September 30, 2013 - 7:21AM The Australian dollar is lower after US stocks fell on Friday as the deadline to pass the US budget gets closer. At 0630 AEST on Monday, the local unit was trading at 93.20 US cents, down from 93.61 cents on Friday. And the Australian market looks set to open lower following falls on Wall Street with traders nervous amid relentless partisan squabbling over a US budget bill to avert a partial US government shutdown. At 0715 AEST on Monday, the September share price index futures contract was down 13 points at 5,296. WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives approved a controversial Republican measure that avoids a looming government shutdown but delays President Barack Obama's health care law for one year. WASHINGTON - With the US government less than 100 hours from a crippling shutdown, President Barack Obama has warned Republicans to stop appeasing "extremists" and pass a budget or risk economic chaos. WASHINGTON - Greece's international creditors have announced a pause in their discussion with Athens over the release of rescue loans. WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund has approved a standby loan for Romania of nearly two billion euros ($A2.9 billion) to match a backup loan of the same size requested from the European Union. BERLIN - Germany engineering company Siemens says it will cut up to 15,000 jobs worldwide by the end of 2014. SHANGHAI - China has launched a major free trade zone seen as a testing ground for long-awaited market reforms in the world's second largest economy. TOKYO - Japanese premier Shinzo Abe's long-awaited decision this week on whether to hike sales taxes is a major political gamble that proved career-ending for his predecessors, analysts say. WELLINGTON - The share offer for state-owned power company Meridian is opening to investors.