBrexit group Leavers of London, says she is hopeful, rather than confident, that Britain will really cut its ties with the EU.

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, and British Secretary of State David Davis address the media after negotiations at EU headquarters in Brussels. Since the June 8 British election, there has been a disunited British government, and an increasingly impatient EU. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

“If we haven’t finalized it, then anything’s still up for grabs,” she said. “Everything is still to play for.”

She’s not the only Brexiteer, as those who support leaving the EU are called, to be concerned. After an elec-

tion last month clipped the wings of Britain’s Conservative government, remainers are gaining in confidence.

“Since the general election I’ve been more optimistic that at least we’re headed toward soft Brexit, and

hopefully we can reverse Brexit altogether,” said Hopkinson, chairman of pro-EU group London4Europe.

“Obviously the government is toughing it out, showing a brave face. But I think

its brittle attitude toward Brexit will break and snap.”

Many on both sides of the divide had assumed the picture would be clearer by now.

But the road to Brexit has not run smoothly.

First the British government lost a Supreme Court battle over whether a vote in Parliament was needed to begin the Brexit process.

Once the vote was held, and won, Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government officially triggered the two-year countdown to exit, starting a race to untangle four decades of intertwined laws and regulations by March 2019.

Then, May called an early election in a bid to strengthen her hand in EU negotiations.

Instead, voters stripped May’s Conservatives of their parliamentary majority, severely denting May’s authority — and her ability to hold together a party split between its pro-and anti-EU wings. q

Poles protest for 8th day over contentious judicial changes

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thousands of Poles protested for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary.

Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country’s democratic foundations, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian

way to cement his power.

People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace in the capital.

They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto contentious legislation that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party’s control.

Polish media reported that other protests were taking place in other cities across Poland and Europe.

The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda’s signature to take effect.

The moves to take control of the courts have also alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU’s executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to stripping Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations.

Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko

Maas on Sunday welcomed the possible EU sanctions against Poland, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that “the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland.”

“Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically,” Maas said.

He added that “the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU.”q

WORLD NEWS A9

Monday 24 July 2017

German runaway girl who converted to Islam is found in Iraq

The market place of Pulsnitz photographed on Saturday, July 22, 2017. A German girl, who ran away from home shortly after converting to Islam, has been found in Iraq, prosecutors said Saturday.

(Sebastian Willnow/dpa via AP)

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A German girl who ran away from home after converting to Islam has been found as Iraqi forces liberated the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State extremists, German and Iraqi officials said Saturday. She is reported to be in good health and will be interrogated next week by Iraqi officials.

The 16-year-old teenager, only identified as Linda W. in line with German privacy laws, is getting consular assistance from the German Embassy in Iraq, prosecutor Lorenz Haase said from the eastern German city of Dresden.

Three Iraqi intelligence and investigative sources confirmed to The Associated Press that the German teenager, who was apprehended in the basement of a home in Mosul’s Old City earlier this month, was Linda W. The girl is in good health, the Iraqi officials said, adding that on the day of her arrest she was “too stunned” to speak but now she is doing better. They said she had been working with the IS police department.

Linda W. could theoretically face the death sentence, according to Iraqi’s counter-terrorism law.

However, even if she is sentenced to death in Iraq, she would not be executed before the age of 22.

Photos of a disheveled young woman in the presence of Iraqi soldiers went viral online last week, but there were contradicting reports about the girl’s

identity.

The German teenager had married a Muslim Arab she met online after arriving in the group’s territory, the Iraqi officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information was not public.

They said Linda W. was one of 26 foreigners arrested in Mosul since the retreat of the extremists there.

So far, the young German has not made any statement. The officials said she

is currently being held together with other foreign women at a prison near Baghdad’s airport. Starting next week, she’ll be investigated by the Iraqis, who will bring in German interpreters for the interrogation since she does not speak much Arabic.

Haase, the German prosecutor, told the AP that the girl ran away from her family home in Pulsnitz in eastern Germany last summer.

It’s not clear yet whether

she will return to Germany, he said.

“We, as the public prosecutor’s office Dresden, have not applied for an arrest warrant and will therefore not be able to request extradition,” Haase said.

“There is the possibility that Linda might be put on trial in Iraq. She might be expelled for being a foreigner or, because she is a minor reported missing in Germany, she could be handed over to Germany.”q

A10 WORLD

Monday 24 July 2017

NEWS

Turkish leader wades into Qatar crisis with Gulf tour

Israeli border police officers stand guard near newly installed cameras at the entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Sunday, July 23, 2017. Israel installed new security cameras Sunday at the entrance to a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, as officials began indicating it was considering “alternatives” to the metal detectors at the contested shrine that set off a weekend of violence and raised tensions in the region.

(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli security Cabinet meets to review metal detector policy at shrine KARIN LAUB Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s security Cabinet met Sunday to review a decision to install metal detectors at a contested Jerusalem holy site, following a week of escalating tensions with the Muslim world, mass prayer protests and IsraeliPalestinian violence.The ministers met amid mounting controversy at home, with some critics saying the government had acted without sufficiently considering the repercussions of introducing new security measures at the Holy Land’s most sensitive shrine and the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a possible spillover of the tensions, three people, including an Israeli, were

wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building in the heavily fortified Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital.

A Jordanian man later died of his wounds, a security official said. The kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said that before the shooting, Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work, the statement said The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

The metal detectors were installed a week ago, in response to an attack by Arab gunmen there who killed two Israeli policemen. Muslim religious leaders alleged Israel was trying to expand its control at the compound under the guise of security, a claim

Israel denied. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, an outspoken supporter of the security measures, on Sunday for the first time raised the possibility that the metal detectors might be removed, provided an alternative is found. He said security measures at the 37acre esplanade, with eight entry gates for Muslim worshippers, were insufficient before the shooting attack.

“We need different security measures and means for checking (those entering) there,” he told Israel TV’s Channel 2. Erdan said it is “certainly possible that the metal detectors will be removed” if police recommend a different security program, but added that he is currently “not aware of such a program.”q

ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Turkey’s president waded into the diplomatic crisis gripping Qatar and four other Arab nations on Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of a three-country Gulf tour aimed at helping break the impasse.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fifth high-level visitor from outside the Gulf to try to resolve the dispute since it erupted on June 5. The top diplomats of Britain, France, Germany and the United States have all been through already, underscoring the depth of concern the crisis is causing well beyond the region.

Erdogan faces a tougher challenge in securing a breakthrough than Turkey’s NATO allies because of the increasingly warm ties, including the deployment of military forces, it has built with Qatar in recent years. While members of the anti-Qatar quartet have strong trade links with Turkey, its closeness to Qatar raises suspicions of its motives.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties and transport links with Qatar in early June, accusing it of supporting extremists.

Qatar strongly denies the allegation and sees the dispute as politically motivated.

The quartet insisted Qatar accept a tough 13-point list of demands to end the rift, including shutting down news outlets includ-

ing Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country. Qatar refused, arguing that the demands were an effort to undermine its sovereignty.

Turkey and Qatar announced plans to open Turkey’s first military base in the Persian Gulf in 2015. The base opened last year and new troops have arrived since the Gulf rift erupted, raising fears of an escalation with the countries seeking to isolate it.

Fellow Gulf country Kuwait has attempted to mediate the dispute, so far without success. Erdogan met with Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, upon arrival in the country Sunday evening. Erdogan began his trip earlier in the day in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf’s political and economic heavyweight.

During his visit to the Red Sea city of Jeddah, he held talks with King Salman and his presumed heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Brief statements of both meetings carried by the official Saudi Press Agency emphasized that the talks focused on ways to counter terrorism in addition to touching on bilateral and regional issues.

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in his first public comments on the dispute late Friday that Qatar is prepared to engage in dialogue.q

WORLD NEWS A11

Monday 24 July 2017

Philippine Congress extends martial law in south amid siege

A protester displays a placard during a rally outside the Lower House as lawmakers gather for a special joint session on the possible extension of martial law in the southern Philippines, Saturday, July 22, 2017 in Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. Martial Law was declared by President Duterte last May 23 for 60 days following the siege by Muslim militants of Marawi city which is now on its second month.

