Can sanctions deter North Korea?

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• N. Korea said Thursday it plans to carry out new nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches


• It said they are part of new phase of confrontation with United States


• George A. Lopez says North Korea's aim is to be recognized as a 'new nuclear nation by fait accompli'


• The Security Council sanctions aim to deteriorate and disrupt N. Korea's programs, says Lopez

Editor's note: George A. Lopez holds the Hesburgh Chair in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. He is a former member, UN Panel of Experts on DPRK.

Indiana, U.S. (CNN) -- North Korea has responded to new Security Council sanctions condemning its December 12 rocket launch with a declaration that it plans a third nuclear test and more missile launches. Politically, it has made unambiguous that its "aim" is its enemy, the United States.

In this rapid reaction to U.N. sanctions, the young government of Kim Jong Un underscores what Security Council members have long known anticipated from the DPRK. Their end-game is to create a vibrant, integrated missile and nuclear weapons program that will result - as in the cases of Pakistan and India - in their being recognized as a new nuclear nation by fait accompli.

Read more: North Korea says new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S.

In light of DPRK defiance - and a soon to occur nuclear test - the Security Council's first set of sanctions on North Korea since 2009 may seem absurd and irrelevant. These sanctions will certainly not prevent a new DPRK nuclear test. Rather, the new sanctions resolution mobilizes regional neighbors and global actors to enforce sanctions that can weaken future DPRK programs and actions.

Read more: U.N. Security Council slams North Korea, expands sanctions

The utility, if not the necessity, of these Security Council sanctions are to deteriorate and disrupt the networks that sustain North Korea's programs. Chances of this degradation of DPRK capabilities have increased as the new sanctions both embolden and empower the member states who regularly observe - but do nothing about - suspicious vessels in their adjacent waterways.

The resolution provides new guidance to states regarding ship interdiction, cargo inspections, and the seizure and disposal of prohibited materials. Regarding nuclear and missile development the sanctions expand the list of material banned for trade to DPRK, including high tech, dual-use goods which might aid missile industries.

Read more: South Korean officials: North Korean rocket could hit U.S. mainland

These new measures provide a better structure for more effective sanctions, by naming new entities, such as a bank and trading companies, as well as individuals involved in the illicit financing of prohibited materials, to the sanctions list. To the surprise of many in the diplomatic community - the Council authorizes states to expose and confiscate North Korea's rather mobile "bulk cash." Such currency stocks have been used in many regions to facilitate purchases of luxury goods and other banned items that sustain the DPRK elites.

Finally, the Security Council frees the Sanctions Committee to act more independently and in a timely manner to add entities to the list of sanctioned actors when evidence shows them to be sanctions violators. This is an extensive hunting license for states in the region that can multiply the costs of sanctions to the DPRK over time.

Read more: North Korea's rocket launches cost $1.3 billion

Whatever their initial limitations, the new round of U.N. sanctions serve as a springboard to more robust measures by various regional and global powers which may lead back to serious negotiations with DPRK.

Despite its bluster and short-term action plan, Pyongyang recognizes that the wide space of operation for its policies it assumed it had a week ago, is now closed considerably. To get this kind of slap-down via this Security Council resolution - when the launch was a month ago - predicts that any nuke test or missile launch from Pyongyang will bring a new round of stronger and more targeted sanctions.

Read more: North Korea silences doubters, raises fears with rocket launch

Although dangerous - a new game is on regarding DPRK. Tougher U.N. measures imposed on the North generated a predictable response and likely new, prohibited action. While DPRK may be enraged, these sanctions have the P5 nations, most notably China, newly engaged. A forthcoming test or launch will no doubt increase tensions on both sides.

But this may be precisely the shock needed to restart the Six Party Talks. Without this institutional framework there is little chance of influencing DPRK actions. And in the meantime, the chances of greater degrading of DPRK capabilities via sanctions, are a sensible next best action.

Read more: Huge crowds gather in North Korean capital to celebrate rocket launch

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of George A. Lopez.

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Fox orders futuristic cop drama pilot from J.J. Abrams, J.H. Wyman

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Fox has given the green light to a police drama pilot from “Fringe” executive producers J.H. Wyman and J.J. Abrams, the network said Friday.

Described as an “action-packed buddy cop show,” the untitled project takes place “in the near future, when all LAPD officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids.”

Wyman is writing and executive-producing the one-hour drama project, along with Abrams.

