SAN FRANCISCO - US SALES of videogames fell 17 per cent in April to US$1.03 billion (S$1.51 billion), research group NPD said on Thursday, the second steep monthly decline in a row.

Game software sales fell 23 per cent to US$510.7 million in April, while hardware sales dropped 8 per cent to US$391.6 million. Sales of accessories declined 15 per cent.

SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - AS AMERICAN astronauts overhauled the aging Hubble, European scientists launched an even larger space telescope toward a far-flung orbit, hoping to help answer two questions: How did the cosmos begin and are we alone in it?

The Herschel space telescope, the largest ever launched, will observe chunks of ice and dust left over from the formation of planets, playing a 'complementary' role to the versatile Hubble, said Andreas Diekmann, director of the European Space Agency's Washington office.

WASHINGTON - DEMOCRATS in the US House of Representatives on Friday formally unveiled sweeping legislation to fight climate change and said the 932-page bill enjoyed broad national support.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will take up the measure on Monday and have legislation ready for a full House vote by the end of next week, the panel's chairman, Democratic Representative Henry Waxman, said in a statement.