(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine Congress this weekend overwhelmingly approved the president’s appeal for martial law in the south to be extended to the end of the year to help troops quell a

two-month siege by Islamic State group-linked militants and stamp out similar extremist plots in the volatile region.

House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez announced that senators and House members voted 261-18 in favor of granting

President Rodrigo Duterte’s request in a special joint session. The 60-day martial law was to expire late Saturday.

The military chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Ano, warned during the session that aside from the uprising in Marawi, extremist groups

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have plotted similar insurrections in other southern cities and that martial law has helped troops stop attacks, including bombings, elsewhere.

“There was an order for them to do their own version of Marawi in other areas, but we were able to stop this because of martial law,” Ano told the legislators.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana played down concerns of military abuses, saying no major human rights violations have been reported since Duterte declared martial law to deal with the Marawi violence, the worst crisis in his yearlong presidency.

Some opponents argued that government forces could deal with the attack

in lakeside Marawi, a center of Islamic faith in the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic nation, without resorting to martial law. Others worried that the extension was too long and that the rest of the country may eventually be placed under martial rule.

Left-wing activists opposed to Duterte’s declaration rallied outside Congress.

Some unfurled protest posters in the plenary hall but were forced out by security officers.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros recalled how civil liberties were curtailed and Congress was padlocked when dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law in the Philippines in 1972. Marcos was ousted in a “people power” revolt in 1986.q

A12 WORLD

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Mexico City sees drug-war-style violence come to the capital

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Burntout vehicles. Road blockades. A raging gun battle between armored marines and gang members that left eight dead.

Such scenes have been common in border cities like Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo, and figures released Friday show the death toll from Mexico’s drug war has reached new heights this year. But residents of the capital were stunned this week to see that kind of mayhem in their own city.

Thursday’s shootout, along with the recent emergence in a working class neighborhood of an apparent group of “vigilantes” — styled after self-defense militias that rose up against a drug cartel in the western state of Michoacan — have left authorities scrambling to maintain their long-held claims that drug cartels don’t operate in Mexico City.

Thursday’s shootout saw some 1,300 police and marines deployed on the streets of Tlahuac, a poor borough on the southeastern outskirts that was a rural area until a few years ago.

Photos from the scene showed the slain suspects were carrying assault rifles instead of the pistols usually used in most armed crimes in Mexico City.

Perhaps most shocking

Residents and motorcycle taxi drivers stop to look at marines blocking the area where a suspected drug gang leader and seven others were killed in a shootout in the Tlahuac district of Mexico City, Thursday, July 20, 2017. Mexico City residents were stunned by the sight of drug-war-style violence, including burnt-out vehicles and road blockades by gang-sympathizing motorcycle taxi drivers, in the nation’s capital, sights that had previously been seen only in violence-wracked cities like Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

was the appearance of organized roadblocks put up by gang members or sympathizers to impede the movements of police. City officials said gang members hijacked about five buses or trucks, and video images showed teams of motorcyclists parking their vehicles to shut down an expressway and then setting fire to a bus after the passengers fled.

“The narco-blockades come to Mexico City,” the newspaper El Universal wrote in a front-page

headline Friday.

The nation’s capital once looked on the drug war as a battle fought in outlying states. Not anymore. The capital’s violence is still far from the worst, though its murder rate went up by 21 percent in the first six months of this year, according to the newly released government security statistics.

Those show homicides over the first half of the year increased 31 percent over the same period last year, in the worst bout of such

violence in at least 20 years — even worse than the previous peak year of 2011.

But unlike 2011, when the violence was largely concentrated in border states like Chihuahua and Tamaulipas — where Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo are located —homicides are now on the rise throughout the entire country, making much of the country look like a hotspot.

In Thursday’s clash, swarms of motorcycle rickshaws, a form of taxi with a canopied metal seating unit

towed behind the vehicle, were used for the blockades. Police hauled off 47 of them and arrested 16 suspects, many of them carrying their helmets.

Operators of the unregulated rickshaws “apparently maintained links with drug dealing, involving distribution,” Mexico City police said in a statement.

Officials estimate there are about 5,000 of the unofficial cabs in the borough and have tried to eliminate then in the past. But in outlying areas where roads are rough, the rickshaws remain the transportation of choice for many residents who can’t afford to own a car or pay a regular taxi fare.

Raul Benitez, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the gang, led by man nicknamed “The Eyes,” employed a network of those drivers to distribute drugs and act as lookouts.

“They were using highpowered rifles, not pistols, which justified the government’s decision to use the marines,” Benitez said.

The marines, considered Mexico’s most elite troops, have been deployed in other urban settings before, using helicoptermounted machine guns against drug suspects. But outside of occasional patrols or other operations, they are seldom seen in the capital such numbers.q

LOCAL A13

Monday 24 July 2017

Aruba Symphony Festival Continues to Dazzle Audiences eryone’s expectations.

They played music from most Latin American countries and generated enormous enthusiasm.

Many of the numbers were arranged by Espinoza, the cellist from Chile. Like last year, Jorge Martinez again surprised the audience with his smooth flowing mellow voice, singing a romantic tango.

The enthusiasm generated by the musicians left many in the audience wanting to get up and dance. The consensus was unanimous: It was a super successful concert.

Tonight, July 24 will feature the Students’ Competition. As the registration period of would be participants had been extended beyond Press time, the editors of Aruba Today could not obtain a list of the participants, but based on the experience of the two previous competitions, this year’s competition promises to be very exciting.

ORANJESTAD - The Venezuelan masters who opened the program in an almost full theatre on board the Freewinds Saturday night left the audience wanting more and chanting “More! More!” Edith Peña set the stage with a rendition of a Venezuelan joropo that no one had heard before and earned her a long, standing ovation. The other three Venezuelans, Maria Gabriela Rodriguez, Juan David Medina and German Marcano showed off their musical versatility playing the gamut of Venezuelan music (and that’s a lot!) while switching from one instrument to another.

Jesus David played his own version of the Venezuelan national anthem that left many of his fellow countrymen on the verge of tears.

La Catrina String Quartet (LCSQ), made up of Daniel Vega-Albela (Mexico) violin; Simon Gollo, (Switzerland/Venezuela) violin; Jorge Martinez, (Mexico) viola; Jorge Espinoza, (Chile) cello lived up to ev-

Claudia Roa, the young pianist from Chile who won the “Public’s Choice Award” last year is back and hopes to earn the First Prize this year playing a number by Mendelsohn.

All participants must play from memory.

Come enjoy tonight at the Cas di Cultura.q

A14 LOCAL

Monday 24 July 2017

Cosecha Oranjestad Welcomed Friends of Wisconsin

ORANJESTAD - Recently Jan Londowski and partner

Ray visited Cosecha Oranjestad. Jan and Ray have

been coming to the island for 24 years and this is the

first time they visited Cosecha Oranjestad. They were amazed by the local made arts and crafts at Cosecha and really liked the collection of Grace Ashruf.

This collection of small artworks is called ‘Aruban Treasures’. This series is a combination of her former collections ‘Treasure’ and

‘New Horizons’. In each of these small paintings a hidden Treasure can be discovered.

These pieces are original and are of course one of a Kind.

Artist Grace Ahsruf was also present to meet and greet Jan and Ray and to especially hand delivered the paintings to Jan and Ray together with the Cosecha team.

Now in a lovely home in Wisconsin 5 beautiful paintings of Aruba will be hanging in their living room so they can always think about the beautiful Island of Aruba.

For more information about Cosecha Oranjestad or San Nicolas visit their website www.arubacosecha.com or their Facebook/Aruba Cosecha. q

LOCAL A15

Monday 24 July 2017

Goodwill Ambassador Honored at Playa Linda Beach Resort EAGLE BEACH - Recently the Aruba Tourism Authority had the great pleasure of honoring a very special guest who is a loyal and friendly visitor of Aruba as a Goodwill Ambassador at Playa Linda Beach Resort. The symbolic honorary title is presented in the name of the Minister of Tourism as a token of appreciation to guests who visit Aruba for 20-to-34 consecutive years.

The honoree was Mrs. Dorella Simpkins, celebrating her 20th consecutive annual visit to Aruba!

