Tragic romance eclipses 2nd-to-last shuttle flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Looking back on the horror of that Saturday in January, this seems miraculous today: that Mark Kelly would indeed command the next-to-last space shuttle flight and that his wounded wife, Gabrielle Giffords, would be here in Florida watching.

Yet that is what is expected to happen Friday.

The Kelly-Giffords ordeal has been a national drama since Jan. 8, when the congresswoman was shot in the head at a meet-and-greet in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz.

The couple's love story - her struggle to survive a serious brain injury and her remarkable progress, and his devotion to both his wife and NASA - has overshadowed Endeavour's final voyage and the looming end of the shuttle program.

Activists abandon oil rig after drilling protest

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Greenpeace activists climbed aboard a huge oil rig off Istanbul on Friday in a bid to prevent it from reaching Greenland to begin deep-water drilling in the Arctic, but later abandoned their protest because of bad weather.

The environmental group said eleven activists, some in rock-climbing gear, used speedboats to intercept and then climb atop the Leiv Eiriksson at dawn after it had left a port in Istanbul. They climbed the rig's derrick, unfurling a banner that read: "Stop Arctic destruction" and "Go Beyond Oil, Choose Clean Energy."

North African immigrants straining Europe's unity

BRUSSELS (AP) -- A bitter dispute over a flood of North African immigrants is widening divisions among some of Europe's most powerful nations and adding to strains on the long-held dream of a united Europe.

Since January an estimated 26,000 Tunisians have fled unrest in their country for the shores of Italy, where officials say the burden of caring for these immigrants should be shared by the 27-nation European Union.

The Italians have taken the unusual step of issuing many of the Tunisians temporary residence permits and say that those papers allow the immigrants to go anywhere in a 25-nation zone that permits legal European residents to cross borders without a visa.

Comprehensive immigration reform probably doomed

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama revisited a key campaign promise when he hosted a White House meeting of elected officials and experts on immigration. But if a major overhaul of the nation's immigration policy is his goal, Republicans in Congress say he shouldn't hold his breath.

They say any bill that even hints at amnesty or legalization for millions of illegal immigrants already living and working in the United States is dead before it ever makes an appearance in a congressional committee.

A path to citizenship is "what has doomed all immigration legislation in the last two administrations," California Republican Dan Lungren said during a recent House hearing on immigrant agricultural workers.

Health Insurance Plans Advantages

Health insurance plans could appear like an added fixed cost that you can not really want. However, health insurance can be helpful for a list of causes. You can seek through health insurance plans to get the better one for you, whether it is something that only covers the some and far-between doctor's visits you might want throughout the year, or disability coverage that takes into account any serious health issues that you might have. Health insurance, if it is the correct plan, can assist as a hugely good separate of maintaining you healthy.

Gas at $4 in nation's capital, 5 states; NY next

NEW YORK (AP) -- NEW YORK (AP) - Drivers in Washington, D.C., on Saturday joined motorists in five states who are paying more than $4 per gallon for gasoline.

The average price for gas in New York could top $4 by early next week. Hawaii, Alaska, California, Illinois and Connecticut already have pump prices above that mark, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge. Hawaii has the highest price in the U.S. at $4.47 per gallon.

The national average for gas has increased for 25 straight days, and is now $3.82 per gallon. Retail surveys suggest motorists are reacting to higher prices now by buying less fuel. Still, the government expects pump prices to keep climbing this summer as vacationers take to the highways.

A Consumer's Guidebook to Health Care Modernise

The six-month day of remembrance] of the personation of the health care modernise, numerous of the law's preparations will be good. Nearly consumers, nevertheless, will not insure any changes until after Jan. 1, when their new health insurance plan year begins.

Meanwhile, employees will be getting ready for fall's "open enrollment" period, when they pick their health coverage for the following year. In addition, people who buy their own health insurance will be researching their selections. Medicare donees will be able to modify their coverage late these class if they wish.

Here's a take how the law regards folks who get their coverage operant, purchase their own health insurance or are recruited in Medicare.