News Summary: Report says SEC probes Herbalife

SEC SEEKERS: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe into Herbalife Ltd. The newspaper cited an unnamed person close to the inquiry.
TIP OF THE PYRAMID? Herbalife has been facing investor questions about its business model. Last month, Pershing Square Capital Management's William Ackman said he was shorting the stock for several months after concluding that the company is a pyramid scheme.
APPEAL TO ANALYSTS: Herbalife vehemently denies that it is a pyramid scheme. It plans to meet with analysts and investors Thursday to discuss its business model.

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Asia stocks rise on positive start to US earnings

BANGKOK (AP) — A positive start to U.S. corporate earnings season helped boost Asian stock markets Thursday.
Major regional benchmarks rose on the heels of a handful of better-than-expected results that also lifted Wall Street.
Consumer products maker Helen of Troy, whose brands include Dr. Scholl's and Vidal Sassoon, reported a 15 percent profit increase. Electronic payments processor Global Payments said its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose nearly 15 percent, beating Wall Street expectations.
After markets closed Tuesday, Alcoa Inc. predicted rising demand for its aluminum this year and topped revenue expectations for the fourth quarter. Earlier in the day, agricultural products giant Monsanto said its profit tripled and raised its guidance for 2013.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.9 percent to 10,677.74. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1 percent to 23,439.46. South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 2,005.39 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.4 percent to 4,725.80.
The European Central Bank will meet later Thursday to set monetary policy for the 17 countries that use the euro. It is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.75 percent even though the eurozone economy as a whole is back in recession. Investors are also awaiting the release in the U.S. of weekly jobless claims.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.5 percent to close at 13,390.51 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.3 percent to 1,461.02. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.5 percent to 3,105.81.
Benchmark crude oil contract for February delivery was up 33 cents to $93.44 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 5 cents to close at $93.10 per barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3047 from $1.3053 while the dollar rose to 88.05 yen from 87.75 yen.

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Play or Sit: the coaches' quandary

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NEW YORK (AP) — At some point, an injured player, even a star like Robert Griffin III, is too hampered to help a team. Deciding when enough is enough is the problem.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan became the target of widespread criticism after Griffin reinjured his right knee in Sunday's 24-14 wild-card loss to Seattle. The questions have ranged from whether Shanahan made his sensational rookie's health his No. 1 priority to whether the protocol for dealing with injuries was followed.
Coaches who have been in such tricky situations say the solutions aren't complicated.
"You have to rely on the doctors, the health always has to come first," said Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy. "If the doctor says he can go or he can't go, you don't argue, there's not even a discussion.
"If the doctors say, 'Here are the limitations, he can go,' then you have to judge for yourself. How is he mentally? How limited is he physically?"
Dungy recalls many times when players wanted to go and he had to say no. While coaching the Buccaneers, Dungy told Warren Sapp he wouldn't be suiting up for a national TV game against Miami because Sapp had cracked a bone in his hand.
Sapp wanted to wear a splint, but team doctors said it was too soon for him to play.
"Warren was upset," Dungy said.
"If you ask the player, it means nothing. It's rare a player will tell you he can't do this or this or that."
Shanahan said Monday that Griffin will see renowned orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations on the knee, leaving open the possibility the quarterback will be sidelined for a lengthy period.
Shanahan added he thought he made the "right decisions" and it would be "crazy" to think he would purposely sacrifice Griffin's career to win a game.
But Shanahan admitted he did not talk to team doctors initially after Griffin was hurt in the first quarter.
"I went up to Robert. I said, 'You OK?'" Shanahan said. "And he said, 'I'm fine.'"
Not exactly the way some coaches would have handled it.
"You never put a player in harm's way," said Herm Edwards, who defended how Shanahan handled the situation during his ESPN show.
"It starts with the medical staff on the sideline. They advise you if a player is able to go back in. If they say, 'Yea,' you put him back in. If he can play, you keep him on the field."
Players don't ever want to come out, and Dungy says some will even try to hide medical problems. Or at least minimize them.
San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis suffered a concussion on Dec. 23 at Seattle and returned to play in the season finale against Arizona. He admits to being a little "woozy" during his limited reps, but insists sitting should not have been the first option.
"You trust the player. A player knows his body better than anyone," Davis said. "If he's feeling a certain way, then I don't think you can go against that. He knows he can play."
But he could be placing himself in greater jeopardy, whether in the short term or for his entire career. For every Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles who makes a stunningly quick recovery, there are dozens of players who are never the same.
Some don't even get back in uniform again.
Or they come back too quickly, as Griffin's teammate, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, did in 2010.
Hall missed practice leading up to a game against the Colts. Usually, Shanahan bars players from suiting up when that happens, but Hall was allowed to play.
"I gave up a couple of touchdown passes," Hall said. "And Mike was just like, 'That's my fault, you shouldn't have been out there. I respect you wanted to be out there, but I could tell you just couldn't go.'
"You always want to be out there. It's nothing against the guys behind you, but just that competitiveness in you. You want to compete, you want to be a part of it, especially this run we've had.
"Man, it would have been hard for that guy (RG3) to say, 'Nah, coach I can't go' or 'pull me.' Everything was going so special, he wanted to be a part of it."
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Colts' Arians returns to Indy after hospital stay