Abrams’s Bad Robot Productions is producing in association with Warner Bros. Television. Bad Robot’s Bryan Burk is also executive-producing, with the company’s Kathy Lingg serving as co-executive producer.

Abrams, who’s been tapped to direct the maiden installment of the revived “Star Wars” movie franchise, sold a comedy pilot, “Adulting,” to Fox late last year. That project, a single-camera, half-hour comedy, is based on the Kelly Williams Brown book “Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 387 Easy(ish) Steps.”

“Fringe,” which was also on Fox, wrapped up its series run with a two-hour finale earlier this month.

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Bears hibernate as stocks near record highs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks have been on a tear in January, moving major indexes within striking distance of all-time highs. The bearish case is a difficult one to make right now.

Earnings have exceeded expectations, the housing and labor markets have strengthened, lawmakers in Washington no longer seem to be the roadblock that they were for most of 2012, and money has returned to stock funds again.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> has gained 5.4 percent this year and closed above 1,500 - climbing to the spot where Wall Street strategists expected it to be by mid-year. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> is 2.2 percent away from all-time highs reached in October 2007. The Dow ended Friday's session at 13,895.98, its highest close since October 31, 2007.

The S&P has risen for four straight weeks and eight consecutive sessions, the longest streak of days since 2004. On Friday, the benchmark S&P 500 ended at 1,502.96 - its first close above 1,500 in more than five years.

"Once we break above a resistance level at 1,510, we dramatically increase the probability that we break the highs of 2007," said Walter Zimmermann, technical analyst at United-ICAP, in Jersey City, New Jersey. "That may be the start of a rise that could take equities near 1,800 within the next few years."

The most recent Reuters poll of Wall Street strategists estimated the benchmark index would rise to 1,550 by year-end, a target that is 3.1 percent away from current levels. That would put the S&P 500 a stone's throw from the index's all-time intraday high of 1,576.09 reached on October 11, 2007.

The new year has brought a sharp increase in flows into U.S. equity mutual funds, and that has helped stocks rack up four straight weeks of gains, with strength in big- and small-caps alike.

That's not to say there aren't concerns. Economic growth has been steady, but not as strong as many had hoped. The household unemployment rate remains high at 7.8 percent. And more than 75 percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are above their 26-week highs, suggesting the buying has come too far, too fast.

MUTUAL FUND INVESTORS COME BACK

All 10 S&P 500 industry sectors are higher in 2013, in part because of new money flowing into equity funds. Investors in U.S.-based funds committed $3.66 billion to stock mutual funds in the latest week, the third straight week of big gains for the funds, data from Thomson Reuters' Lipper service showed on Thursday.

Energy shares <.5sp10> lead the way with a gain of 6.6 percent, followed by industrials <.5sp20>, up 6.3 percent. Telecom <.5sp50>, a defensive play that underperforms in periods of growth, is the weakest sector - up 0.1 percent for the year.

More than 350 stocks hit new highs on Friday alone on the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones Transportation Average <.djt> recently climbed to an all-time high, with stocks in this sector and other economic bellwethers posting strong gains almost daily.

"If you peel back the onion a little bit, you start to look at companies like Precision Castparts , Honeywell , 3M Co and Illinois Tool Works - these are big, broad-based industrial companies in the U.S. and they are all hitting new highs, and doing very well. That is the real story," said Mike Binger, portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, in Shoreview, Minnesota.

The gains have run across asset sizes as well. The S&P small-cap index <.spcy> has jumped 6.7 percent and the S&P mid-cap index <.mid> has shot up 7.5 percent so far this year.

Exchange-traded funds have seen year-to-date inflows of $15.6 billion, with fairly even flows across the small-, mid- and large-cap categories, according to Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group, in New York.

"Investors aren't really differentiating among asset sizes. They just want broad equity exposure," Colas said.

The market has shown resilience to weak news. On Thursday, the S&P 500 held steady despite a 12 percent slide in shares of Apple after the iPhone and iPad maker's results. The tech giant is heavily weighted in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> and in the past, its drop has suffocated stocks' broader gains.

JOBS DATA MAY TEST THE RALLY

In the last few days, the ratio of stocks hitting new highs versus those hitting new lows on a daily basis has started to diminish - a potential sign that the rally is narrowing to fewer names - and could be running out of gas.

Investors have also cited sentiment surveys that indicate high levels of bullishness among newsletter writers, a contrarian indicator, and momentum indicators are starting to also suggest the rally has perhaps come too far.

