CNN news 2008-12-20 加文本

In Florida, the Orange county medical examiner has confirmed that a child skull found near the Anthoney family home is that of the missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthoney, and they are now officially calling the manner of death a homicide by unknown means. Caylee Anthoney was missing for a month before her disappearance was reported to authorities. Her mother Cathy Anthoney has been charged with first degree murder, and she maintains her innocence in her daughter's disappearance.

Also today, President Bush's offering two US auto companies a financial lifeline. He has approved 13. 4 billion dollars in short-term loans to General Motors and Chrysler. The money will come from the 700 billion dollars Congress's already approved to bail out the financial system. The companies have three years to repay the money, but there are strings attached. GM and Chrysler will have to submit restructuring plans by the end of the March.

That overtime Senate race in Minnesota is probably, believe it or not, going to drag into next year. A state canvassing board is still working through hundreds of disputed ballots. They've been added for four days now and about 1600 absentee ballots, which had been improperly rejected, also have to be counted. As this morning, Democrat Al Franken had edged ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the first time. He leads Coleman by just a handful of votes out of about 2. 9 million ballots cast.(wwW.hxen.net)

Police say 20 people attacked a French cultural institute in Greece with fire bombs. Now nobody was injured. Separately, Greek Union, Greek unions, excuse me, students are holding a peaceful protest in Athens. Greece has been in turmoil for about two weeks. The protest began over the fatal police shooting of a 15-year-old boy. Protesters are now voicing their opposition to government's economic policies.

The UN says more than 1, 100 people have died in a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. It's recorded nearly 21, 000 suspected  cases since August. The UN has criticized the country's response to the crisis, saying poor sanitation and a lack of clean drinking water makes the outbreak hard to be contained.

Those are your headlines right now. Please stay with cnn and cnn. com live for your updates and other news of the day.