Cousin Sam: In the news, Wednesday, January 23, 2013

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from Bloomberg

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from Space.com (& CollectSpace)

Amazing Mars Discoveries By Rovers Spirit & Opportunity

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from The Spokesman-Review

Security Council rips N. Korea rocket

U.S. planes flying French troops to Mali
Islamist fighters pull back from towns they occupied

Netanyahu suffers setback
Israeli leader will have to reach out for new alliances

Panetta opens combat roles to women

Clinton says US strengthening embassy security

Pentagon clears Allen in email investigation
Troubles grew out of Petraeus extramarital affair

GOP delaying battle on debt
House votes today on three-month reprieve

U.S. court refuses to reclassify marijuana
Appeals court cites lack of evidence of medical value

Feds examining pot law, Inslee says
State officials outline basics in meeting with Holder

Pipeline route wins approval of governor
Nebraska OKs route skirting Sandhills

Idaho lawmakers don’t need concealed weapon permits

Law school dean: Idahoans pay ‘hidden tax’ on lawyers

Lawmaker: Write cursive into Idaho school standards
Several other states have requirement

Abortion notification bill will get hearing in Senate

Spokane Library open fewer hours than most of its regional counterparts

Inaccurate weather forecasts leave some homeless in the cold

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In brief: From Wire Reports

Cameron to address Britain’s EU future

London – Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to offer British citizens a vote on leaving the European Union if his party wins the next election, a move that could trigger alarm among fellow member states.

Cameron will make his long-awaited speech on the United Kingdom’s future relationship with Europe today. It was postponed last week due to the hostage crisis in Algeria.

He will acknowledge that public disillusionment with the EU is “at an all-time high,” using his speech in central London to say that the terms of Britain’s membership in the bloc should be revised and the country’s citizens should have a say.

Anti-cat campaign for birds; foes agree

Wellington, New Zealand – Gareth Morgan has a simple dream: a New Zealand free of pet cats that threaten native birds. But the environmental advocate has triggered a claws-out backlash with his anti-feline campaign.

Morgan called on his countrymen Tuesday to make their current cat their last in order to save the nation’s unique bird species. He set up a website, called Cats To Go, depicting a tiny kitten with red devil’s horns. The opening line: “That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer.”

He doesn’t recommend people euthanize their current cats – “Not necessarily but that is an option” are the site’s exact words – but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. Morgan also suggests people keep cats indoors and that local governments make registration mandatory.

Morgan’s campaign is not sitting well in a country that boasts one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world.

“I say to Gareth Morgan, butt out of our lives,” Bob Kerridge, the president of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the current affairs television show “Campbell Live.” “Don’t deprive us of the beautiful companionship that a cat can provide individually and as a family.”

Google earnings rise, boosting stock price

SAN FRANCISCO – Google eked out slightly higher earnings in the fourth quarter, despite a financial drag caused by the Internet search leader’s expansion into device manufacturing and a decline in digital ad prices as more people gaze into the smaller screens of smartphones.

The results announced Tuesday pleased investors, helping to lift Google’s stock by 5 percent in extended trading.

More advertising poured into Google during the holiday shopping season, fueling a moneymaking machine that has steadily churned out higher profits since the company went public in 2004. Google’s fourth-quarter ad revenue totaled $12.1 billion, a 19 percent increase from the previous year.

Google earned nearly $2.9 billion, or $8.62 per share, during the fourth quarter. That compared to net income of $2.7 billion, or $8.22 per share, at the same time last year.

The performance boosted Google’s stock by $35.33 to $738.20 in Tuesday’s extended trading.

Microsoft reportedly part of deal for Dell

NEW YORK – Microsoft has joined the negotiations to buy struggling computer maker Dell, according to media reports.

Both CNBC and the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft Corp. may invest some of the money needed to take Dell Inc. private after 25 years as a publicly traded company. Tuesday’s stories cited unidentified people familiar with the negotiations.

If Microsoft joins in a Dell buyout, CNBC and the Journal say the software maker would contribute $1 billion to $3 billion. That amount would make Microsoft Corp. a minority investor in a complex deal expected to cost $23 billion to $27 billion if it’s completed.

Microsoft declined to comment on the reports.

Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, hasn’t said whether it’s interested in selling

EU trademark ruling: That ‘Bud’ all yours

The European Union has confirmed Anheuser-Busch InBev’s trademark rights for “Bud” following a long battle with a Czech brewery.

In a decision handed down Tuesday, the General Court of the European Union dismissed actions brought by Czech brewery Budejovicky Budvar that opposed A-B’s trademark of Bud for beer and other goods.

The court found that Budvar failed to show it used the word “Bud” for its products to a sufficient level prior to A-B’s application for a trademark in 1996.

“We are extremely pleased to have confirmed our right to a Bud trademark registration valid throughout the entire European Union,” Belgium-based A-B InBev said in a statement.

The company said that with the EU’s decision, it has “virtually world-wide protection” for the Bud and Budweiser brands.