The market's resilience could be tested next week with Friday's release of the January non-farm payrolls report. About 155,000 jobs are seen being added in the month and the unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 7.8 percent.

"Staying over 1,500 sends up a flag of profit taking," said Jerry Harris, president of asset management at Sterne Agee, in Birmingham, Alabama. "Since recent jobless claims have made us optimistic on payrolls, if that doesn't come through, it will be a real risk to the rally."

A number of marquee names will report earnings next week, including bellwether companies such as Caterpillar Inc , Amazon.com Inc , Ford Motor Co and Pfizer Inc .

On a historic basis, valuations remain relatively low - the S&P 500's current price-to-earnings ratio sits at 15.66, which is just a tad above the historic level of 15.

Worries about the U.S. stock market's recent strength do not mean the market is in a bubble. Investors clearly don't feel that way at the moment.

"We're seeing more interest in equities overall, and a lot of flows from bonds into stocks," said Paul Zemsky, who helps oversee $445 billion as the New York-based head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management. "We've been increasing our exposure to risky assets."

For the week, the Dow climbed 1.8 percent, the S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent and the Nasdaq advanced 0.5 percent.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Read More..

Bankers, policymakers say Europe’s crisis not over

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – International bankers and finance ministers warned on Saturday that Europe‘s crisis was not over even though the euro currency is now stabilized, it will take years to overcome economic malaise and mass unemployment in Europe.

After a private meeting of leading commercial bankers, government officials, central bankers and trade union officials, Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg told Reuters: “There is a clear divide between the financial markets, who think a lot of this is fixed, and the people in the real economy and particularly from our side as the governments.”

Unemployment in Europe would only fall from 11.8 to 11.7 percent this year, growth was stagnant, real wages were not rising in most countries and it would take countries such as Sweden and France years to reform their labor markets, he said.

“So it is very dangerous to declare that the crisis is over because that would undermine the crisis insight that we need to have among the companies, among the population, among the unions, to be able to go through this process,” Borg said.

Sweden is not a member of the 17-nation euro zone and Borg has been among the strongest critics of the bloc’s handling of its sovereign debt crisis since late 2009.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Deutsche Bank co-chief executive Anshu Jain, who co-chaired the closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, declined to speak to reporters.

Participants said the mood this year was far more relaxed than 12 months ago, when there was a sense of emergency about saving the single currency from break-up.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi left Davos for home before the meeting and EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, who was in Davos, did not attend.

Lagarde said in a speech on Thursday it was vital for Europe, the United States and Japan to keep up the momentum for economic reform and put their public finances in order at an appropriate pace, without crushing growth.

Chinese central bank deputy governor Yi Gang, who attended the session, said he had voiced most concern about trade protectionism and the negative consequences of money-printing by the U.S., Japanese, British and other central banks.

“Protectionism is a big problem and also you see quantitative easing of developed economies is generating uncertainties in financial markets in terms of capital flow,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“There is too much liquidity, a glut of global liquidity. Competitive devaluation is certainly one aspect of that. If everybody is QE or super QE and you want to depreciate, what currency do you depreciate against?”

One senior European commercial banker, who declined to be identified, said financial market optimism that the risk of a break-up of the euro was over had gotten ahead of reality.

“The crisis is not over and the notion that tail risk is gone is a dangerous one,” the banker said.

The economic term “tail risk” refers to the possibility of an asset suddenly losing value due to a rare event.

Rehn told Reuters the conclusion of this year’s Davos meetings about the euro was “no tail risk, growing confidence, no complacency, stay the course”.

However, a larger-than-expected early repayment of cheap three-year loans by some euro zone banks to the European Central Bank on Friday fuelled sentiment that the worst of the single currency’s debt crisis is now over and markets are stabilizing.

Banks are expected to repay more than 130 billion euros of crisis loans to the European Central Bank next week in a sign that at least some parts of the financial system are returning to health.

The ECB made over 1 trillion euros in ultra-cheap three-year loans to banks in lending operations in December 2011 and February 2012, a process which ECB President Mario Draghi said had “avoided a major, major credit crunch”.

(Writing by Paul Taylor; editing by Jason Neely)

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Every Dollar in Taxpayer Funding That the Provinces and Federal Government Gave to US Studio Films With Smoking Costs Canadians Healthcare $1.70 and Contributes to the Premature Death of Canadian

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan. 26, 2013) - American Movies, Canadian film subsidies and provincial rating practices will kill 43,000 Canadian teens alive today and what Canadian governments can do about it.

