In Easter message, pope urges diplomacy in Libya

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI offered an Easter prayer Sunday for diplomacy to prevail over warfare in Libya and for citizens of the Middle East to build a new society based on respect.

He also called on Europeans to welcome refugees from North Africa.

"In heaven, all is peace and gladness. But, alas, all is not so on earth!" the pope lamented as he delivered the traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to a crowd of more than 100,000 that overflowed from St. Peter's Square.

Wash. considers annual flat fee for electric cars

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Drivers of electric cars may have left the gas pump behind, but there's one expense they may not be able to shake: paying to maintain the roads.

After years of urging residents to buy fuel-efficient cars and giving them tax breaks to do it, Washington state lawmakers are considering a measure to charge them a $100 annual fee - what would be the nation's first electric car fee.

State lawmakers grappling with a $5 billion deficit are facing declining gas tax revenue, which means less money to maintain or improve roads.

Samsung files lawsuits against Apple

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. said it is suing Apple Inc. for patent rights violations, only days after Apple sued Samsung for the same reason.

Samsung is accusing Apple of violating its rights to 10 smartphone and computer patents. The company filed lawsuits Thursday in Seoul, Tokyo and Mannheim, Germany.

The lawsuits come only days after Apple sued Samsung in a California court. Apple alleges Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones and tablet computers copy Apple's popular iPad and iPhone.

UK mulling royal succession rule change

LONDON (AP) -- Britain's government said Saturday it has begun the process of reviewing the ancient, discriminatory rules of royal succession, so that if Prince William and Kate Middleton's first child is a baby girl she would eventually become queen.

The current rule that puts boys ahead of their sisters "would strike most people as a little old-fashioned," Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said. It is just two weeks until the prince and Middleton get married at London's Westminster Abbey, and Clegg said many people may agree that the rules should be changed so that if the couple's first child were a girl, she would eventually inherit the throne - even if she had a younger brother.

How Health Insurance Can Help You

Health insurance plans may look like an added fixed cost that you may not really want. However, health insurance may be helpful for a list of argues. You can search through health insurance plans to get the greatest 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 must have. Health insurance, if it is the good plan, can assist as a hugely good separate of maintaining you healthy.

Gov't asks high court to take GPS tracking case

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to take up an important privacy case for the digital age, whether the police need a warrant before using a global positioning system device to track a suspect's movements.

The administration is appealing a lower court ruling that reversed a criminal conviction because the police did not obtain a warrant for the GPS device they secretly installed on a man's car.

The federal appeals court in Washington said that officers violated the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches. Other appeals courts have ruled that search warrants aren't necessary for GPS tracking.

A Consumer's Head to Health Care Overhaul

The six-month day of remembrance] of the enactment of the health care overhaul, many of the law's provisions will be in effect. Most consumers, however, won't see any modifies till subsequently January 1, while their new health insurance plan year begins.

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