Washington  - US President George W Bush and Congress are nearing a deal to soon approve a 15-billion-dollar bailout plan for the troubled automotive industry, the White House said Monday.

"Indications are that the legislation is moving more towards what the president could support," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, adding "it's very likely" the two sides will arrive at a proposal by the end of Monday.

New York  - The United Nations celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Wednesday, knowing that its provisions have remained largely unfulfilled even by the governments that promote them to their own citizens.

Human rights, along with development and security, are the three main pillars upon which the world organization has built its activities since its birth in 1945. UN founders included human rights in the organization's charter in response to atrocities committed during World War II.

Athens - Clashes between students and police continued for a third straight day Monday, with thousands of protestors setting fire to government buildings, police stations, businesses in central Athens.

Thick black smoke and flames engulfed the air over central Athens as students set fire to several buildings, including the offices of state airline Olympic Airways and the Foreign Ministry located across from parliament

Rome - Struggling Serie A side Torino have fired coach Gianni De Biasi and called back Walter Novellino, who was still under contract with the Turin club since his dismissal in April.

Torino fired Novellino, 55, with five games left to the end of the 2007-2008 season. He began coaching in 1992 after a good career as offensive midfielder with the same Torino, AC Milan, Perugia and Catania.

Athens  - At approximately this time every year, Greeks young and old would normally be seen gathered around a brightly-lit Christmas tree in central Syntagma Square and eagerly shopping for gifts along the highly popular commercial street of Ermou.

But as clashes between students and police continued for a third straight day Monday, with thousands attacking police stations, government buildings, banks and businesses, no one in central Athens appeared to be in the Christmas spirit.

Madrid  - Spanish champions Real Madrid announced on Monday evening that Mahamadou Diarra will be out of action for between six and nine months.

The Mali midfielder was operated on in Madrid on Monday morning, for a complicated break in the external cartliage of his right knee, an injury he originally sustained playing for Mali against Chad in October.

Diarra, 27, is Real's second lon-term knee injury victim, after Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

The club's other absentees at the moment are Pepe, Gabriel Heinze, Ruben de la Red and Wesley Sneijder.