Every dollar in taxpayer funding that provinces and federal government gave to US studio films with smoking costs Canada $ 1.70 in tobacco related medical costs and productivity loss. The World Health Organization has made specific recommendations that all parties to the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including Canada, to combat promotion of tobacco in motion pictures.

In Canada from one third to one half of high school aged became smokers because of their exposure to tobacco use on screen. If today’s adolescents were not exposed to on-screen smoking, we would prevent 43,000 premature deaths. 

From 2004 to 2009, an estimated $ 600 million in provincial and federal film production incentives have gone to fund US Studio films shot in Canada, mostly in British Columbia, Ontario and Ohio. An estimated $ 240 million of these public incentives funded US studio films with smoking that were classified as appropriate for children and adolescents. Support for changes in ratings include Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada, BC Healthy Living Alliance.

http://www.smoke-free.ca/pdf_1/2010/Tobaccovector.pdf

Marketwire News Archive – Yahoo! Finance

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Azarenka beats Li, defends Australian Open title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Victoria Azarenka had the bulk of the crowd against her. The fireworks were fizzling out, and when she looked over the net she saw Li Na crashing to the court and almost knocking herself out.

Considering the cascading criticism she'd encountered after her previous win, Azarenka didn't need the focus of the Australian Open final to be on another medical timeout.

So after defending her title with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded Li in one of the most unusual finals ever at Melbourne Park, Azarenka understandably dropped her racket and cried tears of relief late Saturday night.

She heaved as she sobbed into a towel beside the court, before regaining her composure to collect the trophy.

"It isn't easy, that's for sure, but I knew what I had to do," the 23-year-old Belarusian said. "I had to stay calm. I had to stay positive. I just had to deal with the things that came onto me."

There were a lot of those things squeezed into the 2-hour, 40-minute match. Li, who was playing her second Australian Open final in three years, twisted her ankle and tumbled to the court in the second and third sets.

The second time was on the point immediately after a 10-minute delay for the Australia Day fireworks — a familiar fixture in downtown Melbourne on Jan. 26, but not usually coinciding with a final.

Li had been sitting in her chair during the break, while Azarenka jogged and swung her racket around before leaving the court to rub some liniment into her legs to keep warm.

The 30-year-old Chinese player had tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle and had it taped after falling in the fifth game of the second set. Immediately after the fireworks ceased, and with smoke still in the air, she twisted the ankle again, fell and hit the back of her head on the hard court.

The 2011 French Open champion was treated immediately by a tournament doctor and assessed for a concussion in another medical timeout before resuming the match.

"I think I was a little bit worried when I was falling," Li said, in her humorous, self-deprecating fashion. "Because two seconds I couldn't really see anything. It was totally black.

"So when the physio come, she was like, 'Focus on my finger.' I was laughing. I was thinking, 'This is tennis court, not like hospital.'"

Li's injury was obvious and attracted even more support for her from the 15,000-strong crowd.

Azarenka had generated some bad PR by taking a medical timeout after wasting five match points on her own serve in her semifinal win over American teenager Sloane Stephens on Thursday. She came back after the break and finished off Stephens in the next game, later telling an on-court interviewer that she "almost did the choke of the year."

She was accused of gamesmanship and manipulating the rules to get time to regain her composure against Stephens, but defended herself by saying she actually was having difficulty breathing because of a rib injury that needed to be fixed.

That explanation didn't convince everybody. So when she walked onto Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, there were some people who booed, and others who heckled her or mimicked the distinctive hooting sound she makes when she hits the ball.

"Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things," she said. "That's what makes it so special for me. I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy."

She didn't hold a grudge.

"I was expecting way worse, to be honest. What can you do? You just have to go out there and try to play tennis in the end of the day," she said. "It's a tennis match, tennis battle, final of the Australian Open. I was there to play that.

"The things what happened in the past, I did the best thing I could to explain, and it was left behind me already."

The match contained plenty of nervy moments and tension, and 16 service breaks — nine for Li. But it also produced plenty of winners and bravery on big points.

Azarenka will retain the No. 1 ranking she's mostly held since her first Grand Slam win in Melbourne last year.

Li moved into the top five and is heartened by a recent trend of Australian runner-ups winning the French Open. She accomplished that in 2011, as did Ana Ivanovic (2008) and Maria Sharapova (2012).

"I wish I can do the same this year, as well," Li said.

