EU advice sought on Kit Kat ruling

A UK judge deliberating on a legal dispute relating to the shape of a Kit Kat has decided to have a break - and wait for a decision from a European court.

Justice Richard Arnold is analysing a High Court argument between confectionery giants Nestle - which sells Kit Kat bars - and Cadbury.

Nestle wants to register the three-dimensional shape of a Kit Kat as a trademark. Cadbury has objected.

The judge heard legal argument from both sides at a hearing in London in December - and outlined his thoughts in a published ruling.

He said aspects of European trademark law were "unclear". And he said he would seek clarification from the Court of Justice in the European Union.

"Certain aspects of the relevant law remain unclear," said Justice Arnold.

"I have decided it is necessary to seek clarification of the law from the Court of Justice of the European Union in order to determine the (dispute)."

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GE profit rises five per cent in 4Q

GENERAL Electric Co says its net income rose five per cent in the fourth quarter on rising profits from the sale of aircraft engines, oil and gas drilling equipment and appliances.

Its adjusted earnings matched Wall Street expectations.

Its shares edged higher in premarket trading.

GE reported net income of $US4.2 billion ($A4.7 billion) for the fourth quarter of 2013 on revenue of $US40.38 billion.

That's up from net income of $US4.01 billion on revenue of $US39.16 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Adjusted to remove the effects of one-time items and discontinued operations, GE earned 53 cents per share.

That matches what analysts polled by FactSet expected, on average.

GE's adjusted earnings per share rose 20 per cent compared with the prior quarter.

Profit in the company's aviation, oil and gas, and appliances divisions all rose 20 per cent or more in the quarter.

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Girl, 4, fatally shoots boy at US home

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl has accidentally shot and killed her four-year-old cousin with a rifle she found under a bed at their grandfather's US home.

The girl was playing and watching TV on Thursday with the boy when she found the gun, Detroit police Sergeant Michael Woody said.

He said she pointed it at the boy and shot him once in the chest.

The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An adult family friend was at the home with the children at the time, Woody said.

It wasn't immediately known who owns the gun.

The Wayne County prosecutor's office will determine whether charges should be brought, Woody said.

"It's a tragic incident," Woody told The Associated Press.

"It's really not anything more than that. There was no malicious intent. There was nothing there to suggest that the grandfather put those children in harm's way, but the investigation will continue."

The boy's name wasn't immediately released.

Woody said the shooting reinforces the need for those with guns to keep them secure.

"This is a very senseless ... incident that could have been avoided," he said.

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Unemployment tipped to hold steady in Dec

AUSTRALIA'S jobless rate is tipped to remain steady in December, amid expectations the housing market recovery will create jobs.

Unemployment is forecast to remain at 5.8 per cent when labour force figures for December are released on Thursday, according to an AAP survey of 14 economists.

The number of people with jobs is forecast to rise by 5,000 while the participation rate - the percentage of the working-age population either in work or looking for a job - is expected to remain steady at 64.8 per cent.

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said the pickup in housing as well as retail sales would begin to flow through to job creation, curbing the unemployment rate before it reaches six per cent.

"We think the rebalancing of the Australian economy is happening very slowly but we do think it is happening and we think that's going to start showing up in the labour market sometime fairly soon," Mr Bloxham said.

But JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters said job creation in retail and housing wouldn't be enough to stop the unemployment rate from drifting above six per cent.

JP Morgan forecasts that unemployment will reach 6.5 per cent by mid-year.

"We do think there will be job creation in those sectors but just not enough to absorb the new entrants into the labour force," Mr Walters said.

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Bank of America 4Q earnings jump

BANK of America Corp says its fourth-quarter profit jumped from a year earlier, as the loans on the bank's balance sheet continued to improve.

The second-largest US bank says it earned $US3.44 billion ($A3.85 billion) in the October-to-December period, up from $US732 million a year earlier.

On a per-share basis, the bank made 29 cents, beating the 27 cents expected by financial analysts.

Profits got a big boost because Bank of America was able to significantly reduce the amount of money it holds on its balance sheet to protect itself from bad loans.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose to $US22.32 billion from $US19.6 billion, exceeding analysts' forecasts of $21.2 billion.

Bank of America was up two per cent in pre-market trading.

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Queen collects plethora of gifts

FABULOUS jewels, sumptuous decorative pieces, fine wine and an Oyster travel smartcard are just some of the official gifts received by the Queen last year.

As a token of thanks the Queen received a plethora of presents during royal engagements in 2013.

When the head of state marked the 150th anniversary of London Underground by visiting the capital's Baker Street Tube station last March, she was presented with a commemorative Oyster card, as were the Duke of Edinburgh and Duchess of Cambridge.

And when Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates, arrived for a state visit last April, he brought for his host a gold jewelled frame set on a jewelled ostrich egg.

He also gave the Queen a five-strand necklace, made from natural pearls sourced from the Arabian Gulf.

The more unusual gifts included an edible carriage - a replica of the Irish state coach - made from chocolate, sugar and 24-carat gold leaf.

It was presented in April at the end of a royal visit to the UK headquarters of the firm Mars.

The item was included in a list of officials gifts given to members of the Royal Family and released by Buckingham Palace.

One of the presents given to the Princess Royal was a contemporary art print of Anne riding a moose - handed over by its creator artist Charles Pachter.

The presentation was made during the Princess' tour of Canada last October, and came the day Prince George was christened.

Charles was also presented with a ceramic figurine of himself with children's character Postman Pat while in Jordan.

The gift came from the Jordan-based firm Rubicon which is making an animated film about Pat, due for release this year, in partnership with the Hollywood studio Dreamworks.

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University main round offers released

ABOUT 86,000 aspiring university students across NSW and the ACT are about to discover if their chosen institution has offered them a position.

But with universities only making 50,814 offers in the main round, there is bound to be some who are disappointed.

From 9pm (AEDT) on Thursday applicants will be able to log online and find out if they have been made an offer.

University Admissions Centre director Kim Paino said there were 4990 less main round offers than last year.

"While less offers have been made in the main round this year compared to last year, the total pool of offers has increased," she said.

"Many universities have increased their number of offers by making additional offers in the early rounds before main round."

For those who do not receive a main round offer, there are several later rounds.

The next round is on January 30.

The names of successful applicants will also be published in News Corp Australia and Fairfax Media papers on Friday.

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