Dorella and her daughter Love are regular guests of Playa Linda Beach Resort and they love Aruba very much because of the weather, the restaurants, the people, the beaches and the Casinos! They say that being on Aruba and staying at Playa Linda Beach Resort is like being at their vacation ‘homeaway-from-home.’

The official certificate was presented by Mr. Jonathan Boekhoudt representing the Aruba Tourism Authority in the presence of Dorella’s daughter Love and Ms. Yvette from the Paradise Beach Villas.q

A16 LOCAL

Monday 24 July 2017

After Mid-America Nationals, Team Aruba Takes Time to Reset INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Team Aruba recently completed the fifth stop on the 2017 PDRA Tour at the historic Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis over the weekend of July 15th and 16th. The hot and humid condition made for a tough weekend for the Aruba.com Mustang.

Despite qualifying a very respectable fourth with a 4.097 effort, Trevor Eman fell in round one to Matt Giangrande. Giangrande pulled out his best number of the weekend, a 4.184, enough for a narrow victory over Eman.

“We had a very disappointing weekend,” confessed Eman. “We had a good momentum through the first races of the year. Losing first round this race was

unexpected. Our team worked hard all weekend

to get the car down the track as fast as possible. On

the Racepak computer everything looked the way it was supposed to. It almost seems like the Mustang didn’t have the energy this weekend in the poor weather conditions we

were facing.”

Despite the unfortunate early exit from the MidAmerica Nationals, Eman and team are still in good condition to make a bid for the 2017 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock Championship.

“Our hope was to come out of this race with the points lead. That did not happen, but we’ll do everything we can to catch back up.

“On the up side, we had the chance to interact with new fans. Being a new location for us to race, we could introduce our paradise home to more people, which is one of the things we love most to do.

“The engine will be going back for its scheduled refresh and hopefully we can turn things around in Tulsa in a couple of weeks. There are still three events left and we plan to make the most of them.”q

SPORTS A17

Monday 24 July 2017

Tour de France winner Britain’s Chris Froome, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 103 kilometers (64 miles) with start in Montgeron and finish in Paris, France, Sunday, July 23, 2017.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Wild Ride

Froome Wins His 4th Tour

By JOHN LEICESTER SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writers MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Chris Froome stands on the doorstep of the Tour de France’s greatest champions.

Sewing up his fourth Tour crown with a cool-as-acucumber ride in a highpressure time trial in heatbaked Marseille on Saturday means he needs just one victory more to join the record-holders who have five.

His winning margin in this Tour, 54 seconds over Rigoberto Uran of Colombia going into Sunday’s processional final stage, is narrower than Froome’s previous wins in 2013, 2015, and 2016. It is the first he has won by less than one minute.

Over the three weeks, Froome executed fewer of his trademark devastating accelerations in the high mountains.

Continued on Page 18

Spieth Wins Rollercoaster British Open Jordan Spieth of the United States holds the trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Sunday July 23, 2017.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Page 20

A18 SPORTS

Monday 24 July 2017

Froome eyes Tour de France greatness after sealing win No. 4 Continued from Page 17

He ran out of gas and temporarily lost the race lead on a super-steep climb in the Pyrenees. He didn’t win any of the 20 stages before Sunday’s Stage 21, which is traditionally a peaceful ride into Paris with only the sprinters dashing for the line at the end, for the bragging right of winning the stage on the Champs-Elysees.

But Froome at 90 or 95 percent of his previous best still proved plenty.

Certainly good enough to be able to start dreaming of win No. 5 — and of joining the exalted company of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. They have been the joint leaders since Lance Armstrong’s string of seven doping-

assisted victories was expunged from the history of the 114-year-old race.

“It’s a huge honor just to be mentioned in the same sentence as the greats,” Froome said. “I have got a new-found appreciation for just how difficult it is for those guys to have won five Tour de France. It certainly isn’t getting easier each year.”

Yet he made the deciding time trial look easy enough.

To boos and whistles from the partisan crowd backing Romain Bardet, the French rider who was only 23 seconds behind him in the overall standings, Froome set off last from the Stade Velodrome football stadium. Bardet had set off two minutes ahead of him.

Froome rode so strongly that by the end, he had Bardet in his sights. The French rider wilted on the twisting, tricky course with long wind-affected straightaways by the sea and a short sharp uphill to Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral, the dominant landmark in France’s second-largest city.

The suspense was quickly over. By the first time check, after just 10 kilometers (six miles) of riding, Froome was already 43 seconds quicker than Bardet. The only question became whether Bardet would even be able to save a place for himself on the podium. He did, by the narrowest of margins. Just one second was all that separated his third place

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The pack with Britain’s Chris Froome, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, rides on the Champs Elysees avenue as the Arc de Triomphe is seen in the background during the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 103 kilometers (64 miles) with start in Montgeron and finish in Paris, France, Sunday, July 23, 2017.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

from Mikel Landa of Spain, Froome’s teammate in fourth.

“It’s just an amazing feeling,” Froome said. “It was so close coming into this TT. This was my closest Tour de France, the most hardfought between the riders ... I didn’t think it would come down to this TT in Marseille. There was a bit of pressure but, for me, it’s always a good thing having pressure.”

Uran was far quicker than Bardet over the 22.5-kilometer (14-mile) stage, despite overshooting a left-hand bend before the

stadium finish and ricocheting off barriers. He vaulted over Bardet in the overall standings, into the runnerup spot. And with that, the 104th Tour had its podium.

All that’s left for the 167 survivors — from 198 who started on July 1 — is to cross the line in Paris.

“Today I did not take risks, I took all the bends carefully, you can lose everything on a day like this,” Froome said.

Bardet endured his first bad day of the three grueling weeks. He said he woke up feeling poorly on Saturday, “and I paid for it, in cash.”q

SPORTS A19

Monday 24 July 2017

Make it a double: Ledecky begins worlds with a pair of golds

United States’ gold medal winner Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 400-meter freestyle final during the swimming competitions of the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, July 23, 2017.

(AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Katie Ledecky is off to a golden start at the world championships. Make it a double. The 20-year-old American star began an audacious week by winning a pair of gold medals Sunday on the opening night of swimming along the Danube River. She cruised to a dominating victory in the 400-meter freestyle and

put the U.S. ahead to stay in the 4x100 free relay. Anchored by Nathan Adrian, the American men also won gold in the 4x100 free.

“It was a good first night for Team USA,” Ledecky said.

“I’m happy with my two swims and how it all went.”

The only blip of a disappointment: Ledecky didn’t break the 400 free world record she set last summer at Rio de Janeiro. That merely demonstrates what a high

standard she’s set.

For the most part, her only competitor is the clock.

“It’s my second-best time,” Ledecky said. “There’s no disappointment. It’s a world championship gold medal and there’s nothing to complain about there.”

Ledecky touched in 3 minutes, 58.34 seconds — more than 3 seconds ahead of U.S. teammate Leah Smith but nearly 2 seconds off the world record (3:56.46) from the Olympics. China’s Li Bingjie claimed the bronze.

About an hour later, Ledecky returned to the pool for the relay, a downand-back sprint that is the weakest of her distances, but one that provides an opportunity to equal Missy Franklin’s female record of six gold medals at the 2013

worlds. Ledecky turned in the slowest split on the American team, actually slipping to third on her 50 flip. But she powered back to the front by the time she passed off to Olympic champion Simone Manuel, who closed it out for the Americans. Sarah Sjostrom set a blistering opening pace for Sweden, taking down the first swimming world record of the championships with a split of 51.71. She eclipsed the 100 free mark of 52.06 set last year by Australia’s Cate Campbell. But Sweden didn’t have enough speed on the back end and faded to fifth. Manuel touched in 3:31.72, anchoring a team that also included rising star Mallory Comerford and Kelsi Worrell.q

A20 SPORTS

Monday 24 July 2017

Jordan’s wild journey: Spieth wins British Open

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — During one of Jordan Spieth’s many low points Sunday in the British Open, his caddie reminded him of a photo from a Mexico beach holiday two weeks ago that showed him in All-Star company that included Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan.

The message: “You belong in that group.”

Spieth left little doubt with a closing performance that ranks among the greatest finishes in major championship history.

