The Italian-born challenger briefly ruffled the champion by landing a couple of punches in the second round but apart from that appeared out of his depth.

Klitschko twice sent his opponent to the canvas in the fourth round before the referee called a halt to proceedings eight seconds from the end of the sixth as Pianeta took a pounding.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian extended his unbeaten run to 18 fights, his last defeat coming when he challenged Lamon Brewster for the WBO title in 2004.

Overall, he has won 60 of his 63 fights, including 52 within the distance.

Klitschko holds the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA crown and his older brother Vitali holds the WBC crown. The two have pledged not to fight each other.

Pianeta, who at 1.93 meters is five centimeters shorter than his opponent, was previously undefeated with 28 wins and one draw.

"He started well and he tried to take the fight to me, he fought with great courage," said Klitschko.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Alan Baldwin)

Theo ng Rebelo: FIFA cn gim gi v xung phn na cho ngi ln tui v sinh vin. Ti cng ngh h dnh t nht 50.000 v min ph pht cho ngi ngho v c dn bn a.

Giang Lao

Medicare's giant fund for inpatient care will be exhausted in 2026, two years later than estimated last year, while Social Security's projected insolvency in 2033 remains unchanged, the government reported.

An overall slowdown in health care spending is helping Medicare. Spending cuts in President Barack Obama's health care law are also having a positive impact on the balance sheet, but they may prove politically unsustainable over the long run.

The relatively good news about two programs that provide a foundation of economic security for nearly every American family is a respite, not a free pass. Program trustees urged lawmakers anew to seize a current opportunity and make long-term changes to improve finances. Action now would be far less jarring than having to hit the brakes at the edge of a fiscal cliff.

Politically, however, Friday's positive report and the absence of a crisis could make legislative action less likely, especially in light of the lack of trust between President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress. No end is in sight for the partisan standoff over what to do about Social Security and Medicare, two of the government's costliest programs, and the mammoth budget deficits they help fuel.

Still, fresh warnings were sounded.

"Under current law, both of these vitally important programs are on unsustainable paths," said economist Robert D. Reischauer, one of two independent public trustees overseeing the annual reports.

The window for action "is in the process of closing even as we speak," said his counterpart, Charles Blahous III, also a prominent economist.

Social Security provides monthly benefit checks to about 57 million people, including 40 million retirees and their dependents, 11 million disabled workers and dependents and 6 million survivors of deceased workers. Medicare covers nearly 51 million people, mainly retirees but also disabled workers.

If the funds ever become exhausted, the nation's two biggest benefit programs would collect only enough money to pay partial benefits.

Social Security could cover only about 75 percent of benefits, while Medicare's fund for hospital and nursing rehabilitation care could pay 87 percent of costs.

With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, America's aging population is straining both programs.

While the combined Social Security fund was projected to be depleted in 2033, the trustees warned that the threat to one of its component trust funds that makes payments to workers on disability is much more urgent. They projected that the disability trust fund would deplete its reserves in just three years, in 2016. That date is unchanged from last year's report.

Blahous said he hoped that would prod lawmakers to act on the broad challenges facing Social Security.

The remaining trustees are senior administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. While acknowledging the need for long-term changes to improve program finances, they used the occasion of the annual report to assert that Obama's policies are working, particularly his health care overhaul.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest saw validation in the reports, too. The Medicare numbers showed Obama's health overhaul "is having a positive effect on the deficit," he said, while the Social Security report supports the president's contention that the retirement program is "not driving our short-term deficit."

Motivation for both sides to tackle federal spending deficits always risky because of the pain that could cause voters has already declined because the improving economy has also pushed projected federal deficits downward. This year's shortfall is now expected to be $642 billion, down from $1.1 trillion last year.

Obama has proposed significant changes to both benefit programs, in the context of budget talks. Those include a formula change that would pare cost-of-living increases for retirees, and nearly $400 billion in Medicare savings, mainly from cuts to service providers. Congressional Republicans want to do more, particularly on Medicare, by converting the program into a private insurance system.