Later Saturday, Bob and Mike Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam men's doubles title, defeating the Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4.

Sunday's men's final features two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and U.S. Open winner Andy Murray. Djokovic is seeking to become the first man in the Open era to win three titles in a row in Australia.

Azarenka was planning a night of partying to celebrate her second major title, with her friend Redfoo and the Party Rock crew, and was hopeful of scoring some tickets to the men's final.

She said she needed to let her hair down after a draining two weeks and hoped that by being more open and frank in recent times she was clearing up any misconceptions the public had of her.

"When I came first on the tour I kind of was lost a little bit," he said. "I didn't know how to open up my personality. It's very difficult when you're alone. I was independent since I was, you know, 10 years old. It was a little bit scary and I wouldn't show my personality.

"So the (last) couple of years I learned how to open up to people and to share the moments. I wasn't really good before. I hope I got better. It's your judgment."

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Cantor CEO: 'Off the fiscal cliff we go'

Part of complete coverage on

By Ramy Inocencio, for CNN

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1453 GMT (2253 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• "U.S. fiscal cliff still coming" in form of failure to raise debt ceiling - Cantor Fitzgerald CEO


• More than 25% of CEOs feel world economy will get worse in 2013, says PwC survey


• U.S. House of Representatives passed short-term debt ceiling increase Jan. 23


• Lutnick: "Dumb lending" caused 2008 credit crisis

Hong Kong (CNN) -- The world thought the U.S. fiscal cliff deadline was December 31, but "the fiscal cliff is (still) coming", says Howard Lutnick, CEO of global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

"You're going to watch the U.S. do crazy, crazy things this year," Lutnick told CNN's Richard Quest at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The Republican Party that was elected to control Congress... (is) going to cross their arms and they are not going to raise the debt ceiling ultimately unless they get severe spending cuts, and the Obama administration is not going to give it to them."

If Congress fails to act, the U.S. and the world economy will have a "dreadful" 2013, Lutnick said.

Following this week's PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of global CEO confidence, Lutnick appears to be one of the more than 25% who think the world economy is more likely to deteriorate in 2013.

Despite Lutnick's concerns, on January 23 the Republican-controlled House of Representatives did pass a bill that would allow the U.S. Treasury to borrow new money through mid-May. President Barack Obama has said he would not oppose the proposal if it reaches his desk, although he prefers a long-term debt ceiling increase.

Lutnick adds that to avoid a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, regulators need to actually address issues that caused it.

"What caused the credit crisis was just dumb lending. When you lend money to people who can't pay you back, you go broke."

Looking ahead to 2013, Lutnick says the biggest risk to global growth is the U.S. hitting the debt ceiling -- whether in the short- or long-term.

"Off the fiscal cliff we go. We (the U.S.) are irrational and we are silly... we are dopey."

Part of complete coverage on

January 23, 2013 -- Updated 1308 GMT (2108 HKT)

Global policymakers, leading thinkers and key entrepreneurs are gathering in Davos. CNN brings you the latest news, views and musings live.

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1508 GMT (2308 HKT)

Free trade, transparency and a crackdown on tax cheats will be at the heart of Britain's G8 presidency, Prime Minister David Cameron told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday as he set out his vision for a more competitive Europe.

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1559 GMT (2359 HKT)

Walk the halls of Davos and you're bound to bump into celebrities, heads of state and even princes and princesses.

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1155 GMT (1955 HKT)

While Prime Minister David Cameron's speech this week -- voicing his intent to let the British people vote on whether to stay in the European Union -- has caused concern on the continent, the mayor of London says it's all part of democracy.

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1119 GMT (1919 HKT)

A top European Union official says there's no need for Britain to make threats to leave the union in order to reform its membership.

January 24, 2013 -- Updated 1937 GMT (0337 HKT)

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga says his country will not negotiate with al Qaeda-linked Somali militants who have threatened to kill Kenyan hostages unless Nairobi releases all Muslims charged with terrorism.

January 24, 2013 -- Updated 1904 GMT (0304 HKT)

LeWeb founder Loic Le Meur is looking to "digital hippies" as a potential theme for his next conference.

January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1347 GMT (2147 HKT)

The head of Airbus says the European aviation giant will take care to learn from its own mistakes -- and rival Boeing's -- ahead of the launch of its new widebody A350 aircraft.

January 23, 2013 -- Updated 1040 GMT (1840 HKT)

As extreme weather events cost the global economy billions each year, the "neglected" risk of climate change seems to be rising to the top of the agenda, Andrew Steer writes.