Trailing for the first time all weekend at Royal Birkdale — and lucky it was only one stroke thanks to a shot from the driving range — the 23-year-old Texan followed with a birdie-eagle-birdiebirdie stretch that allowed him to close with a 1-under 69 and win the British Open by three shots over Matt Kuchar.

Spieth captured the third leg of the career Grand Slam and heads to the PGA Championship next month with a chance to be the youngest to win them all.

“This is as much of a high as I’ve ever experienced in my golfing life,” Spieth said.

Jordan Spieth of the United States lines up a putt on the 14th green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Sunday July 23, 2017.

(AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

And it all started in a spot so dire it looked as though he would endure another major meltdown.

The break of the tournament — and a moment that will rate alongside Seve Ballesteros making birdie from the car park when he won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1979 — was when Spieth discovered the range was part of the course.

His tee shot was so far to the right on the par-4 13th

hole that it sailed some 75 yards from the fairway and settled in thick grass on a dune so steep he could hardly stand up, let alone take a swing. The only smart option was to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie.

And that’s when Spieth showed his golfing brain is as valuable as any club in his bag.

He had the presence to ask if the driving range was out of bounds. It wasn’t,

which allowed him to go back in a straight line from the flag until he was on the range among the equipment trucks. After getting free relief from them, he still faced a blind shot over the dunes to a hole littered by pot bunkers. He hit 3-iron just short of a bunker near the green , pitched over it to about 7 feet and made what he considers the most important putt of the day to escape with bogey.

And then came the finish-

‘It’s crushing’:

Kuchar rocked by Spieth’s late rally at Birkdale

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Matt Kuchar felt as if he had the claret jug in his grasp. He said he could taste victory, finally breaking through in a major championship after all

those top-10 finishes.

In the end, and without doing much wrong, he was a bystander to one of the greatest shows in golf history.

“All you can really do,” Kuchar said, “is sit back, tip your cap and say, ‘Well

done.’” Kuchar was magnanimous as ever after seeing the British Open title wrested away from him by Jordan Spieth, who played the final five holes in 5 under at Royal Birkdale to win by three shots. But this one really hurt.

“It’s hard to explain,” Kuchar said, pausing to find the words. “It’s crushing. ...

You work so hard to get to this position. And to have a chance to make history and win a championship.

You don’t get that many opportunities.”q

ing kick like Phelps, the goahead jumper like Jordan.

Spieth hit 6-iron to the 14th that landed in front of the flag and came within inches of an ace, leading to a short birdie putt to regain the lead. On the par-5 15th, he rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt and playfully barked at caddie Michael Greller to pick it out of the cup. “Go get that,” he said, pointing to the hole.

And he wasn’t done.

Spieth rolled in a 30-foot putt across the 16th green for a two-shot lead, and he kept that margin by pouring in a 7-foot putt to match birdies with Kuchar.

The final putt for par was a tap-in, as easy a shot as he had all day.

“To follow that bogey on 13 with great golf shots and great putts, and play the final five holes in 5-under par, I was just very happy for him and very impressed to watch all that guts, determination and skill,” Jack Nicklaus posted on Facebook.

Spieth and Jack Nicklaus are the only players to win three different majors at age 23.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Spieth said, gazing at his name on the silver claret jug. “Absolutely a dream come true.”

For so much of Sunday, it felt like a recurring nightmare. Just 15 months ago, Spieth lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters, coming undone with a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole. It was more of a slow bleed at Royal Birkdale, with three bogeys on the opening four holes and four putts inside 8 feet that he missed on the front nine to fall into a tie with Kuchar. q

SPORTS A21

Monday 24 July 2017

Rookie Murray holds on at Barbasol for first PGA Tour title

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — Rookie Grayson Murray won the Barbasol Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, holing a 5-foot par putt on the final hole for a onestroke victory.

Murray closed with a 3-under 68 to edge Chad Collins on Grand National’s Lake Course. The 23-yearold former Wake Forest and Arizona State player set up the winning par with a 40-plus foot putt from below the hole. He finished at 21-under 263.

“I was in control,” said Murray, who nabbed $630,000 for the win. “I didn’t get out of my game plan once.

I was going to let them make the mistakes instead of myself. I was going to make them have to birdie the last hole, or the last few holes. I was playing for par on 17 and 18. I knew if I parred those, they’d have to do something special to beat me.”

Murray missed the cut last week at the John Deere Classic and arrived in Alabama on Sunday to pre-

pare. It paid off, the win securing him a spot in the PGA Championship in his home state of North Carolina though not the Masters.

Murray came in ranked 124th, with the top 125 qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Collins closed with a 68 two days after posting one of the tournament’s two rounds of 60. A tap-in for par on No. 18 left him waiting to see if Murray would stumble.

Collins had a run of four birdies in five holes leading into the 18th. He missed a 6-footer with a shot at another one and a potential tie with Murray.

“I gave myself an opportunity,” he said. “It was a nervy bad putt. It wasn’t obviously what I wanted, but to put yourself in that position, that’s ultimately what you’re trying to do.

And the more times I’m able to do that and put myself in that situation, maybe one day it will be my day.

Just today it wasn’t.”

Collins tied for fourth at The Honda Classic and his best previous finish was third last

Grayson Murray tees off on the fourth hole in the final round of the Barbasol Championship golf tournament, Sunday, July 23, 2017, in Opelika, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

year in the Texas Open.

“It’s my best finish ever out here on tour, had the best round I’ve ever had on tour,” he said. “You gain tons of confidence from this going forward. You can only draw positives from it. “ Brian Gay had a 65 to tie for third at 19 under with thirdround leader Scott Stallings (71) and Tag Ridings (69).

Coming off a third-round 60, Stallings took the solo lead with a birdie on No. 10 that put him under par for the first time of the day.

He fell back with a double bogey on the par-5 16th, three-putting after taking a drop following an errant drop. Amateur Sam Burns of LSU tied for sixth at 18 under after a 66, matching

Ryan Blaum (64) and Cameron Tringale (68).

Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk, who didn’t qualify for the British Open, finished at 11 under after a third straight 68.

The final round started early on two tees because of a bad weather forecast, but the conditions held steady in sweltering heat.q

Li Haotong shoots 63 at British Open for round of his life

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Li Haotong crept into unexpected contention at the British Open with the round of his life on Sunday.

It didn’t win him the claret jug. It did earn him a place at the Masters.

The 21-year-old Chinese

golfer became the fourth player to shoot 63 in the final round of the British Open, after Jodie Mudd (Royal Birkdale in 1991), Payne Stewart (Royal St. George’s in 1993) and Henrik Stenson (Royal Troon in 2016). The 7-under round moved him to 6 under for the tournament and af-

ter being just two shots off the lead at one stage, he finished in third place and six shots behind champion Jordan Spieth.

Ernie Els, Li’s playing partner, had a front-row seat of a bogey-free round containing seven birdies — four coming in the final four holes — and just 25 putts.

“I could see he wasn’t backing off,” Els said. “You see some guys get a little bit scared, but he kept going. So it was really special to see.”

Li said he felt at home at Royal Birkdale because it was similar to the course he plays in Shanghai, Lake Malaren.

“Unbelievable,

actually,” he said. “I can’t explain. “Glad to see I holed everything. So quite happy out there.”

Li won the Volvo China Open last year and maybe gained more notoriety last month at the French Open, when he threw his putter into a lake in frustration at making a bogey. q

A22

Monday 24 July 2017

SPORTS

Kluber strikes out season-high 14, Indians top Blue Jays 8-1

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber delivers to Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 23, 2017, in Cleveland.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By STEVE HERRICK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber’s stiff neck cleared up a day too soon for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland’s ace struck out a season-high 14 in 7 2/3 innings and showed no signs of the neck problem that pushed back him back in the rotation with another dominating performance in the Indians’ 8-1 victory Sunday. “It wasn’t anything that was really concern-

ing,” said Kluber, whose regular turn in the rotation was scheduled for Friday.

“Just needed a couple of extra days to get to the spot I wanted to be. I didn’t think about it at all.”

Kluber (8-3) allowed five hits, including Kevin Pillar’s leadoff homer in the third, and reached double figures in strikeouts for the ninth time in 16 starts. He fell four strikeouts short of matching his career-high 18 against St. Louis in 2015.

