Washington  - US lawmakers were making progress Tuesday toward a 15-billion-dollar bail-out for the US car industry, but some conservative legislators were still balking at the idea of the federal government rescuing a failing industry.

The package being considered is less than half the money that General Motors Corp, Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co have sought from Congress. It contains a series of tough conditions including the creation of a White House "car czar" to oversee their restructuring.

Sydney  - The world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks display at the end of this month on Sydney Harbour will be environmentally friendly, creative director Rhoda Roberts said Wednesday.

The claim that detonating explosives worth 5 million Australian dollars (3 million US dollars) would not add to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions was made in an interview on national broadcaster ABC.

New York - US stocks slid on Tuesday as companies cut their earnings forecast as consumers cut spending to cope with the recession.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 242.85 points, or 2.7 per cent, to 8,691.33. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 Index lost 21.03 points, or 2.3 per cent, to 888.67, while the technology heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 24.40, or 1.6 per cent, to 1,547.34.

Hamburg  - Panathinaikos are one of the surprise top seeds in the knockout stages of this season's Champions League after a 1-0 victory over Anorthosis Famagusta ensured the Greeks of finishing atop Group B.

Inter Milan could have finished top, but Jose's Mourinho's team went down 2-1 to Werder Bremen as a result of second-half goals from Claudio Pizarro and Markus Rosenberg, which earned the German side a UEFA Cup berth. Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted for the Serie A side.

Taipei  - China will help Taiwan tackle the problem of glut production
of fruit by buying 1,200 tons of Taiwanese oranges next week, a
newspaper said Wednesday.

The Fujian Chaoda Group has agreed to buy 1,200 tons of Taiwan's
surplus oranges. Taiwan will send five shipments of the oranges to
Fujian Province starting Monday, the China Times said.

This is the fourth time China has helped Taiwan tackle glut production
of fruit since 2006, when bilateral ties began to warm through contacts
between Taiwan's Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist

Sydney  - The finalists in last week's Homeless World Cup football tournament in Australia are expected to seek asylum after going missing in Melbourne or failing to show up for flights home.

The Afghans, who beat the Russians in the men's final, are missing, as are the Liberians, who lost 7-1 to Zambia in the women's final.

Most of the Liberians absconded before Sunday's final was played, prompting organizers to field Australians as substitutes.