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians returned to Indianapolis on Monday night after being released from a Baltimore hospital following a 36-hour stay for an undisclosed illness.
Team owner Jim Irsay told The Associated Press in a text message that Arians was accompanied by two team doctors, had been medicated and appeared to be on the mend.
"He was in good spirits (and) is trending (in) right direction," Irsay wrote.
Arians was admitted to the hospital Sunday morning after complaining he felt ill at the team breakfast. Without Arians, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen called the plays in the 24-9 season-ending loss to the Ravens.
Doctors ran a series of tests. Head coach Chuck Pagano acknowledged earlier Monday that although each of the tests was negative, the doctors decided to keep Arians in the hospital until his blood pressure stabilized.
"Whatever he's dealing with, they would have let him come home early this morning, but whatever he's dealing with affected his blood pressure and they're not going to release him until they get the blood pressure under control, which they will," Pagano said during a regularly-scheduled afternoon news conference.
The Colts couldn't wait to get Arians back in town.
They're next task is keeping him in the locker room — though players and coaches believe Arians has done enough to warrant getting a head coaching job. It's a delicate balancing act for the Colts, who have given permission to at least two teams, Chicago and Philadelphia, to speak with Arians about their coaching vacancies.
There has been speculation that Cleveland and San Diego are also interested in Arians.
Teams seeking a younger, more image-conscious coach may not be interested in the 60-year-old Arians, who has a penchant for telling it like it is and in a folksy way. His only previous head-coaching experience came during a six-year tenure at Temple in the 1980s.
But it's hard to argue with the rest of his resume.
After Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in September, Arians became the interim coach and guided the Colts to a 9-3 mark. That tied the NFL record for most victories after a midseason coaching change.
He mentored Peyton Manning, Tim Couch, Ben Roethlisberger and now Andrew Luck. He won two Super Bowls as an assistant in Pittsburgh, served on Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at Alabama and has had a big part in two of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history — the 10-game improvement of the 1999 Colts and Indy's nine-game improvement this year.
Clearly, the Colts (11-6) want him to come back, but they also understand why he's a hot commodity on the coaching carousel only one year after he was nearly forced into retirement.
"We do not want to lose Bruce," Pagano said. "He is so valuable to this organization and what he means to this organization and what he's done. You want the best for Bruce. I want the best for Bruce. I want the best for his family. I want him to achieve and reach any goals that he has for himself throughout his coaching years, things like that. It's a hard spot. Again, people are going to go after good people and this is just a byproduct of the success that we've had here."
Luck said he wants Arians back, too.
"Selfishly, I hope he doesn't go anywhere," Luck said before jokingly reiterating what he said last week — that if teams asked him for a recommendation he would say terrible things about Arians to keep him in Indy.
He's not the only one at the team complex trying to do that.
"We will just use social media. We will get on the Internet, just like they do around draft time with all the players, all the baggage starts to come out," Pagano said, drawing laughter. "We won't do it here. We will just wait until later this evening, the next couple of weeks and start putting all that stuff out if it gets serious."
The likelihood is that those talks will get serious.
Arians has repeatedly told reporters in Indy that he will only leave for the right fit and that wherever he lands, he still wants to call the plays — even if that means staying in Indy, where the entire offense would like to have him back for Year 2 of the Colts' reconstruction project.
"I want to be selfish but I can't," tight end Dwayne Allen said. "Bruce is such a great guy and what he did for us this year, the job as a head coach and an offensive coordinator was just unbelievable and he deserves an opportunity if he wants to. Hopefully he decides to stay with us because we'd love to have him but if we have to part ways, then so be it."