Social Security is financed by a 6.2 percent tax on the first $113,700 of workers' wages, paid by both employers and workers. Congress temporarily reduced the tax on workers to 4.2 percent for 2011 and 2012, though the program's finances were being made whole through increased government borrowing.

The Medicare tax rate is 1.45 percent on all wages, paid by both employees and workers.

Blahous said if Social Security's shortfall were to be fixed immediately by boosting the payroll tax alone, that rate for workers and employers together would have to be increased from its current 12.4 percent to nearly 15.1 percent. If action were delayed until 2033 the year of insolvency the tax would have to rise to 16.5 percent.

If the savings were to come only from reducing benefits and were made immediately, the benefits would have to be cut 16.5 percent for both current and future recipients.

Targeting future beneficiaries alone would mean benefit cuts of nearly 20 percent.

Waiting until 2033 to impose the changes would mean benefit cuts of 23 percent for current and future recipients. If policymakers wanted to limit the cuts to future beneficiaries, even wiping out all of their benefits would not close the shortfall, said Blahous.

"The window of opportunity to deal with Social Security closes well before the early 2030s," he said.

Not all the news was bleak.

The trustees projected a 2 percent Social Security cost-of-living increase for 2014. And the monthly Medicare Part B premium for outpatient care was projected to remain the same as this year. That's generally $104.90, although upper-income retirees pay more.

The good news for Medicare may not last. The program's future costs are difficult to estimate, subject not only to economic fluctuations and the aging society but also to the impact of the latest blockbuster drug or technological breakthrough.

Nonetheless, the trustees said the overall slowdown in health care spending is providing relief for Medicare. It was the main reason for extending the life of the trust fund by two years. The report said there was a particularly sharp drop in spending on nursing home care. Medicare pays for limited nursing home stays while patients recuperate from hospitalization.

Also cited were reductions in payments to popular Medicare Advantage plans, the private insurance alternative within the program. About 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries are in such plans, which offer lower out-of-pocket costs usually in exchange for limitations on the choice of hospitals and doctors. The plans had once been overpaid when compared to the cost of care in traditional Medicare, but Obama's health care law cut back those payments.

Public trustee Reischauer, who specializes in health care economics, said he's hopeful and cautiously optimistic that the slowdown in health care costs will continue.

HHS Secretary Sebelius said the health care overhaul "has helped put Medicare on a more stable ground without eliminating a single guaranteed benefit."

But the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, said the report "shouldn't give anyone comfort" because Medicare's slower spending reflected the country's weak economy, even as the program faces rapidly growing numbers of recipients.

"Reforming Medicare and Social Security is a national imperative that policymakers on both sides of the aisle and at the White House must embrace if we are going to protect those programs for our seniors and for future generations, while simultaneously bringing down our sky-high debt," Hatch said

AARP, the seniors lobby, said it will continue to fight cuts in either program.

___

AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.

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SAN JOSE (Reuters) - The regional human rights court for the Americas on Thursday told El Salvador it must let doctors perform an abortion on a woman carrying a seriously deformed fetus that has put her life at risk, but the Central American nation was not bound by the move.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights took the action after El Salvador's Supreme Court issued a ruling on Wednesday rejecting an appeal brought by the 22-year-old woman at the center of the case. She had sought an abortion even though El Salvador banned all types of abortion in 1999.

The woman uses the name "Beatriz" to protect her identity. Her fetus has a serious condition known as anencephaly that results in only partial brain development. Such a fetus has little or no chance of surviving after birth.

Beatriz, meanwhile, suffers from lupus and kidney problems, posing a grave threat to her own health.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, based in Costa Rica, said El Salvador needs to take urgent action to protect the life of Beatriz. That means performing an abortion, a spokeswoman for the court said.

It has asked El Salvador's government to comply with its nonbinding resolution before June 8. The court does not have the power to take steps against member countries such as El Salvador.

The case has brought new attention to El Salvador's strict abortion laws. Women found guilty of having an abortion in El Salvador face lengthy jail sentences.

