A boat made of 12,000 plastic bottles has set sail on a voyage from San Francisco to Sydney to spread awareness about pollution in the world's oceans.Eco-warrior and banking heir David De Rothschild and his crew set out on the appropriately named Plastiki catamaran.Their 11,000 nautical mile journey will go past the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - a sea of waste about five times the size of the UK
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is encouraging House Democrats to finish work on his health care overhaul bill and has told them, We're going to get this done. Obama went to Capitol Hill on Saturday as Democrats made final preparations for what they hope will be final passage of the bill on Sunday.The president was cheered loudly when he entered a meeting of House Democrats in the Capi
WASHINGTON – A group of lawmakers had threatened to oppose President Barack Obama's health overhaul bill because of a dispute over Medicare payments to some doctors and hospitals.But the group's leader says the problem has been settled.Rep.Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said the administration has agreed to temporarily increase payments to health care providers in parts of the country where there h
President Barack Obama on Saturday made an emotional final pitch to Democrats on Capitol Hill to pass healthcare legislation, telling lawmakers that Sunday’s vote would be as historic and significant as the creation of Social Security and passage of civil rights protections.Rekindling the inspirational and fiery campaign oratory that paved the way to Mr Obama’s 2008 election to the White House, t
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan – Afghans have travelled from across their war-ravaged country to the northern city of Mazar-I-Sharif united behind one wish: that the advent of the new year will bring them peace.Up to half a million people are in the city, police said, to mark the spring equinox and the first day of the traditional Persian new year, called Nowruz and celebrated across Central
WASHINGTON – Former President Bill Clinton poked fun at Republicans, Democrats, his own health and his audience of reporters Saturday night, telling the Gridiron Club's annual dinner he was there because I really didn't have anything much better to do tonight. Clinton, who stood in for President Barack Obama, said Democrats are going to pass health care. It may not happen in my lifetime, o
LONDON – Whether wrapped in newspaper and eaten with greasy fingers or served on white china with silver cutlery, fish and chips has come a long way since it began 150 years ago.But the traditional British dish, celebrating a landmark anniversary this year, still boasts pride of place in British culture.The dish has survived the arrival of McDonalds and the trend for healthy and organic fo
REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Authorities evacuated hundreds of people after a volcano erupted beneath a glacier in southern Iceland, Iceland's civil protection agency said Sunday.The eruption occurred around 11:30 p.m.Saturday beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland.The volcano is covered by an ice cap.Fearing flooding from the glacier melt, authorities evacuated
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