January 23, 2013 -- Updated 1342 GMT (2142 HKT)

Economic empowerment offers a win-win scenario for Saudi Arabia and its women, Mounira Jamjoon writes.

January 23, 2013 -- Updated 1154 GMT (1954 HKT)

The recession in Europe is entering its fifth year and unemployment doesn't look like it will be returning to normal levels anytime soon.

January 22, 2013 -- Updated 1324 GMT (2124 HKT)

What has been made clear by current events and financial upheavals since 2008 is that the global economy has become truly that -- global.

January 21, 2013 -- Updated 1458 GMT (2258 HKT)

On July 1, 2013 the 27-nation European Union will become 28. But is the Adriatic country ready to join Europe's elite club?

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‘Dallas’ returns with J.R. Ewing’s final schemes

NEW YORK (AP) — J.R. Ewing wouldn’t hesitate to cheat his fellow man. He also famously cheated death.

In the second-season finale of “Dallas” back in 1980, he was shot by an unknown assailant in his office and left for dead. But he recovered nicely, and the cliffhanger question that gripped the nation (Who shot J.R.?) was answered that November in an episode seen by 80 million viewers.

This time, J.R. won’t get off so easy. During the second season of TNT’s rebooted “Dallas,” J.R. cashes in his chips and goes to his reward … wherever that may be.

Meanwhile, viewers, however braced they are for J.R.’s demise, will have to reckon with the loss of arguably TV’s greatest villain, and bid farewell to the actor who portrayed him so indelibly and also cheated death for years. Larry Hagman, who died of cancer at 81 the day after Thanksgiving, was diagnosed in 1992 with cirrhosis of the liver from a life of heavy drinking and, three years later, when a malignant tumor was discovered on his liver, successfully underwent a transplant.

This double loss would be a burden for any show to bear. “Dallas,” returning at 9 p.m. EST Monday, comes fully loaded.

“I think viewers want closure,” said Linda Gray, who plays J.R.’s long-suffering ex-wife, Sue Ellen. “They want to mourn Larry Hagman and J.R. Ewing. They want to know they can grieve the fact he won’t be around.”

But all that comes later. With its two-hour season premiere, “Dallas” carries on in familiar fashion, with the expected two-timing, squabbles, a kidnapping revealed, a stolen identity and assorted other mischief.

And never fear: J.R., though visibly frail, continues his reign as a scheming oilman and rascally Ewing patriarch.

“I came over to deliver some muffins to the pretty little secretaries,” he announces on making an unannounced visit to Ewing Energies headquarters before he laments, “Who could have guessed so many would turn out to be MEN? Where’s the sport in THAT?”

In another scene, J.R. shares sly counsel with his son, John Ross, on double-crossing other members of the family: “Love, hate, jealousy: Mix ‘em up and they make a mean martini. And when we take over Ewing Energies, you’ll slake your thirst — with a twist!”

The new “Dallas,” which debuted last June, is stocked with a troupe of young regulars (including Josh Henderson, who plays John Ross), as well as veterans of the original CBS series, notably Gray and Patrick Duffy as J.R.’s ever-upright brother, Bobby. J.R. will appear in a minimum of five or as many as seven of the season’s episodes before he meets his fate.

After that, can “Dallas” survive the dual deaths of its central character and legendary star?

“Larry being gone doesn’t eliminate the influence of the character of J.R.,” Duffy pointed out. Who knows what land mines J.R. will have left behind? “We can find business deals he did or schemes he started that now are coming home to roost, and they can turn up for years to come.”

“Whatever will happen on the show, we will be talking about J.R. Ewing and he will have done things that have a ripple effect,” Gray agreed. “He will always be there.”

“There’s a lot of driving forces on the show — not just J.R.,” added “Dallas” executive producer Cynthia Cidre, who, interviewed by phone a couple of weeks ago, was parked outside a posh Dallas social club where the wake for J.R. was about to be filmed.

She said this season she tried to use Hagman sparingly.

“He was the most delightful man and a total professional,” she said, “but he wasn’t well and we didn’t want to overtax him.”

Now, with his passing, “we want to give J.R., and Larry, the proper send-off.”

But she insisted there had been no contingency plan for how to plot J.R.’s demise in the event Hagman died in mid-season.

