Mexico: Ex-drug czar took cartel money
Mexico's former drug czar took $450,000 to leak information to a powerful cartel, officials said Friday.

Stocks seesaw after steep sell-off
Wall Street wavered Friday but took a break from the heavier selling of recent days as energy, utility and technology stocks showed some advances and bank stocks declined.

Shipper: Militaries must confront pirates
The world's militaries must work together to battle pirates off the Somali coast or ships will have to be diverted, one of the world's largest oil tanker companies said Friday.

Sexism award goes to 'ugly ducklings' mayor
An Australian outback mayor's plea for lovelorn female "ugly ducklings" to move to a remote mining town to reverse a shortage of eligible women has won him the country's yearly award for outrageous sexism.

Mukasey released from hospital after collapse

The attorney general  was given 'a clean bill of health' and checked out of the hospital after extensive medical tests following his collapse, the Justice Department said Friday.

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Myanmar sends comedian, monk to prison
Courts in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday handed long prison sentences to a prominent monk and a popular comedian active in the country's pro-democracy movement.

Bush signs bill providing extra jobless benefits
President George W. Bush on Friday ensured that millions of laid-off workers will keep getting their unemployment checks as the year-end holidays approach.

GM plans more cuts, eyes up to 10 factories
General Motors Corp. will extend its holiday shutdown or make other production cuts at up to 10 factories as it deals with a continued U.S. auto sales slump and fights to stay solvent.