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The US Senate has voted by 60 to 40 votes to close debate on landmark health care reform legislation backed by President Barack Obama but unanimously opposed by Republican lawmakers. Now, the divided chamber appears to be heading towards a vote to pass the bill on Thursday. All 100 senators were gathered in the Capitol building for a key procedural vote on health care reform legislation. All 58 Democrats in the Senate, plus the two independents who normally vote with them, voted for cloture, which limits the length of debate. All forty Republi

Serbia is to file a formal application today to join the European Union according to officials. President Boris Tadić is to fly to Stockholm to submit the application to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. "President Boris Tadic will go to Stockholm on Tuesday to submit the application for EU membership," announced Serbian presidency spokeswoman Jasmina Stojanov. Reinfeldt called the announcement "a historic step". In a statement he welcomed the bid, saying "I look forward to receiving President Boris Tadic in Stockholm on Tuesday, Dece

Lawmakers in the municipality of Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, became the first to approve gay marriage in Latin America yesterday, despite opposition from conservative groups and the Catholic Church. "It was approved overall by 39 votes in favor and twenty against, with five abstentions," said a spokesman for David Razu, the bill's chief sponsor. Razu proposed the bill to allow same-sex couples to have the same access as heterosexual married couples to social security and other benefits. Some cities in countries in Latin America, such

A man from Scotland who killed four elderly women and attempted to murder a fifth while working as a nurse in England has lost his appeal. Colin Norris, 33, from Glasgow, gave his victims overdoses of insulin which sent them into comas. Norris, who was struck off the nursing register following his convictions, was convicted in March last year of murdering Doris Ludlam, 80, Bridget Bourke, 88, Irene Crookes, 79, and Ethel Hall, 86, as well as the attempted murder of 90-year-old Vera Wilby. Only Wilby ever awoke from her coma. He was convicted b

A second day of winter weather and snow has caused further disruption in the UK. At 15:13 GMT last Saturday, one Wikinews contributor in West Lothian described the conditions there as 'white-out', although later conditions were reported to have improved. Forecasters had indicated further snow in Scotland later into Saturday evening, with some higher ground experiencing as much as 15 centimetres into Sunday. Heavy snow for parts of Northern England had also been forecast. In South of England the wintry weather has also affected cross channel s

A man has been killed after a car accident in Cornwall, England. The collision involved a vehicle driving off a quay in Porthleven, near the town of Helston in the county and into the sea at around 2100 Greenwich Mean Time on Friday, according to reports from members of the public made to the police and the coastguard. A major rescue operation was launched with contributions from the harbourmaster, the ambulance service, the police, the fire crews, a helicopter and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. After roughly two hours, a harbour cra

A recent blizzard that paralyzed parts of the U.S. East Coast Sunday has left many areas buried under feet of snow. When all was said and done, the storm, a severe nor'easter, had affected everywhere from North Carolina to New England and Nova Scotia in Canada. Among its effects were at least five fatalities, as well as large-scale traffic delays. The storm originated in the Gulf of Mexico, as nor'easters usually do, and grew to be a powerful cyclone as it moved northeastward. Often described as the worst winter storm to strike the area in ye

Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, New York City, was evacuated due to a two-alarm fire on Sunday. The fire started in an escalator and smoke began to spread throughout the department store. Nobody was seriously injured, however thick smoke was present. The fire was reported at 16:00 EDT (21:00 UTC) and the store reopened at around 18:00 EDT (23:00 UTC) and will stay open until 18:00 EDT Christmas eve, according to Macy's spokesperson Elina Kazan. "Real smoky, you could hardly breathe on the third floor [...] everybody had to wear masks."

Madagascar's leader, Andry Rajoelina, has named a high-ranking army officer as the country's new prime minister, and announced he is abandoning a power-sharing deal with the opposition. Mr. Rajoelina's office announced Sunday that Colonel Camille Albert Vital would serve as the new prime minister, replacing Eugene Mangalaza, who was supposed to be prime minister under the deal. Previously he had been expected to make Cecile Manorohanta the new prime minister. He also abolished the posts of co-president. In a nationally broadcast address, Colo

A 50-year-old man has been killed as a result of an apartment fire in south London, England. The fire department were called at around 2335 GMT on Saturday to a fire in a four-bedroom property on Ely Road in Croydon. Reports indicate three fire trucks and fifteen firemen at the scene of the incident; using breathing apparatus, the fire crew were able to rescue the man from the building. He was taken to a hospital however, doctors were unable to save the man. He later died as a result of the smoke inhalation. The deceased's next of kin have bee

Somali officials have said that an exchange of mortar fire today has killed at least fourteen people in the capital, Mogadishu. At least 28 other people were wounded in the shelling between Islamist insurgents and pro-government forces. The incident apparently started after the insurgents started firing mortars at soldiers, who responded by throwing shells. "Fourteen civilians died and 28 others were wounded on Saturday night and Sunday morning in mortar shell exchanges in Mogadishu. Most of these people died this morning after an exchange o

The Yemeni rebels of the Shi'ite Zaidi group have accused Saudi armed forces of killing 54 people in air strikes on a town in northern Yemen. The group stated warplanes carried out the raids yesterday, destroying five houses in the town of Razeh in the mountainous Saada province. They added that women and children were among the dead. "The town of al-Nadeer was targeted by air-strikes and 54 civilians, including women and children, were killed," said a spokesman for the group, to the Agence France-Presse news agency. They also posted additiona