Across the country, communities in rural areas have a hard time recruiting doctors, who are more attracted to the lifestyle and salaries of big cities. But the small wheat-farming town of Colfax, Washington, has come up with a clever solution to the problem. The community hospital and some of its doctors are paying a local woman's way through medical school. The med student has committed to return to her hometown to practice after completing her studies. Tom Banse reports.

The U.S. central bank has slashed a key interest rate amid continued global market upheaval sparked by fears of a possible U.S. recession. VOA's Michael Bowman reports, the move came as the Bush administration renewed calls for a swift economic-stimulus package to spur growth.

Gold prices fell Tuesday as investors sold the commodity to cover losses on global stock markets.

The three major candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination met Monday in a debate televised by the Cable News Network and co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. The event, which took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, featured an exchange of sharp barbs between Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama -- both of whom are in a tight race for first place in that state's January 26th primary. VOA's Houston correspondent, Greg Flakus, has more on the story.

The Australian Democrats say granting BAE Systems Australia an exemption from racial discrimination laws sets South Australia back 20 years.

About 25 white supremacists marched through a Louisiana town on Monday in a white power rally on the United States national holiday honouring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

The U.S. military says it has carried out a third air assault on a suspected militant stronghold south of Baghdad.

U.S. presidential candidates are focusing on two southern states as they compete for a place on the ballot in the November general election.

The battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the mantle of America's Democratic presidential candidate has moved into the pews of important black churches.

The United States found itself Thursday on a Canadian list of countries where foreigners risk torture and abuse. The country is listed alongside countries such as Afghanistan, China, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Syria in a leaked internal training manual. Both Israel and the United States are officially allies of Canada.

Information on 650,000 credit card holders held by U.S. retail stores is reported to be lost. The lost data includes 150,000 social security numbers.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the United States sees an increasing threat of terrorist attacks coming from Western Europe. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA from London.