AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

Read More..

Wall Street climbs in short session, led by tech stocks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks extended gains on Friday, with all three key indexes climbing 1 percent, as technology shares led the way in thin trading ahead of an early, post-Thanksgiving close for equity markets. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 133.01 points, or 1.04 percent, to 12,969.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 14.52 points, or 1.04...

Read More..

Israel and Hamas Maintain Cease-Fire, After Push by the U.S. and Egypt

CAIRO — A cease-fire agreed to under intense Egyptian and American pressure between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to halt eight days of bloody conflict seemed to be holding on Thursday, averting a full-scale Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip without resolving the underlying disputes. With Israeli forces still massed on the Gaza border, a tentative calm in the fighting...

Read More..

TSX hits one-week high as RIM surges

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada‘s main stock index hit a one-week high on Thursday as higher commodity prices boosted mining stocks and as Research In Motion Ltd shares jumped 11 percent on growing hopes for its new devices.The market was also supported by data that showed China’s manufacturing sector was picking up steam, a signal of increased demand for Canadian...

Read More..

Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.It's the most detailed look yet at...

Read More..

Global shares gain as global economic outlook improves

LONDON (Reuters) - World share markets extended a week-long rally on Thursday as manufacturing surveys in China and the United States boosted confidence in global growth and euro zone data at least did not worsen the already weak outlook for that region. The euro hit a three high against the dollar on optimism that a funding deal for debt-crippled Greece will ultimately be agreed - and...

Read More..

New H.I.V. Cases Falling in Some Poor Nations, but Treatment Still Lags

New infections with H.I.V. have dropped by half in the past decade in 25 poor and middle-income countries, many of them in Africa, the continent hardest hit by AIDS, the United Nations said Tuesday. The greatest success has been in preventing mothers from infecting their babies, but focusing testing and treatment on high-risk groups like gay men, prostitutes and drug addicts has also paid...

Read More..

The Voice: What's Next for Sylvia Yacoub and Bryan Keith

TV Watch The Voice By Julia Haskins 11/21/2012 at 12:40 PM EST Sylvia Yacoub and Bryan Keith Tyler Golden/NBC (2) Tuesday's eliminations on The Voice may have given Sylvia Yacoub and Bryan Keith the boot, but with the support of their former coaches and the drive...

Read More..

US abortions fall 5 pct, biggest drop in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. abortions fell 5 percent during the Great Recession in the biggest one-year decrease in at least a decade, according to government figures released Wednesday.The reason for the decline wasn't clear, but some experts said it may be due to better use of birth control during tough economic times. Their theory is that some women believe they can't afford to get pregnant."They stick...

Read More..

Wall Street flat after Greek delay in thin holiday trade

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Wednesday as a lack of progress on some of the potential pitfalls facing the market kept investors cautious. Greece's international lenders failed again to reach a deal to release emergency aid to the debt-saddled country. Lenders will try again next Monday, but Germany signaled that significant divisions remain. Investors...

Read More..