Health officials: Athens has spiraling HIV crisis

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Athens is seeing an alarming increase in new HIV infections, particularly among intravenous drug users, health officials warned Friday, as Greece struggles through a protracted financial crisis in which funding for health care and drug treatment programs has been slashed.While there were about 10-14 new HIV infections per year among Athens drug users from 2008 to 2010, that number...

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Who will blink first in fiscal cliff standoff?

"Absurd" -- that's the word one top Republican Hill aide used to describe the plan that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner presented to GOP leaders yesterday to avoid the fiscal cliff.And an aide to House Speaker Boehner described the White House's offer as "completely unrealistic" and "a break with reality."Meanwhile, a top Democratic insider complained to ABC's Jonathan Karl that "the Republicans...

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Myanmar cracks down on mine protest; dozens hurt

MONYWA, Myanmar (AP) — Security forces used water cannons and other riot gear Thursday to clear protesters from a copper mine in in northwestern Myanmar, wounding villagers and Buddhist monks just hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was to visit the area to hear their grievances.The crackdown at the Letpadaung mine near the town of Monywa risks becoming a public relations and political...

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Video Games: Art-Tested, MoMA-Approved

Citing a palpable “aesthetic experience” in classic games while eschewing others, the Museum of Modern Art announced Thursday that it has assembled a new collection of video games. The museum’s initial collection includes 14 classics like Pac-Man and Tetris, but also more recent additions to the canon like Passage and Canabalt. The museum has a “wish list” of...

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No “substantive” progress made on fiscal cliff: Boehner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday that no substantive progress has been made to avoid the “fiscal cliff” of spending cuts and tax hikes that will start to go into effect early next year if Washington does not act.“Listen, I remain hopeful that productive conversations can be had in the days ahead. But the White House has to get serious,” House of Representatives Speaker...

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Boehner: ‘No substantive progress’ on fiscal cliff talks

House Speaker John Boehner (Alex Wong/Getty Images)WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday offered a grim portrayal of the progress between Republicans and Democrats on a deal to avoid a series of automatic tax increases next year."No substantive progress has been made in the talks between the White House and the House during the past two weeks," Boehner said during a press briefing on...

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US rabbi says jailed American in good health

HAVANA (AP) — A prominent New York rabbi and physician visited an American subcontractor serving a long jail term in Cuba and said the man is in good health, despite his family’s concerns about a growth on his right shoulder.Rabbi Elie Abadie, who is also a gastroenterologist, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview following Tuesday’s 2 1/2-hour visit at a military hospital in Havana...

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German lawmakers condemn Google campaign against copyright law

BERLIN (Reuters) – Senior German politicians have denounced as propaganda a campaign by Google to mobilize public opinion against proposed legislation to let publishers charge search engines for displaying newspaper articles.Internet lobbyists say they are worried the German law will set a precedent for other countries such as France and Italy that have shown an interest in having Google pay publishers...

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Médicos de atención primaria siguen sin recibir aumento de salario en EEUU

NUEVA YORK (Reuters Health) – A pesar del aumento del gastoen la atención de la salud de Estados Unidos, un estudio sugiereque los médicos de atención primaria seguirían sin recibir losbeneficios en sus sueldos.Esto podría influir en lo que algunas predicciones señalancomo una reducción de los profesionales de atención primaria enalgunas regiones del país en los próximos años.Los autores descubrieron...

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#My2K: Obama urges public to pressure lawmakers

President Barack Obama sits in front of a screen displaying a question he tweeted during a "Twitter Town Hall" …President Barack Obama urged Americans Wednesday to help him pressure Congress to prevent a January 1 tax hike on the middle class, saying it was up to the public to make sure Washington doesn't "screw this up.""When the American people speak loudly enough, lo and behold Congress listens,"...

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