“We didn’t have a Plan B, on purpose,” said Cidre. “We just knew that we had Larry, so let’s use him, let’s enjoy him, and if something happens, we’ll scramble and fix it. I had great faith in the writers’ room. We knew the day might come and what we would do then: Figure it out.”

That day came in late November when she got a call from Duffy. “He told me, ‘Larry’s in the hospital and it isn’t good. He’s saying goodbye.’ In 24 hours we had fixed one of the scripts. We had two more scripts that had to be adjusted, and then this episode we’re shooting now, the Goodbye Episode.”

Roughly 85 percent of the season’s story line remains intact, she said, supplemented by the death of J.R. and the mystery surrounding it: Who Killed J.R.?

“The mystery has all the machinations of a great J.R. business deal, as opposed to a whodunit,” said Duffy. “Cynthia constructed a really interesting plot, of which I know Bobby’s portion” — including whodunit — “but I don’t know other stuff.”

“We all know, up to a point,” Gray said. “But they’ve got secret pages that we’ve not seen.”

“I hope that we have come up with something really wonderful and enticing,” said Cidre, “and by the time you’re done watching episode 208, which I call the Funeral Episode, I hope you’re saying, ‘Omigod, I didn’t see that coming, and I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season.’”

The mystery, she said, will continue through episode 15, “with a giant, delightful, delicious climax in the season finale.”

To get there, shooting continues until April on the Dallas set, where, even two months after Hagman’s passing, “I’m lonely because my best friend isn’t there to play with,” Duffy said. “I was with him from 1978 until his final hours in the hospital. But I have no regrets. Every day I think of him and smile.”

“I keep expecting him to walk in the door,” Gray said. “He’s so missed. But his presence is everywhere!”

___

Online:

http://www.tntdrama.com

___

Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier

Entertainment News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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P&G earnings lift stocks; S&P set for 8-day win streak

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced on Friday as Procter & Gamble's earnings offset softer-than-expected housing numbers and kept the Standard & Poor's 500 Index on track for its longest winning streak in more than eight years.

Procter & Gamble shares rose 3.7 percent to $73.04 and gave the biggest boost to both the Dow and S&P 500 after the world's top household products maker's quarterly profit soared past expectations. The company also raised its sales and earnings outlook for the fiscal year.

But the stock market's gains were curbed after economic data showed new U.S. single-family home sales fell in December, although expectations for a continued housing sector recovery remain intact. The PHLX housing sector index <.hgx> slipped 0.2 percent.

The benchmark S&P 500 index is up 5 percent so far in January. The equity market's strong start this year has been attributed to solid corporate results, an agreement in Washington to extend the government's borrowing power, encouraging signs from the global economy, and seasonal inflows into stocks.

Those factors helped the S&P 500 rally for a seventh day on Thursday to reach a five-year peak. But the index has struggled to convincingly climb above 1,500, a level it surpassed briefly on Thursday for the first time since December 2007 and momentarily topped again on Friday.

"We hit (1,500) yesterday, we've hit it today, it is going to take a little bit of work to get through it - it's a psychological resistance point," said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services, in Charlotte, Vermont.

"The housing numbers coming in a little weaker, you would have expected that with Hurricane Sandy and the fiscal cliff," Mendelsohn said. "With everything that was going on in December, you would expect a little weaker number. Maybe analysts were looking for a little too much out of that report."

If the S&P 500 rises for an eighth day on Friday, it will be its longest winning streak since late 2004, when it rallied for nine straight days.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 31.19 points, or 0.23 percent, to 13,856.52. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> advanced 3.48 points, or 0.23 percent, to 1,498.30. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> rose 13.05 points, or 0.41 percent, to 3,143.43.

Honeywell International Inc posted fourth-quarter earnings just above Wall Street's estimates, reflecting the diversified U.S. manufacturer's campaign to boost profit margins in the face of sluggish sales growth. Honeywell's stock shed 0.3 percent to $68.04.

The initial portion of earnings season has been encouraging relative to recent expectations. Overall, S&P 500 fourth-quarter earnings growth is on track for a 2.9 percent rise, up from the forecast of a 1.9 percent gain at the start of earnings season, but well below the 9.9 percent increase in an October 1 forecast.

Thomson Reuters data through Friday showed that of the 147 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings, 68 percent exceeded expectations. Since 1994, 62 percent of companies have topped expectations, while the average over the past four quarters stands at 65 percent.

Microsoft Corp gained 1.2 percent to $27.95 after posting a quarterly profit that edged lower as Office software sales slowed ahead of a new launch, offsetting a solid but unspectacular start for its Windows 8 operating system.

