The 20 most-viewed news articles of 2010 on independent.co.uk

And the 20 most-viewed picture galleries on our news channel this year

Tuesday 14 December 2010 15:00 GMT

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The "Most Viewed" has its more bizarre statistics. The latest oddity came on 9 December as protests rose to fury in Parliament Square. The clashes and the Commons vote were at the head of the stats that afternoon, but ranking right beside these history-making events was an article detailing possible legal action against Channel 4 by the model Katie Price, over comedian Frankie Boyle's joke about her disabled son.

But I do not deride the public's choice. In fact we are proud to carry our Most Viewed lists prominently across the site - carrying 15 links and often relating them specifically to sections. As Jack Riley points out in his 2010 review of our most-shared articles, this is all about power to the people.

You might still expect me to have some trepidation in presenting the following two lists (news articles and news-related picture galleries). But I think the sceptical may be surprised at not only the breadth of your interests - but also how serious many of them are.

The 20 most-viewed news articles of 2010 on independent.co.uk

1. Former guerrilla Dilma Rousseff set to be the world's most powerful woman

Brazil looks likely to elect an extraordinary leader next weekend. By Hugh O'Shaughnessy

2. After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all

The great American writer left instructions not to publish his autobiography until 100 years after his death, which is now. By Guy Adams in Los Angeles

3. A cure for the common cold may finally be achieved as a result of a remarkable discovery in a Cambridge laboratory

Scientists have been able to show for the first time that the body's immune defences can destroy the common cold virus after it has actually invaded the inner sanctum of a human cell, a feat that was believed until now to be impossible. By Steve Connor, Science Editor

4. What are the Bilderberg Group really doing in Spain?

Security is so tight at the annual cabal of the world's elite that conspiracy theories about what is discussed – and who's invited – are rife. By Anita Brooks in Sitges

5. 'Walls of fat' removed from London's sewers

Enough fat to fill nine double-decker buses is being removed from sewers under London's Leicester Square. Press Association

6. President goes for a swim in the Gulf – or does he?

President Barack Obama wanted to convince America that the Gulf of Mexico remains open for business. But perhaps he didn't want the world to catch another glimpse of his hairless chest. President Barack Obama wanted to convince America that the Gulf of Mexico remains open for business. But perhaps he didn't want the world to catch another glimpse of his hairless chest. By Guy Adams

7. Revealed: What Apple really thinks about its customers

Fury at firm's secret memo to staff over problems with new Phone. By Emily Dugan

8. Revealed: The secret deal that changed the monarchy

Sovereign's debt crisis sparked 2006 agreement surrendering ultimate financial autonomy. By Robert Verkaik

9. Robot to explore mysterious tunnels in Great Pyramid

For 4,500 years, no one has known what lies beyond two stone doors deep inside the monument. By Andrew Johnson

10. Madam President? It could happen

Speculation that she will run for President in 2012 is reaching fever pitch. But what do those who watched Sarah Palin grow up make of her meteoric ascent – and ruthless ambition? By Shushannah Walshe

11. Queen tried to use state poverty fund to heat Buckingham Palace

Ministers were asked if money earmarked for schools, hospitals and low-income families could be used to meet soaring fuel bills. By Robert Verkaik

12. Has Apple really changed the world again?

It's called the iPad. It looks like a large iPhone, with just a single button on the front. It has a 9.7in screen and weighs in at 1.5lb pounds. And it will cost you around £350 for the cheapest model. By Stephen Foley

13. Out for the count: Why levels of sperm in men are falling

Levels of 'viable' sperm in human males are falling – and scientists believe they now understand the cause. Infertility can begin in the womb, says Steve Connor

14. Everest team forced to leave sick British climber to die

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the British climber Peter Kinloch was on the roof of the world, in bright sunlight, taking photographs of the Himalayas below, "elated, cheery and bubbly". By Andy McSmith

15. Women who travel for sex: Sun, sea and gigolos

The men are young, gorgeous and up for it. No wonder Western women see a Third World holiday as the gateway to casual sex - sometimes in exchange for cash. But as a new film highlights female sex tourism, Liz Hoggard asks who really pays the price

16. Christopher Hitchens attacks Gore Vidal for being a 'crackpot'

Former protégé takes America's great man of letters to task for adopting 9/11 conspiracy theories. By Kate Youde.

17. Fears of Chinese land grab as Beijing's billions buy up resources

China is pouring another $7bn (£4.4bn) into Brazil's oil industry, reigniting fears of a global "land grab" of natural resources. By Sarah Arnott

18. Obama runs out of patience with Israel

Settlement issue provokes 'biggest crisis in relations for 35 years'. By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem and Hugh MacLeod in Doha

19. Modern art was CIA 'weapon'

Revealed: how the spy agency used unwitting artists such as Pollock and de Kooning in a cultural Cold War . By Frances Stonor Saunders

20. Russia rails at Georgian minister's 'stripper' photos

The Russian media has seized upon a raunchy photograph – of the Georgian Economy Minister posing in a nightclub – to release a fresh torrent of criticism at President Mikheil Saakashvili for appointing "strippers" to his cabinet. By Shaun Walker in Moscow

The 20 most-viewed news-related picture galleries of 2010

1. The past seven days in photographs

(A bit of a cheat really as this link is ever-present on the homepage and updated regularly throughout the year. But stats are stats!)

2. Chernobyl - 24 years on

3. Exclusive: The unseen photographs that throw new light on the First World War (May 2009)

(From May 2009 but had a new lease of life when we published the follow-up - see No. 12 below.)

4. And finally... bizarre real life stories

5. Ten adverts that shocked the world

6. Top ten passions of Ancient Rome

7. The Apollo hoax theories

8. Snow in the UK: Your pictures and snow map (January)

9. A who’s who of celebrity political endorsements