Social Issues

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Officials face an immense challenge of pacifying Rio de Janeiro’s slums as the city prepares to take the global stage for the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Human rights groups have raised concerns about the evictions of thousands of families, especially in poor neighborhoods. (Associated Press)

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Sir Elton John speaks at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Monday, July 23, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the XIX International AIDS Conference, Monday, July 23, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Joseph Kondrot helps to lay out a piece of the AIDS ¿Memorial Quilt on Sunday on the National Mall at the opening ceremonies of the Quilt in the Capital, marking the 25th anniversary of the quilt. It coincides with the 19th International AIDS Conference. (Ryan M.L. Young/The Washington Times)

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Led by Reps. Trent Franks and Heath Shuler, the bipartisan International Religious Freedom Caucus seeks to protect Christians and other religious minorities in the Arab world. (Image from International Religious Freedom Caucus)

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“While I strongly support the wellness and prevention mission of the CDC, I also support the safeguards Congress has put in place on the use of federal funds to protect against the misuse of tax dollars. Every dollar spent on inappropriate or illegal activities is a dollar that didn’t go toward saving lives and improving health.” - Sen. Susan M. Collins, Maine Republican (Associated Press)

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On the first anniversary of Norway’s worst peacetime massacre, two people Sunday lay down flowers outside the government building in Olso damaged in the bombing by an anti-Musilm killer. Norway’s commitment to face xenophobia with tolerance is being put to the test by hostile reactions to an influx of Gypsies. (Associated Press)

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Rachel Sorrow (left), a transgender woman, attends a therapy session with Dr. Dan Karasic, a psychiatrist with the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco on July 20, 2012. (Associated Press)