New York -- Crude oil prices fell Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the U.S. Department of Energy predicted a $51.17 per barrel average for 2009.

The prediction cuts the expected $100.40 per barrel average for 2008 almost in half, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Crude oil prices dropped $1.59 to $42.40 per barrel. Heating oil prices fell 0.0504 cents to $1.4436 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline fell 0.017 cents to 94.35 cents per gallon. Natural gas prices rose 0.03 cents to $5.65 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $1.698 Tuesday, down from Monday's $1.716 a gallon, AAA said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.

Los Angeles -- ABC said Tuesday it plans to air a special edition of its U.S. competition series "Wipeout," pitting cheerleaders against male couch potatoes.

The football-inspired "Wipeout Superball Sunday" is scheduled to run Feb. 1 in a special segment during half-time at the Super Bowl, the network said.

Serving as hosts of the show are John Anderson from ESPN's "SportsCenter," John Henson from "Talk Soup," actress Jill Wagner and special guest sideline reporter Michael Irvin, a former Dallas Cowboy and NFL Hall of Fame member.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.

New York -- U.S. stock indexes fell hard Tuesday after posting gains in eight of the last 10 trading sessions.

Japanese electronics giant Sony reminded investors that the recession wasn't over, announcing 8,000 job cuts Tuesday morning.

Among active stocks, Citigroup Inc. gained 2.01 percent, Ford Motor Co. slid 4.67 percent and Bank of America lost 4.15 percent.

By close, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 242.33 points, or 2.72 percent, to 8,691.33. The Standard and Poor's 500 fell 2.31 percent, 21.03 points, to 888.67. The Nasdaq composite index fell 1.455 percent, losing 24.40 points, to 1,547.34.

On the New York Stock Exchange, 988 stocks advanced and 2,134 declined on a volume of 7.7 billion shares traded.

Atlanta -- Pilots from U.S. airlines Delta and Northwest now occupy a unified seniority list under an arbitrator's formula, an airline spokesman said.

The two airlines merged in October, but smoothly integrating two seniority lists have plagued airlines in the past, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

The new formula, using a "ratioed status and category" method of determining seniority, "marks another important step in bringing our work groups together as quickly as possible," Delta spokesman Kent Landers said.

Lee Moak, chairman of The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Delta and Northwest pilots, called the agreement "a historic labor first."

The agreement stands "in stark contrast to traditional airline merger time lines where labor issues can take years to resolve, often at the expense of both labor and the merged corporation," Moak said.

London -- Wagon Automotive, one of Britain's largest car parts groups, says it may have to cut 4,500 jobs across Europe.

The Times of London reported Sunday that the news comes after about 11,000 jobs were lost in Britain last week.

Wagon Automotive's financial woes turned dire after banks declined to contribute about $15.3 million to keep the firm running for another three months, the newspaper reported.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.

Paris -- Job opportunities listed online fell sharply in Britain and France in November, a private research group said Tuesday.

Monster Worldwide, which issues a detailed monthly report of online job ads, said the overall Monster Employment Index in Europe declined 6 percent since November 2007.

Europe's online job index fell six points during the month from 152 to 146. But, the index dropped 15 points in France, where the decline in online job offers is down 8 percent from a year ago.

In Britain, the index reached a 19-month low, falling nine points in the month, the report said.

Across Europe, "sharply reduced opportunities were seen in the automotive, consulting and agricultural sectors," the report said. Healthcare, telecommunications and government opportunities rose, however.

Las Vegas -- A Las Vegas Sands Corp. lawyer said the company would appeal a $58.6 million award won by a Hong Kong businessman for help securing a gambling contract.

District Judge Michelle Leavitt denied two motions in the case, one to have the judgment overturned and one to have the award reduced, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported Tuesday.

In a six-week trial that ended in May, businessman Richard Suen claimed he helped the company secure a lucrative gambling contract in Macao.
The company said Suen's role was incidental.

In filing to overturn the judgment, attorney Rusty Hardin said the jury relied on hearsay testimony, the newspaper said.

"You're talking about four layers of speculation and conjecture," he said.

But, Suen's lawyer,John O'Malley disagreed. "To try and say that a six-week case turned on one snippet of testimony is stretching the bounds of reality," O'Malley said.

Washington -- The U.S. Energy Department's Joint Genome Institute has released the assembly of the soybean genetic mix to the research community.

The institutes's interest in sequencing the soybean was sparked by the legume's use for biodiesel, a renewable, alternative fuel with the highest energy content of any alternative fuel, the Energy Department said in a news release. Federal information indicates the soybean is responsible for more than 80 percent of biodiesel production.

The genome sequencing is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding between the departments of Energy and Agriculture, the Energy Department said.

"Soybeans have been an important food plant providing essential protein to people for hundreds of years," said Gale A. Buchanan, USDA chief scientist and undersecretary for research, education and economics. "Now, with the new knowledge available through this joint DOE-USDA genome sequencing project, researchers everywhere will be able to further enhance important traits that make the soybean such a valuable plant. It's a great day for agriculture and people everywhere."

Washington -- Pending U.S. home sales dipped slightly in October, falling 0.7 percent, the National Association of Realtors in Washington said Tuesday.

The Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in the month, fell from 89.5 to 88.9, a drop of 1 percent from October 2007, NAR said.

"Despite the turmoil in the economy, the overall level of pending home sales has been remarkably stable over the past year," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement.

"There is pent up demand and access to safe, affordable mortgages will bring more buyers into the market," he said.

From region to region, sales conditions remain "uneven," however, NAR said.
The index jumped 7.8 percent in the South and only 0.6 percent in the Northeast, where the PHSI is 14.1 percent below a year ago.

Washington -- Congressional leaders Monday announced details of $15 billion in emergency loans proposed for U.S. automakers, using loan funds already passed into law.

The measure would extend the funding provided that automakers operate under strict oversight of a monitor appointed by the White House, the Los Angeles Times reported. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., said the legislation would require General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. to get on a stronger financial footing without putting too much taxpayer money at risk, the newspaper reported.

"We want to be able to review the performance of the auto companies as they go forward," Pelosi said.

Frank said earlier Monday that Pelosi and the White House had overcome a major hurdle and agreed to use available funds from a $25 billion loan program for automakers previously enacted by Congress and signed into law.