The 2014 AL Cy Young winner fanned the first two hitters in the eighth before walking Josh Donaldson, ending a nine-pitch atbat. The right-hander, who threw 120 pitches, received a standing ovation from the crowd of 30,701 after being removed by manager Terry Francona.

Kluber missed a month earlier this season with a strained back. He’s 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA in 10 starts since coming off the disabled list.

“He’s kind of set the bar pretty high,” Francona said. “We rely on him so much and he knows that.

It’s nice to put his name in there every five days.”

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, whose team finished 3-7 on its longest road trip of the season, expressed a similar opinion.

“He’s one of the best in baseball, but he was as good today as we’ve ever seen him,” Gibbons said.

Michael Brantley hit a tworun homer in the sixth and had three RBIs. Brandon Guyer’s three-run double was the key hit in the first, when Cleveland took a 4-0 lead against J.A. Happ (3-7). Kluber allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings against Oakland on July 15. Francona decided earlier in the week to push his next start back a couple of days.

Happ was behind after throwing four pitches. Carlos Santana led off with a single, took second on Francisco Lindor’s bunt hit and scored on Brantley’s single. Edwin Encarnacion flied out but Jose Ramirez walked on four pitches and Guyer lined a 2-2 pitch to the gap in left-center.

Lindor, whose 10th-inning home run Saturday gave the Indians a 2-1 win, had

an RBI single in the fourth.

Brantley’s home run was his first since April 30, a span of 54 games.

Happ allowed a seasonhigh seven runs in six innings. The Blue Jays were outscored 23-5 in the series.

“We need to get home,” Gibbons said. “It was a lousy day.”

BREAK-EVEN MARK The win moved the Indians to 24-24 at Progressive Field after going 53-28 at home last season.

BASEMENT VIEW The Blue Jays are 44-54 and firmly in last place in the AL East. “We have come back from similar situations and made it to the playoffs,” said Jose Bautista, who struck out three times against Kluber. “All we can control is the games we have left.”

TRAINER’S ROOM Blue Jays: SS Troy Tulowitzki (groin) was not in the lineup for the second day in a row. He was injured while running to first base in his final at-bat Friday.

UP NEXT Blue Jays: LHP Francisco Liriano opens a four-game home series against Oakland. He moved up one day in the rotation when Aaron Sanchez was placed on the disabled list.q

Chris Weidman tops Kelvin Gastelum in UFC college homecoming

By DENIS P. GORMAN Associated Press UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Chris Weidman sat on top of the Octagon, his arms outstretched, his mouth agape. It had been a long time since he could experience that feeling.

Seven hundred and ninety one days, to be exact.

“It feels like a championship,” Weidman said, after he submitted Kelvin Gas-

telum with an arm triangle choke at 3:45 of the third round Saturday night in a UFC on Fox event at Nassau Coliseum. “I can’t wait to tell my kids I won.”

Weidman the former Hofstra wrestler fighting just across the Hempstead Turnpike from the university’s campus, snapped a three-fight losing streak to improve to 14-3. Gastelum dropped to 14-4-0 with

one no-decision. The win was Weidman’s first since knocking out Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 on May 23, 2015.

“This is a surreal feeling,” Weidman said. “This is an indescribable moment. I wanted to come out here and prove myself.”

After spending much of the first two minutes feinting and circling, Weidman successfully wrestled Gastelum to the canvas. But

with seconds left in the round, Gastelum landed a hook to Weidman’s chin that dropped the former middleweight champion before the bell rang.

“Thirty more seconds and I could have finished the fight,” Gastelum said.

Weidman then relied on his wrestling skills against the former Ultimate Fighter winner, setting up opportunities to land hard, accurate

punches in the third. Following a sequence in which the two grappled alongside the cage, Weidman took down Gastelum and transitioned to the submission. After a few moments, Gastelum tapped out.

Weidman hopped the cage and celebrated with 11,198 of his Long Island fans before returning to the octagon to hugged family and team members.q

TECHNOLOGY A23

Monday 24 July 2017

What drug-dealing ‘darknet’ sites have in common with eBay

By ANICK JESDANUN AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — AlphaBay, the now-shuttered online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods, wasn’t all that different from any other e-commerce site, court documents show.

Not only did it work hard to match buyers and sellers and to stamp out fraud, it offered dispute-resolution services when things went awry and kept a publicrelations manager to promote the site to new users.

Of course, AlphaBay was no eBay. It went to great lengths to hide the identities of its vendors and customers, and it promoted money-laundering services to mask the flow of bitcoin and other digital currencies from prying eyes.

Such “darknet” sites operate in an anonymityfriendly internet netherworld that’s inaccessible to ordinary browsers. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering just how they really work, a U.S. criminal case unveiled Thursday offers an eye-opening look.

WHAT IS ALPHABAY? U.S. Attorney General Jeff

Sessions calls it the largest darknet marketplace shut down in a sting. Darknet refers to the use of various technologies to mask the site’s operators and users, allowing buyers and sellers to connect anonymously — to each other and to law enforcement.

Authorities say the site trafficked drugs such as heroin and cocaine, fake and stolen IDs, computer hacking tools, firearms and counterfeit goods. The site also facilitated services such as money laundering and swatting — the practice of making bomb threats and other false reports to law enforcement, usually to harass perceived enemies.

AlphaBay went so far as to hire scam watchers to monitor and quash scams on the site. It had a public-relations manager responsible for outreach to users and the broader illicittrade community. The site also employed moderators to resolve disputes and refund payments when necessary.

STAYING HIDDEN AlphaBay hid its tracks with Tor, a network of thousands of computers run by volunteers. With Tor, traffic gets

This screen grab provided by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a hidden website that has been seized as part of a law enforcement operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and European law enforcement agencies acting through Europol. )Associated Press)

relayed through several computers. At each stop, identifying information is stripped, so that no single computer knows the full

chain. It would be like one person passing on a message to the next, and so on. The 10th person would have no clue who the first

eight people are.

Tor has a number of legitimate uses. Human rights advocates, for instance, can use it to communicate inside authoritarian countries.

But Tor is also popular for trading goods that eBay and other legitimate marketplaces won’t touch.

To further promote secrecy, AlphaBay accepted only digital currencies such as bitcoin and monero. In doing so, participants skirted reporting requirement that come when moving $10,000 or more in a single transaction. While bitcoin can be traced when converted back to regular currencies, AlphaBay offered “mixing and tumbling services” to shuffle bitcoin through several accounts before the conversion.

Vendors were also required to use encryption for all communications to keep them safe from spies.

MONEY MATTERS Buyers funded their accounts with digital currencies, similar to loading an Amazon gift card with money. When making a purchase, buyers moved money from their accounts to an escrow. q

A24 BUSINESS

Monday 24 July 2017

Funds Q&A: How much more will interest rates climb?

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Everywhere bond-fund investors look, reasons to fear seem to be lurking.

After decades of dropping interest rates led to strong and steady returns for bond funds, conditions seem to be massing in the opposite direction.

The Federal Reserve raised short-term rates last month, the third time it’s done so since December. It’s also planning to pare the vast trove of bonds it built up to keep rates low following the financial crisis.

Even words from way across the Atlantic are rattling the U.S. bond market.

The European Central Bank said a couple weeks ago that it could trim stimulus efforts if that region’s economy keeps strengthening.

That could send European rates higher, luring money back into European bonds and out of Treasurys.

Anticipating such a shift, investors pushed Treasury prices lower over the past two weeks, helping to send the yield on the 10-year

This photo provided by BlackRock shows Rick Rieder, chief investment officer of global fixed income at BlackRock. Rieder spoke with The Associated Press about shifts in the bond market.

(Jerry Goldberg/Courtesy of BlackRock via AP)

T-note up to 2.35 percent from 2.13 percent.

Rick Rieder, chief investment officer of global fixed income at BlackRock, which manages $1.6 trillion in bonds, says the bond market is indeed going through a change. But he cautions investors not to get carried away.

Demand for bonds has remained strong this year, and $170 billion flowed

into bond funds through the first five months of this year, nearly double last year’s pace at the same point, according to the Investment Company Institute. That deep hunger for income, a result of an aging population looking to retire, should help keep the upturn for rates moderate, Rieder says.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Many voices are calling this a big inflection point for the bond market. How momentous is this right now?

