By Leigh Ann Caldwell / CBS News   As revelers in Times Square and cities and towns across the country wait for the ball to drop to ring in the new year, politicians in Washington have announced that a ball is not likely to drop on the average tax… more »

  RT (Russia Today) After 30 years spent drilling through a four-kilometer-thick ice crust, researchers have finally broken through to a unique subglacial lake. Scientists are set to reveal its 20-million-year-old secrets, and imitate a quest to disc… more »

Watch video clips of today's solar flare, as seen by NASA spacecraft. Cosmic Log By Alan Boyle The sun has unleashed a blast in Earth's direction, and that should cause brighter-than-normal auroral displays this weekend. Skywatchers won't be the on… more »

ReutersBy Tom Hals Owners of thousands of U.S. homes tainted with foul-smelling Chinese drywall agreed to a legal settlement on Thursday with a German manufacturer. An attorney for the plaintiffs, Russ Herman, said the settlement reached with Knauf… more »

Facebook fatigue' blamed for drop in usersSocial network with 600m users has been rocked by privacy scares UK Daily Mail By Daniel Bates Tired of social networking? Logging off Facebook? You’re probably not the only one. Fearing for their pri… more »