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UPDATE 2-American Football-Alabama crush Notre Dame to win championship

MIAMI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Alabama's 'Crimson Tide' swept aside Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game on Monday, dominating the 'Fighting Irish' 42-14 to win their third college football title in four years.
Notre Dame, 12-0 in the regular season, had been looking for their first national title since 1988 but were all at sea against irresistible Alabama, who set the tone of the game with an utterly one-sided 28-0 first half.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron threw four touchdown passes and finished with 264 yards through the air, while running back Eddie Lacy and receiver Amari Cooper had two scores each as the Crimson Tide claimed back-to-back titles.
The victory confirmed Nick Saban as the most successful active coach in college football with four national titles, taking him within two of Alabama great Bear Bryant.
The one-sided nature of a game featuring the top ranked Notre Dame will inevitably lead to further criticism of the ranking system, though a new system is to be introduced in 2014 that will see four teams battle it out for the crown at the end of the regular season.
Regardless of the system, few would argue that Alabama, beaten only by Texas A&M in the regular season, are worthy national champions - a status acknowledged before the game by Las Vegas bookmakers if not the rankings.
The matchup had been described as a return to the pinnacle of college football for Notre Dame but it ended in embarrassment for the team in shiny golden helmets, who have won 11 'consensus' national titles but endured some lean years of late.
The chance of a first title since the introduction of the BCS championship game in 1998 drew a huge Notre Dame following to Miami where they made up the bulk of the record 80,120 crowd at the Dolphins' Sun Life stadium.
PULSATING ATMOSPHERE
After marching bands had whipped up the atmosphere, it was quickly apparent that the smaller but wildly enthusiastic Alabama support would be heading home happy.
Alabama's first drive ended in a 20 yard touchdown run from the powerful Lacy, ably assisted by an imposing offensive line that swiftly establish supremacy.
McCarron then found tight-end Michael Williams with a three yard pass as Alabama took a 14-0 first quarter lead.
The second quarter saw a one yard rushing score from T.J. Yeldon and then Lacy collected a pass from McCarron and ran into the end-zone for an 11 yard score.
Alabama's power in the running game was evident in the yards put up by their two main backs - Lacy rushed for 140 yards and Yeldon 108.
Receiver Amari Cooper was left wide-open to score on a 34 yard McCarron pass in the third before Notre Dame gave their fans something to cheer with quarterback Everett Golson running the ball in from two yards out.
McCarron and Cooper combined again for a fourth quarter score before Notre Dame's Golson found Theo Riddick with a six yard pass to make the final score 42-14.
With the game already won and three minutes left on the clock, Saban sent out back-up quarterback Blake Sims and other reserves to get a taste of the glory. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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ING Bank may cut more costs as bad loans weigh

Dutch banking and insurance group ING said it may need to cut more costs to cope with new regulations and high provisions for bad loans, highlighting the pressures on banks to shrink their businesses.
Banks globally are facing higher capital requirements to satisfy regulators at a time when a weak economy is reducing demand for investment banking and credit services, forcing them to reduce costs by cutting operations and jobs.
Deutsche Bank in September announced a plan to cut bonuses, axe more jobs and sell assets to meet tougher capital rules, while Swiss bank UBS is cutting 10,000 jobs as it winds down its fixed-income division.
Nomura Holdings Inc , Japan's biggest brokerage, will make cuts in its equities and investment banking businesses, with its loss-making European operations taking the biggest hit.
ING, which is dismantling its banking and insurance model after needing 10 billion euros ($13 billion) of state aid in 2008, said on Monday the weak economy would continue to have an impact on operations.
"Risk costs for the bank have been increasing amid the economic downturn, and we don't foresee an immediate improvement," Chief Executive Jan Hommen said in a New Year's speech to his employees.
Risk costs are provisions for loans that are not expected to be repaid or not repaid fully because borrowers are in financial trouble or are going bankrupt.
"While we have initiated steps to reduce expenses, we are also confronted with headwinds including higher regulatory costs and the Dutch bank tax, and we must continue to align our cost structure to a leaner operating environment," Hommen said.
In November, ING announced a second round of job cuts, axing 2,350 mostly European jobs. That followed a plan in 2011 to cut 2,700 Dutch jobs to cope with deteriorating markets.
ING employed 86,881 people at the end of September.
ING shares were up 2.9 percent at 7.60 euros by 1010 GMT, in line with increases in the share prices of other European banks after regulators eased global bank liquidity rules to enable lenders to issue more credit to help struggling economies grow.