A: I would agree that things are changing, but I don’t think they’re momentous.

Rates are going to move moderately higher. There’s a demand for income in the world driven by demographics that’s generationally historic, and whenever rates back up, you see this tremendous buying come in (which in turn lessens the upward pressure on rates).

The only thing that’s different than historically is the interest-rate sensitivity of the market is higher. Small moves in rates can lead to decent-sized moves in price.

Q: So many factors seem to be pushing the U.S. bond market, not just the Fed raising rates.

A: Long-end interest rates are influenced more by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan than the Fed, ironically.

When Europe takes some of the pressure off interest rates, it’s so dramatically large, it allows the long end of our interest rates to move out.

Q: What about the Fed paring back its $4.5 billion in bond investments? Will that have a bigger effect on the market than any rate increases?

A: They’re starting very, very slowly. The reduction of the balance sheet, this year, is a smaller influence than a rate move. They’re talking about $10 billion a month, which relative to the size of fixed income markets is tiny.

But in the next two years, the pace is increasing at the same time that the

federal borrowing level is changing. Supply and demand (for Treasurys) come much more in balance, which means rates can move higher.

Q: How much higher?

A: We think 2.50 percent to 2.75 percent for the 10year Treasury this year. You can move to 3.25 percent next year.

Q: Inflation has also remained low for a long time now, and it sounds like you think it can stay that way for a while, which would moderate rising rates.

A: One of the reasons why this is an inflection point but not momentous is we’re witnessing something that’s truly historic. First, what drove the volatility in inflation over the last 25 to 30 years was energy and oil.

We’re witnessing a greater equilibrium in oil, and OPEC doesn’t drive the price any more. There are so many other players.

Second is housing prices.

You go back 20 or 30 years, and the Baby Boomers were driving the environment for housing prices, and you don’t see that now.

Third, technology is pressing down on inflation like nobody’s ever seen before. You saw it in the last (Consumer Price Index) report. From apparel to transportation, i.e. the Uber effect, you’re creating this unbelievable pressure on potential inflation.

Inflation will go higher, but we’re going to be in this range of in and around 2 percent inflation.

Q: So what can investors expect from their bond funds? Certainly not the big returns they got from earlier years. q

BUSINESS A25

Monday 24 July 2017

Your Money:

The importance of bigger earnings for stock funds

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — This earnings season is off to a good start, and the encouraging run is expected to keep going.

Instead of excitement, though, the reaction so far from Wall Street has been more like quiet relief, and funds that track the broad stock market have only edged higher since earnings reports began arriving in earnest last week. That’s because the strong reports that are forecast would be more a justification for the big moves that stock prices have already made rather than reason for further gains. Stock prices have risen more quickly than earnings in recent years, and the two tend to track with each other over the long term. Stocks even rose when profits were shrinking from mid-2015 into 2016, which has the market at more expensive levels relative to corporate profits.

Stock prices for companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index are trading at close to 21 times their earnings per share over the last 12 months, for example.

That’s well above their average price-earnings ratio of 15.5 over the last 10 years, a period that includes both the Great Recession and the long runup for stocks following it.

Of course, interest rates are still low, and investors are willing to pay a higher price for each dollar of earnings in stocks when bonds are offering small yields. But rates are expected to continue climbing modestly, as the Federal Reserve raises short-term interest rates and begins paring back its massive trove of bond in-

for companies that sell a lot to customers in Asia, Europe and elsewhere. The euro has climbed about 10 percent against the dollar this year, for example, which means that each euro of sales at the Apple store in Amsterdam is worth more dollars than before.

Specialist Mario Picone works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. This earnings season is off to a good start, and the encouraging run is expected to keep going. Instead of excitement, though, the reaction so far from Wall Street has been more like relief. That’s because the strong reports that are forecast would be more a justification for the big moves that stock prices have already made, rather than reason for further gains.

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

vestments. So, depending on how high interest rates climb and other factors, corporate earnings may need to keep rising just to keep stock prices where they are today. This reporting season, analysts are expecting S&P 500 companies to report a roughly 6 percent rise in earnings per share from a year earlier. That would be less than half the growth rate of the first three months of the year, but the slowdown is understandable given that the first quarter’s growth rate was the fastest since 2011.

Among the trends to watch for as companies report how they did from April through June: GLOBALISTS GLITTER Coming into this year, many expected President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies to mean companies that do most of their business at home would be the biggest winners.

But the companies that

get most of their sales from abroad may end up this earning season’s stars, now that Europe and developing economies around the world are showing more life after years of disappointment.

Those economic upturns, coupled with a weakening dollar, spell stronger results

OIL IS A WILD CARD The strongest growth this reporting season is expected to come from the energy sector, where analysts say profits more than quadrupled from a year earlier.

Energy is the only area of the market that’s more international than technology in terms of where it gets its revenue, but the biggest factor is the higher price of oil. After plunging below $30 per barrel early last year, crude has remained between $45 and $55 for much of this year.

It’s easier to make outlandish percentage gains when coming off a small base, and energy companies’ profits were decimated by oil’s fall from more than

$100 per barrel in 2014.

But crude’s price still isn’t stable. During June, it dropped as low as $42.05 on expectations that the world still has more oil than it needs. Analysts have already pulled down their earnings expectations as a result, but did they do so by enough? And if oil’s price remains volatile, it could have a big impact on energy companies’ earnings for the second half of the year.

OUTLOOK IS KEY For stocks to rise any more from their already lofty levels, companies will need to keep pumping out further earnings gains, even after this reporting season closes.

For the most part, that’s what analysts expect to happen. The U.S. economy continues to muddle along with modest growth, while other economies are accelerating.

Companies, meanwhile, have slashed their costs and are able to hold onto more of each dollar in revenue as profit.q

A26 COMICS

Monday 24 July 2017

Mutts

Conceptis Sudoku

6 Chix

Blondie

Mother Goose & Grimm

Baby Blues

Zits

Saturday’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

Monday 24 July 2017

Lifestyle changes could guard against dementia

In this Oct. 7, 2003 photo, a section of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease is on display at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo, in Buffalo, N.Y. There are no proven ways to stave off Alzheimer’s, but a new report raises the prospect that avoiding nine risks starting in childhood just might delay or even prevent about a third of dementia cases.

(AP Photo/David Duprey)

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Seek a good education. Control blood pressure and diabetes. Get off the couch.

There are some hints, but no proof yet, that these and other lifestyle changes just might help stave off dementia.

A provocative report in the British journal Lancet Thursday raised the prospect that a third of dementia cases around the world could be delayed or even prevented by avoiding key risks starting in childhood that can make the brain more vulnerable to memory loss in old age.

A recent U.S. report was much more cautious, saying there are encouraging clues that a few lifestyle changes can bolster brain health and that more research is critical.

Still, it’s never too early to try, said Lancet lead author Gill Livingston, a psychiatry professor at University College London.

“Although dementia is diagnosed in later life, the brain changes usually begin to develop years before,” she noted.

Early next year, a $20 million U.S. study will begin rigorously testing if some simple day-to-day activities truly help older adults stay sharp.

“We are in a frustrating position science-wise in terms of what are our options?” said cognitive neuroscientist Laura Baker of Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, who will

lead the new study to find out.

In the meantime, Alzheimer’s specialists say there’s little down side to following some common-sense recommendations.

Consider physical activity, crucial for heart health.

“If in fact it should also improve the prospects for cognitive function and dementia, all the better,” said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the U.S. National Institute on Aging and an avid exerciser.

“Increased health of the body supports increased health of the brain,” Baker added.

Here’s the latest from this week’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on possible ways to guard your brain: KEY RISKS

A Lancet-appointed panel created a model of dementia risks throughout life that estimates about 35 percent of all dementia cases are attributable to nine risk factors — risks that people potentially could change.

Their resulting recommendations: Ensure good childhood education; avoid high blood pressure, obesity and smoking; manage diabetes, depression and age-related hearing loss; be physically active; stay socially engaged in old age.

The theory: These factors together play a role in whether your brain is resilient enough to withstand years of silent damage that eventually leads to Alzheimer’s.

