Consumer sentiment improved this month helped by falling gasoline prices, retail discounts and "tumbling" inflation expectations, but pessimism over the future tempered their enthusiasm, a survey showed on Friday. The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said its index of confidence for December rose to 59.1 from November's 55.3, aided by the fall in one-year

U.S. sales of video game hardware and software rose 10 percent in November from a year earlier, market researcher NPD said on Thursday, as Nintendo Co Ltd reported its Wii console and DS hand-held system both set U.S. sales records in the month. NPD said the U.S. video game industry is set to top $22

A top Democratic lawmaker is expected to ask the Federal Communications Commission on Friday to delay voting on a controversial auction of radio spectrum, which includes a requirement for free Internet services, said a source following the issue in Washington. The FCC is scheduled to consider the action, known as the AWS-3, at its meeting

The so-called digital divide between emerging and developed economies worldwide might not be that wide after all. A new online survey conducted by Nielsen finds that while Western countries tend to be heavy users of such media hardware as DVD players and gaming consoles, next-generation devices like video-enabled handsets are more popular in up-and-coming markets,

World stocks tumbled, Wall Street was set to fall sharply and the yen hit a 13-year high against the dollar on Friday after a $14 billion rescue plan for top U.S. automakers collapsed. Oil fell 6 percent. Investors fled risky currencies, pushing sterling to record lows against the euro and on a trade-weighted basis, while

Bank shares tumbled by midday on Friday, pulling down Britain's top share index down 3.9 percent after HBOS reported a sharp rise in bad debts, while commodity stocks slid following the collapse of a deal to bail out automakers. By 1212 GMT the FTSE 100 was down 161.57 points at 4,227.12. The UK benchmark is