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Japan to compile 12 trillion yen extra budget: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government will compile a 12 trillion yen ($136.30 billion) extra budget with up to 10 trillion yen set aside for economic stimulus, several sources told Reuters on Monday.
The government will sell more than 5 trillion in new bonds to fund the budget, the sources said. The remaining funds will come from unspent money from last fiscal year's budget and money originally allocated to servicing existing debt, the sources said.

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Canada leading indicator edges up 0.1 percent in November

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The composite leading indicator for Canada rose 0.1 percent in November, slowing down from October on a housing market downturn and weak manufacturing as the economy hits a soft patch.
The index rose 0.2 percent in October and was up every month in 2012 except July, said a report on Monday by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. The think tank developed the modified indicator last year to replace the one discontinued by the country's official statistics agency.
"The marginal gains in the leading indicator augur slow economic growth into early 2013, although the manufacturing sector turned down as uncertainty grew about the global economy," the institute said in a release.
The housing index fell 3.3 percent in November, the fifth consecutive decline as housing starts and existing home sales weakened.
In manufacturing, new orders fell 0.7 percent and the average workweek shrank by 0.3 percent.
Employment insurance claims rose for the first time in eight months in spite of strong employment data in the fourth quarter.
The stock market and commodity prices were the main areas of strength offsetting the weakness elsewhere.

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Venezuela's official statement on Chavez's health

English translation of statement read by Vice President Nicolas Maduro in Havana on Sunday about the health of President Hugo Chavez:
"The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela fulfills its duty by informing the Venezuelan people about the course of President Hugo Chavez's medical treatment after the surgery performed in Havana, Cuba on Dec. 11.
"As is known, on December 28 we traveled to Havana on the instructions of the President Commander, and I proceed to make the following report:
"Arriving in Havana, we went immediately to the hospital to update ourselves firsthand on the situation of the Commander President's health.
"We were informed of new complications arising from the already known respiratory infection.
"Yesterday, we kept abreast of the evolution of the situation and the response to treatment. We met several times with his medical team and his closest relatives.
"A few minutes ago we were with President Chavez, we greeted each other and he himself referred to these complications.
"We had the opportunity to share with the current national situation, the successful inaugurations of Bolivarian governors in 20 departments, and the satisfactory reception of his New Year message to the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
"In particular, Commander Chavez wanted his New Year greeting transmitted to all Venezuelan families, who are gathering together in these days along the length and breadth of the country; he especially sent a warm hug to all the boys and girls of Venezuela, reminding them that he always holds them close to his heart. The embrace was extended to all our people, so that they receive love in 2013, a year which should be of the greatest happiness for our homeland, of definitive consolidation of our independence and national unity.
"The President gave us precise instructions so that, after finishing the visit, we would tell the (Venezuelan) people about his current health condition.
"Nineteen days after his complex surgery, President Chavez's state of health continues to be delicate, with complications that are being attended to, in a process not without risks. Thanks to his physical and spiritual strength, Commander Chavez is facing this difficult situation.
"At the same time, we have decided to announce that we will stay in Havana for the next few hours, accompanying the Commander and his family, very attentive to how the current situation is evolving.
"Confident that the global outpouring of love and solidarity for Commander Chavez, along with his immense will to live and the care of the best medical specialists will help our president successfully fight this new battle.