DOES CHANGING THESE OR OTHER LIFESTYLE FACTORS REALLY HELP? Last month, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reported there’s little rigorous proof.

That report found some evidence that controlling blood pressure, exercise and some forms of brain training — keeping intellectually stimulated — might work and couldn’t hurt.

Why? What’s good for the heart is generally good for the brain. In fact, high blood pressure that can trigger heart attacks and strokes also increases risk for what’s called “vascular dementia.”q

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A28 SCIENCE

Monday 24 July 2017

SpaceX chief says 1st launch of big new rocket will be risky

SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaks in Guadalajara, Mexico. Musk said last week the first launch of its big new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, is risky and stands “a real good chance” of failure.

(AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s chief said last week that the first launch of its big new rocket is risky and stands “a real good chance” of failure.

Founder Elon Musk told

a space station research conference that he wants to set realistic expectations for the flight later this year from Cape Canaveral. The Falcon Heavy will have three boosters instead of one, and 27 engines instead of nine, all of which

must ignite simultaneously.

No one will be aboard the initial flights. When it comes time to add people, Musk said, “no question, whoever’s on the first flight, brave.”

SpaceX plans to fly two paying customers to the

moon late next year, using a Falcon Heavy.

While the moon may not be in Musk’s personal travel plans, he said in response to a question that he’d like to ride one of his smaller Falcon rockets to the International Space Station in maybe three or four years. SpaceX plans to start ferrying NASA astronauts to the orbiting outpost, using Falcon 9 rockets and enhanced Dragon capsules, by the middle of next year. SpaceX now uses the Dragon capsule to deliver supplies to the space station. “All right, we’ll put you on the manifest,” said NASA’s space station program manager Kirk Shireman. Speaking for over an hour at the Washington conference, Musk encouraged people to go to Cape Canaveral for the Falcon Heavy launch. “It’s guaranteed to be exciting,” he promised, getting a big laugh.

“There’s a lot of risk associated with Falcon Heavy, real good chance that

NASA communications satellite damaged before launch

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest, slickest communications satellite has been damaged, just three weeks before its planned August launch.

NASA said last week that

one of the antennas on the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-M (T-drissM), was damaged.

The accident occurred inside a payload processing building near Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the satellite was being packed for

launch.

Officials are providing no details. But the mishap could delay what was supposed to be an Aug. 3 liftoff aboard an Atlas V (five) rocket. In a brief statement, NASA says the mission team is assessing the damage

and flight schedule.

TDRS-M is the third-generation in this satellite series.

The orbiting network links ground controllers with the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope and other spacecraft.q

that vehicle does not make it to orbit,” he said.

“Major pucker factor, really, is like the only way to describe it.”

Building the Falcon Heavy has proven harder than SpaceX envisioned, according to Musk. But it will be capable of lifting more than double the amount of payload into orbit than the current Falcon 9, and also hoisting a SpaceX Dragon capsule into a loop around the moon. As for Mars, Musk said he favored friendly competition for getting astronauts to the red planet. NASA for years has supported an international effort. Musk said it would be better to have at least two or three-country coalitions striving to get there first and making the most progress. He praised the model used by NASA in the commercial crew program, in which both SpaceX and Boeing are developing capsules for flying space station astronauts. Americans have not launched from home soil since the last shuttle flight in 2011, instead forced to use Russian rockets. The crew Dragons will parachute into the ocean just like the cargo Dragons; land landings were scrapped because of the work needed to make everything safe.

Musk said he’s updated his long-term plan for colonizing Mars to make it more economically feasible. q

PEOPLE & ARTS A29

Monday 24 July 2017

A look at plans for new rides and more at Disney parks

By JOSEPH LONGO Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disney is calling upon the “Guardians of the Galaxy” and a cohort of blockbuster movies to help modernize its amusement parks.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek unveiled the upcoming attractions at both international and domestic Disney parks during its D23 fan expo in Anaheim, California, on July 15.

Most of the upcoming projects are expected to be completed by Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021. Here’s a recap of some of the big announcements, including a legendary mascot finally getting his own ride.

STAR WARS SLEEPERS A themed resort will join the family of “Star Wars” attractions at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, including Star Tours and the pre-

viously announced Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land expansion. Chapek emphasized the resort’s “100 percent immersive” experience, saying it is Disney’s most experiential park concept to date. Guests can become citizens of the Star Wars galaxy, including the chance to dress in proper attire.

EPCOT OVERHAUL Epcot, Disney World’s second-oldest park, is receiving a much-needed update. Chapek said the makeover boosts Epcot’s relevance and family appeal.

A “Guardians of the Galaxy” ride in Future World will buoy the park’s space travel theme, replacing the Universe of Energy attraction closing this summer.

Ratatouille: The Adventure ride, which originated at Disneyland Paris, is headed to Epcot’s France Pavilion. Shanghai Disneyland’s

A crowd of people wait to enter the D23 Expo as crews do interviews outside the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday, July 14, 2017.

(Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

TRON Lightcycle Power Run attraction is also coming stateside, making a second home in the Magic Kingdom.

PIXAR PIER

Pixar Pier is replacing Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure as an immersive hub for all Pixar characters. The announcement reinforces Disneyland as the premiere location for

Pixar, also home to a land themed on “Cars” and a previously announced “Toy Story” land. The forthcoming attractions are expected to open in time for a limited-run Pixar Fest in 2018.q

A30 PEOPLE

Monday 24 July 2017

& ARTS

Victory for ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Girls Trip’ at the box office

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s victory for “Dunkirk” and “Girls Trip” at the box office this weekend. Both original and well-reviewed films smashed expectations and enticed diverse audiences to the theaters, even though cumulatively summer remains down from last year.

Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic brought in an

estimated $50.5 million to easily top the charts, according to Warner Bros., while the raucous comedy “Girls Trip” broke the R-rated comedy slump of 2017 with $30.4 million to take second place.

“Dunkirk” was far from an inevitable summer success, but stellar reviews, awards buzz and hype around the film’s large-scale production helped drive people to the theater and large-

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Regina Hall, from left, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish in a scene from the comedy “Girls Trip.”

(Michele K. Short/Universal Pictures via AP)

format screens.

“We’re beyond thrilled with this exceptional achievement for ‘Dunkirk,’” said Jeff Goldstein, who heads distribution for Warner Bros.

“The critical reception worldwide has been consistently effusive. It really propelled this movie that wasn’t an obvious win.”

Audiences were 60 percent male and 76 percent over the age of 25 for the PG-13 rated film, while IMAX audiences represented 23 percent of the market share (or $11.7 million of the total grosses from only 402 screens).

“It became a must-see event,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore.

Drawing quite a different audience was the buddy comedy “Girls Trip,” starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith

and Queen Latifah as a group of girlfriends who head to New Orleans for a weekend of fun. The Universal film drew in an audience that was 79 percent female and 50 percent under the age of 30. Fifty-nine percent of attendees were estimated to be AfricanAmerican.

Notably, audiences gave the film a stellar A+ CinemaScore, suggesting the film will have long-term playability. “’Girls Trip’ was a perfectly counter-programmed box office surprise,” Dergarabedian said. “It broke the R-rated comedy curse that has afflicted this summer with ‘Baywatch,’ ‘Snatched,’ ‘Rough Night’ and ‘The House.’”

For Universal, the formula is more simple: “Girls Trip,” unlike the aforementioned comedies, is resonating

budgetaruba@setarnet.aw

with audiences.

“When the taste for entertainment and comedy has been somewhat underserved, it is not because people aren’t interested in laughing, it’s that they’re waiting for something funny to come along,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “One of the great things about this comedy is that it’s really funny.”

Not so successful was Luc Besson’s nearly $180 million sci-fi epic “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” which earned $17 million from North American theaters over the weekend for a fifth-place start. It came in behind “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” in third in its third weekend with $22 million and “War for the Planet of the Apes” in fourth place in its second weekend with $20.4 million.q

PEOPLE & ARTS A31

Monday 24 July 2017

‘Westworld’ cast talks existentialism, robots at Comic-Con

By SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Actress Evan Rachel Wood says working on “Westworld” changed her life.

She says the series about a futuristic park manned by robot hosts where humans can live out their fantasies has inspired existential questions about her own

life. She also says the powerful character she plays has empowered her offscreen as well.

