AP - The U.S. government finally released the first part of a $400 million aid package Wednesday to support Mexico's police and soldiers in their fight against drug cartels.

Reuters - In the summer of 1986, hip-hop pioneers Run-D.M.C. played a show at Madison Square Garden in New York, riding high on the success of their single "My Adidas" and their third album, "Raising Hell."

UNESCO Rep - Iran - Culture UNESCO representative in Tehran and that organization's expert in cultural affairs Junko Taniguchi said here Wednesday handicrafts are one way for presenting a land's culture to alien nations, and Iran has a very rich culture in this respect.

Reuters - The Treasury Department is developing a plan to try to reduce mortgage rates on home loans to 4.5 percent on a 30-year mortgage by making fresh investments in those assets, sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.

PC World - A networking problem made Yahoo's Web site unreachable for many users on Wednesday.

AP - Darren Sharper's nightmare has come true.

An imperfect body might be just what the doctor ordered for women and key to their economic success, an anthropologist now says.

AP - Julie Andrews is succeeding Walter Cronkite as host of the Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's Day concert on PBS.

Let's face it. With the cold and flu season in full swing, I bet some of you think twice about grabbing a shopping cart without pausing to wonder who had it before you. Sure, stores often provide a handy sanitizing wipe to scrub down the handle. But if you have munchkins, how often do they actually just grab [...]

Reuters - The chief executives of the major U.S. auto companies prepared on Wednesday for make-or-break congressional hearings on their request for $34 billion in government bailout loans, while lawmakers considered options including one or more of the Detroit Three going bankrupt.