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Venezuelans offer prayers, songs for Hugo Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans gathered on plazas and in churches to pray for President Hugo Chavez amid what seems an increasingly gloomy outlook for the ailing leader in his fight against cancer.
Following an announcement that Chavez had suffered "new complications" from a respiratory infection after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba, people were out in the streets of Caracas on Monday talking about the leftist president's chances of surviving.
"He's history now," said Cesar Amaro, a street vendor selling newspapers and snacks at a kiosk downtown. He motioned to a daily on the rack showing side-by-side photos of Vice President Nicolas Maduro and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, and said politics will now turn to them.
The vendor said he expected a new election soon to replace Chavez, who won re-election in October. "For an illness like the one the president has, his days are numbered now," Amaro said.
In Bolivar Plaza in downtown Caracas, Chavez's supporters strummed guitars and read poetry in his honor on New Year's Eve. They sang along with a recording of the president belting out the national anthem.
About 300 people filled a Caracas church for a Mass to pray for Chavez.
"This country would be terrible without Chavez. He's the president of the poor," said Josefa Carvajal, a 75-year-old former maid who sat in the pews. "They say the president is very sick. I believe he's going to get better."
Chavez's aides held a Mass at the presidential palace, while government officials urged Venezuelans to keep their leader in their prayers.
Some who stood in Bolivar Plaza held pictures of Chavez. Speaking to the crowd, lawmaker Earle Herrera said that Chavez "is continuing to fight the battle he has to fight."
"He's an undefeated president, and he'll continue to be undefeated," Herrera said.
Political analyst Ricardo Sucre said the outlook for Chavez appeared grim. Noting that Maduro appeared weary during a solemn televised appearance Sunday night to announce the latest setback for Chavez, Sucre said that spoke volumes about the situation.
"Everything suggests Chavez's health situation hasn't evolved as hoped," Sucre said. He said Maduro likely remained in Havana to keep close watch on how Chavez's condition develops.
"These hours should be key to having a more definitive prognosis of Chavez's health, and as a consequence to making the corresponding political decisions according to the constitution," Sucre said.
Sucre and other Venezuelans said it seems increasingly unlikely that Chavez would be able to be sworn in as scheduled Jan. 10 for his new term.
The Venezuelan leader has not been seen or heard from since undergoing his fourth cancer-related surgery on Dec. 11, and government officials have said he might not return in time for his inauguration for a new six-year term.
If Chavez dies or is unable to continue in office, the Venezuelan Constitution says that a new election should be held within 30 days.
Before his operation, Chavez acknowledged he faced risks and designated Maduro as his successor, telling supporters they should vote for the vice president if a new presidential election were necessary.
Chavez said at the time that his cancer had come back despite previous surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has been fighting an undisclosed type of pelvic cancer since June 2011.
"The situation does not look good," said David Smilde, a University of Georgia sociologist and analyst for the Washington Office on Latin America think tank.
"Mentioning twice in his nationally televised speech that Chavez has suffered new complications only reinforces the appearance that the situation is serious," he added.
Smilde said Maduro probably made the trip "to be able to talk to Chavez himself and perhaps to talk to the Castros and other Cuban advisers about how to navigate the possibility of Chavez not being able to be sworn in on Jan. 10."
Medical experts say that it's common for patients who have undergone major surgeries to suffer respiratory infections and that how a patient fares can vary widely from a quick recovery in a couple of days to a fight for life on a respirator.
On the streets of Caracas, images of Chavez smiling and saluting are emblazoned on campaign signs and murals. One newly painted mural reads: "Be strong, Chavez."
Venezuelans rang in the New Year as usual with fireworks raining down all over the capital of Caracas. But one government-organized outdoor party that had been scheduled in Bolivar Plaza with a lineup of Venezuela bands was canceled due to Chavez's precarious condition.
State television played video of Chavez campaigning for re-election, including a speech when he shouted: "I am a nation!"
A new government sign atop a high-rise apartment complex reads: "YOU ALSO ARE CHAVEZ."
Norelys Araque, who was selling holiday cakes on a sidewalk Monday, said she has been praying for Chavez. But, she added, "I don't think he will last long."
Araque said that her family has benefited from state-run subsidized food markets and education programs started by Chavez, and that she hopes the government carries on with the president's programs if he doesn't survive.
Chavez has been in office since 1999 and was re-elected in October, three months after he had announced that his latest tests showed he was cancer-free.
Opposition politicians have criticized a lack of detailed information about Chavez's condition, and last week repeated their demands for a full medical report.
Chavez's son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, who is the government's science minister and has been with the president in Cuba, urged Venezuelans in a Twitter message Monday night not to believe "bad-intentioned rumors" circulating online. "President Chavez has spent the day calm and stable, accompanied by his children," Arreaza said in the message.

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