Environmentalists claim the drilling could contaminate New York's unfiltered drinking water sources with dangerous chemicals and radioactivity Carolyn Weaver | New York 24 December 2009 Photo: Sabine Aronowsky Manhattan borough president Scott String...
US president acknowledges toughest part of the process may lie ahead, melding the House and Senate versions of the sweeping health care reform bill into one. Paula Wolfson | White House 24 December 2009 Photo: AP President Barack Obama, accompanied b...
The U.S. Senate has approved a hard-fought measure to overhaul the U.S. health care system. The vote will be followed by the difficult process of reconciling the Senate-passed bill with one approved by the House of Representatives, in order to get a...
Photo: AP Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid left, listens as Sen. Charles Schumer speaks during press conference on Capitol Hill, 24 Dec 2009 When lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives return to work in January, they will face the...
The Hmong, who fear persecution by the Laotian government, have been living in a camp in northern Thailand. David Gollust | State Department 24 December 2009 Photo: AP Hmong refugees collect water at Huay Nam Khao village in Thailand's northeastern p...
News reports are sometimes referred to as the first draft of history. But Russia has turned the adage on its head by creating news out of history. In a year filled with historic anniversaries, the Kremlin raised controversy in 2009 with claims of cer...
Photo: AP Russian President Dmitry Medvedev seen on television screens in an electronics shop during his interview in Moscow, 24 Dec 2009 In his end of the year speech, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says his country will develop a new generation...
The Swiss multinational company Nestle says it has temporarily suspended its operations in Zimbabwe due to safety concerns for its employees. The move comes two months after Nestle bowed to international pressure and stopped milk purchases from a far...
Finance Minister Tendai Biti says the country needs billions of dollars to pull its economy back to the levels of a decade ago when it was at its peak. Ish Mafundikwa | Harare 24 December 2009 Photo: AP Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti Finance M...
Edward Yeranian | Cairo 24 December 2009 Some scattered cells of al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula have been monitored closely over recent weeks and it was localized that a meeting at four o'clock early morning today for al-Qaida, they were organizin...
Others include water on the Moon, gene therapy Art Chimes | Washington 23 December 2009 The prestigious journal Science is out with its top 10 breakthroughs of 2009. They include developments in anthropology, astronomy, and biology. The breakthrough...
The death of a 'king' and the birth of a star are just two events which shaped this year's pop music landscape. Ray McDonald | Washington 23 December 2009 April 11, 2009: 48-year-old Susan Boyle first appeared on the TV show Britain's Got Talent, del...
It's just the latest batch of holiday catalogs arriving Ted Landphair | Washington, DC 23 December 2009 Photo: Nenyaki, Flickr Creative Commons There aren't many full-service department stores any more and thus, not many Christmas window displays, ei...
Photo: VOA Ice. Snow. Flights canceled. Weather stalls travel in US and Europe Many people worldwide travel to family celebrations for Christmas and the New Year. But this December, getting to those celebrations requires a mixture of patience and coo...
Dan Robinson | Washington 23 December 2009 The U.S. Senate is a few hours away from a historic vote to approve legislation overhauling the U.S. health care system. Approval with the expected 60 vote majority (that) Senate Democrats have held together...