Halliburton Co shares jumped 5 percent to $39.70 after the world's second-largest oilfield services company reported higher-than-expected earnings and sales for the fourth quarter. Strong international drilling activity offset a slowdown in onshore North America work, Halliburton said.

(Editing by Jan Paschal)

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Samsung leads in phone shipments

25 January 2013 Last updated at 09:04 ET

Samsung accounted for one in four of all mobile phones shipped worldwide last year, as its shipments rose nearly 20% to 396.5 million, a report says.

Apple’s phone shipments grew by 46% to a record 135.8 million mobile phones worldwide in 2012.

But Nokia’s global phone shipments fell by 20% from 417.1 million units in 2011 to 335.6 million.

Overall, total shipments grew by 2% annually to reach 1.6 billion units in 2012, according to Strategy Analytics.

Neil Shah, senior analyst at the research firm, said: “Ongoing macroeconomic challenges in mature markets like North America and Western Europe, tighter operator upgrade policies, and shifting consumer tastes” were among the reasons for the modest global growth figure.

He added: “Fuelled by robust demand for its popular Galaxy models, Samsung was the star performer, shipping a record 396.5 million mobile phones worldwide and capturing 25% market share to solidify its first-place lead.

“However, Samsung’s total volumes for the year fell just short of the 400-million threshold.”

Global mobile handset shipments (2012)
Company	Units (millions)	Market share
Source: Strategy Analytics
Samsung	396.5	25.2%
Nokia	335.6	21.3%
Apple	135.8	8.6%
ZTE	71.7	4.6%
Other	635.4	40.3%

Meanwhile Strategy Analytics said global smartphone shipments grew by 43% annually to a record 700 million units in last year.

Global smartphone shipments for the full year reached a record 700.1 million units in 2012, from 490.5 million units in 2011, but there were signs that shipments of smartphones began to mature in developed regions such as North America and Western Europe.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

In little over 24 hours we have seen results from three of the biggest players in smartphones – which may now be the world’s most important industry”

End Quote

Once again Samsung had the biggest market share, at 30% worldwide and extending its lead over Apple and Nokia.

The research comes as Samsung reported a 76% jump in profits for the last three months of 2012, helped by sales of its Galaxy smartphones.

Net income rose to a record 7.04tn won ($ 6.6bn; £4.2bn), up from 4.01tn won in the same period a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.

The Korean firm said its mobile profits more than doubled over the same period.

Last year, Samsung became the world’s biggest smartphone maker, overtaking Apple, its main rival in the sector.This week Apple also reported quarterly results, showing flat profits, unchanged from a year earlier at $ 13.1bn, and record quarterly revenue of $ 55bn.

But it was not enough to overcome disappointment over sales of the company’s new iPhone 5, as analysts said the firm was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.

The firm said late on Wednesday it had sold more iPhones (47.8 million) and iPads (22.9 million) in the final three months of last year than in any previous quarter, but investors had expected more.

‘Emerging markets’

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

This is an extremely competitive place, and it is difficult to see any… brands capturing the mid-market, which is so fragmented”

End Quote Mark Newman Informa

“If you look at Apple, their position of strength in the smartphone market has generally been in Europe and North America, ” said Mark Newman, head telecoms analyst at research firm Informa.

“A lot of their continued growth will be in emerging markets, in Bric countries such as Brazil, India and China. There has certainly been this feeling that Samsung is catching up up, and overtaking Apple in terms of sales.”

Meanwhile Nokia, the struggling Finnish mobile phone maker which once dominated the global mobile market, said on Thursday that it had swung back into profit in the last three months of 2012.

Pre-tax profit for the quarter was 375m euros (£316m), against a 974m-euro loss last year. Nokia said it sold 15.9 million smartphones in the quarter, down from 19.6 million a year earlier.

“We have seen Nokia hit rock bottom but there are now some gentle signs of a recovery,” said Mr Newman.

He said in that the smartphone marketplace Apple and Samsung currently occupied the top tier, with “many players vying for position in the mid-range marketplace,” including Nokia, and others such as LG, Motorola, HTC. and Sony.

“This is an extremely competitive place, and it is difficult to see any of these brands capturing the mid-market, which is so fragmented,” added Mr Newman.

He said at the bottom end of the smartphone market there was “pent-up demand” for a phone retailing at about 100 euros, and Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE were “making most of the running here”.

BBC News – Business

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