“It’s so fulfilling,” she said Saturday at a Comic-Con panel for the HBO show.

“Because especially as women, and I don’t know if this is true for men too, but a lot of times you feel as if your wings have been

clipped and you’re not being represented the way that you want to.

And this was like just like somebody had given me (expletive) condor wings and I got to take off and fly.”

Wood appeared alongside showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and her fellow cast members for a

presentation inside the San Diego Convention Center’s largest exhibition hall. Other cast members at the panel included Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson and Thandie Newton.

Newton said she’s been inspired and empowered by her role on the show, which recently received 22 Emmy

nominations.

“I’m so into the existential stuff on the show,” she said. “In moment of chaos, when you think you know nothing, that’s when gifts come. I just think that’s incredibly profound.”

Though her character is an android prostitute, she gradually becomes more self-aware.q

Comic-Con goes wild for ‘Black Panther’ at Marvel panel

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — “Black Panther” stole the show Saturday night at Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con presentation, outshining the Ant-Man, Thor and even the ultimate Avengers team-up, “Infinity War.” Fans went wild for the exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming superhero pic, featuring star Chadwick Boseman T’Challa intercepting a sketchy vibranium trade between Andy Serkis’ Klaw and Martin Freeman’s Everett.

Set in an elegant, Japanese-inspired casino, the deal goes haywire and T’Challa and his security detail (Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira) jump to action in their evening gowns to retrieve the precious goods.

The clip was followed by the trailer for the film from “Creed” director Ryan Coogler and the 6,500 souls in the audience erupted into deafening cheers at the sight of T’Challa morphing into the Black Panther suit.

The film finds T’Challa re-

Lupita Nyong’o, left, and Michael B. Jordan attend the “Marvel” panel on day 3 of Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 22, 2017, in San Diego.

(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

turning to his home of Wakanda after the death of his father, the king.

“He’s still mourning his father’s death. It’s a transition period that gets interrupted, and he’s struggling with the type of king he wants to be,” said Boseman.

Coogler, Boseman, Nyong’o, Gurira, Serkis and more of the cast were on

hand in San Diego to talk about the film, out Feb, 16, 2019.

Nyong’o described her character as a spy who goes undercover to report back to Wakanda about what is going on in the rest of the world.

“Wakanda is an isolated nation,” Nyongo said. “The world does not need to

know what’s going on in Wakanda.”

Coogler said he’d always had a fondness for comic books, and found “Black Panther” at a pivotal moment.

“I grew up as black kid in the Bay Area and grew up with comic books and it didn’t matter what color the superheroes were. I

read X-Men, I read SpiderMan,” Coogler said. Then he started looking for a character that looked like him and he stumbled on Black Panther.

Marvel Studios also teased its third “Thor” film, “Thor: Ragnarok ,” which has quite a different and more irreverent tone from previous installments, and hits theaters in November.

“I’ve played this character five times,” Chris Hemsworth told the audience.

“Me, personally, I got a little bored and thought we’ve got to try something a little different ... Push the envelope, take it to another level.”

So, they cut his hair, take his hammer away and pit him against Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett. When Blanchett’s Hela, the goddess of death, invades Asgard, Thor finds himself on the run and under the control of Goldblum’s Grandmaster on Sakaar where he is pitted against the Hulk in a Gladiator tournament.

In this film, the Hulk refuses to turn back into Bruce Banner, but he is learning to speak, albeit slowly.q

Spielberg debuts action-packed ‘Ready Player One’ footage

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — When Steven Spielberg first read the book “Ready Player One,” which is about a dystopian future where humans take refuge in a virtual reality world, he had one thought: “They’re going to need a younger director.”

But Spielberg decided to take on the challenge anyway, spending two and

a half years bringing author Ernest Cline’s vision to life. The director unveiled a new action- and nostalgia-packed trailer for the film Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con to much excitement.

The 6,500-person Hall H crowd gave the director a standing ovation and cheered heartily when the first images of “the stacks” appeared showing a bleak

vision of the housing situation in Columbus, Ohio, in 2045. Tye Sheridan stars as the lead character Wade Owen Watts, who longs to have been born in the 1980s.

For Spielberg, the film was a chance to both go back to his heyday of filmmaking while also gazing into the future. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted references to everything from “Tron” to “The

Iron Giant” in the footage.

“It was like the most amazing flash-forward and flashback at the same time,” Spielberg said.

For Cline, having Spielberg directing the adaptation of his book was like closing a circle. He grew up on Spielberg’s films, which informed how he evolved as a writer.

“They are woven into the fabric of my DNA,” Cline said. “I learned how to be

a storyteller because of this man.”

He brought his DeLorean to his first meeting with the director in honor of “Back to the Future,” which he had Spielberg autograph, Cline said. Co-star T.J. Miller went one step further in his Spielberg fandom, sporting “Back to the Future” inspired sneakers, and “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial” inspired red hoodie and T-shirt.q

A32 FEATURE

Monday 24 July 2017

Optimism survives on 25th anniversary of Seeds of Peace

A camper from Israel, left, and the United Kingdom discuss music at the Seeds of Peace camp, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Otisfield, Maine. For 25 years, Israeli and Palestinian teens have been coming to the woods of Maine, along with campers from other countries at conflict, to try to work toward peace. They’re no closer to resolving the conflict but there’s still hope, the latest group says.

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press OTISFIELD, Maine (AP) — Middle East peace is no closer today than it was a quarter century ago when Seeds of Peace brought the first Israeli and Palestinian teens together in the woods of Maine. But the latest group to spend time together sees reason for optimism.

Husam Zarour, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, said Israeli and Palestinian youth have inherited an untenable situation but that it’s their job to fix it.

“We are born in this place and running way is not a solution. We should not give up. We should face this issue and try to solve it,” the 16-year-old said.

The lakeside camp that’s celebrating its 25th anniversary was created when the late foreign news correspondent John Wallach brought a group of Israeli and Arab teens in 1993 amid clashes over territory and Palestinians’ desire for an independent state.

The hope is to find common ground so that one

A camp counselor videotapes campers from Israel, India and Palestine as they speak about their experiences at the Seeds of Peace camp, Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Otisfield, Maine.

day, there can be lasting peace. Over the years, more than 6,000 graduates of the program have become politicians, business leaders, teachers, journalists, nonprofit leaders and parents. Many of the ArabIsraeli friendships that took root in Maine have en-

dured despite violence in the homeland. Yet peace remains as elusive as ever.

“I don’t think our founder was under the impression that we were going to create the peace treaty overnight,” executive director Leslie Lewin said while watching the teens play

soccer. “We’ve got a lot of work to do but we feel like we’re making a dent.”

The 67-acre (27-hectare) camp has expanded its reach over the years, bringing in teenagers from other trouble spots such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, India and Pakistan. These

days, there’s also a separate camp for U.S. teens aimed at healing some of the nation’s divisions.

The three-week camp, which wraps up this weekend, relies on the same formula used since the beginning. Built on respect, trust and communication, teenagers raised to see each other as enemies learn through dialogue sessions that they have a lot in common despite differences in culture and religion.

Noam Gabay, a 15-yearold from Tiberias, Israel, said former foes that he knew only from news accounts were transformed into something he couldn’t fathom before.

“I didn’t think we could be friends,” he said.

The only Maine summer camp protected by state police provides a safe haven for the teens, some of whom have had friends and family killed or jailed.

Each day, there are discussions in which the teens share their stories, followed by group challenges where campers are thrust into in trust-oriented activities. They also join in traditional summer camp activities like boating, swimming, games, drama, art and music.

Ynon Reiner, 14, of Kiryat Ono, Israel, described working with a Palestinian teen on a ropes course high above the ground.

They had to pass each other to get to the other side.

Complicating things, Reiner was blindfolded and relying on instructions of his Palestinian peer.

“You’re suspended in the air. Someone is telling you what to do. You don’t care if he’s a Palestinian. You’re 6 meters (20 feet) high!”

Reiner said.

Through angry and tearful discussions, the campers learned about each other’s suffering. They also learned about common goals.

“We both deserve a peaceful life. We both deserve a happy life. And we want this for our kids. We don’t want our kids to live in the same way we lived,” Zarour said.q