IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in December, hurt by increasing worries about the jobs market, according to a private report released on Tuesday.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc said it has been unable to reach a programming agreement with Time Warner Cable Inc, meaning millions of homes could lose some of their local stations on New Year's Eve.

A group of iPhone and iPad users have sued Apple Inc alleging that certain applications were passing personal user information to third-party advertisers without consent, a court filing showed.

Nandi Economic Corridor Enterprise (NICE), executor of the controversial Bangalore-Mysore expressway, plans to raise about $450 million through an initial public offer (IPO).

U.S.-based Nasdaq OMX Group is looking at having a second stab at setting up a market in Japan with the Osaka Securities Exchange <8697.OS>, hoping to attract investors from emerging Asian economies, domestic media reported.

Patent wars punctuated the technology landscape in 2010. Lawsuits were filed with myriad motivations, some seeking permanent injunction, some monetary compensation and some bullying others to accept licensing agreements.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite captured some striking images of the winter storm that buried parts of the U.S. over the weekend.

Nokia Siemens Networks' agreed $1.2 billion acquisition of Motorola's telecom network equipment arm has been delayed by the Chinese regulator, which has yet to grant permission for the deal.

Prices of single-family homes fell almost double the expected pace in October, the fourth straight decline, data from a closely watched survey showed on Tuesday, fresh evidence the housing market continues to struggle.

Spot gold prices surged up on Tuesday as it was supported by a weaker dollar and strong buying interest in Asia, while investors hoped for a further rally in prices next year. Spot gold gained gained nearly one percent to $1,402.40 an ounce by 1352 GMT.

Nokia's network gear arm Nokia Siemens Networks has delayed its agreed $1.2 billion acquisition of Motorola's telecom network equipment arm, citing pending permission from the Chinese regulator.

Ricky Ponting, the Australian cricket team captain, has admitted that he regrets his argument with umpire Aleem Dar on day two of the Melbourne Ashes test, over a post-review not-out call against Kevin Pietersen.

48% of US Companies are predicted to hire logistics grads in 2011 but suffer severe talent crunch

England came within sights of a victory in the fourth Ashes test at Melbourne after they reduced Australia to 169/6 at the end of the third day's play with the hosts requiring another 246 runs to avoid defeat.

In a blow to Microsoft, Russia has taken another step towards transition into complete usage of free software. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday signed an order for the transition of federal bodies and agencies to use free software.

Energy and material stocks led gainers on the S&P 500 on Tuesday in a thinly traded session in which major indexes barely budged.

U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in December, while prices of U.S. single-family homes fell almost double the expected pace in October, tempering growing optimism on the economy's recovery.

Recent reforms of euro zone governance have not gone far enough, European Central Bank Governing Council member Yves Mersch said on Tuesday.

Barnes & Noble Inc failed to win dismissal of Spring Design Inc's lawsuit accusing the largest U.S. bookseller of illegally copying its dual-display design for its Nook electronic book reader.

The Blizzard of 2010 has left thousands of people stranded in airports, on roadways and in unplowed neighborhoods throughout the northeast.

Consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in December, hurt by increasing worries about the jobs market, according to a private report released on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday as investors were reluctant to take large positions in either direction and largely shrugged off weaker-than-expected data on consumer confidence and home prices.

China will allow more banks to sell currency forwards to their clients to further develop demand and the nation's nascent derivatives market, the country's foreign exchange regulator said on Tuesday.

Hitachi Ltd is in talks with Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co about a tie-up in small liquid-crystal display panels, the president of the Japanese industrial conglomerate said on Tuesday.

Americans owe more in student debt than in credit cards and rival the default rate in home mortgages

Arsenal hammered Chelsea 3-1 with a commanding performance to go second in the table behind Manchester United in Monday's late game in the English Premier League (EPL).

Ford Motors said on Monday that it will add an Auto Start-Stop system that shuts off the engine when a vehicle comes to a stop. This feature is currently found in Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid and some Ford cars in Europe - will soon be added to conventional cars, crossovers and SUVs in North America.

Nasdaq-listed iGate, owned by former marketing head of Infosys Phaneesh Murthy, agreed to buy Patni Computer Systems for $1 billion in shares.

Industrial production in Japan rose for the first time in six months, indicating that a strong demand in Asia could help the economy recover next year.