VIEWS ON ABORTION

Attitudes in Latin America, a predominantly Roman Catholic region, are slowly changing toward abortion with some countries such as Colombia relaxing their rules in order to permit abortions in the case of rape.

Beatriz, who is 26 weeks pregnant, had asked El Salvador's top court to approve the abortion. But in a 4-1 ruling, the court refused her request.

"The rights of the mother cannot be privileged over those of the unborn child," the court said in its decision, arguing "the Constitution protects human life from the point of conception."

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is part of the rights framework for the 35 members of the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS).

El Salvador is among the countries that have signed the organization's American Convention on Human Rights.

Article 4 of that convention, entitled the "Right to Life," states: "Every person has the right to have his life respected. This right shall be protected by law and, in general, from the moment of conception. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life."

When ratifying the convention, El Salvador said it recognized the competence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights "insofar as this recognition is compatible with the provisions in the Constitution" of El Salvador.

The Latin American nations that permit abortions during normal pregnancies are Uruguay, Cuba and former British colony Guyana. Mexico City's leftist local government decided to allow abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Argentina's Supreme Court ruled last year that all rape victims have the right to a legal abortion, clarifying an ambiguously worded law and reflecting a gradual change in attitudes toward abortion in society.

However, there has been no big push for abortion to be made legal in Argentina, and President Cristina Fernandez has said she does not support legalized abortion.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador and Isabella Cota in San Jose; Additional reporting by Hilary Burke in Buenos Aires; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Dave Graham and Will Dunham)

Scandals? What Scandals? This Week Is Historical for Another Reason

Months or years from now, this past week may be remembered less for developments in a spate of White House scandals than as a turning point in the war on terror. It is rare to see the commander in chief recalibrate one policy and reconsider another.

President Obama may have made history this week:

While self-inflicted controversies over the IRS, Benghazi, and newsroom snooping may hound Obama for months, this week might be remembered for more.

Ron Fournier

OBAMA ADDRESSES MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULTS. The presidentdelivered a commencement address to 1,047 graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy today, saying the nation depends on them to stem the rising tide of sexual assaults in the military, The New York Times reported. Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong, Obama said, adding, We need your honor, that inner compass that guides you. Even more than physical courage, we need your moral courage the strength to do whats right, even when its unpopular. The president urged the graduates to remember that honor, like character, iswhen nobody's looking.

RUSSIA: ASSAD GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE PART IN PEACE TALKS. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced today that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to participate in U.S.- and Russia-led negotiations to end the ongoing Syrian civil war. The talks, to be held next month in Geneva, aim to establish parameters for a transitional government. While Assads government has not issued a statement on the talks, a Syrian legislator indicated that the government will participate. The Syrian National Coalition, the leading opposition group, is currently weighing whether to participate and emphasizes the importance of Assads ouster in any negotiated settlement. Russia has not committed to Assads departure, and Assad has said he will serve out his current term, which ends next year.

REPORT: HOLDER APPROVED SEARCH WARRANT ON FOX NEWS REPORTER. Attorney General Eric Holder authorized a search warrant for the private e-mail correspondence of Fox News reporter James Rosen, NBC News reports. Holder has said he recused himself from the Department of Justices investigation involving the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes addressed the DOJs actions with respect to Rosento employees on Thursday. The administrations attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time, he wrote.

THE CABAL THAT QUIETLY TOOK OVER THE HOUSE. For 40 years, the Republican Study Committee has prized ideological purity over partisan loyalty. Members consider themselves conservatives first and Republicans second. They did not come to Washington to play for the Republican team; they came to fight for conservative principles. If that means voting against party interests, so be it. For decades, the committees membership rolls were thin. But as National Journals Tim Alberta reports, for the first time in history, the committee known as the chambers conservative conscience is a majority of the House majority.

IRS SCANDAL MAY HAVE HELPED IMMIGRATION REFORM. The controversy over the IRSs targeting of conservative groups for additional scrutiny may have improved the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform by providing a distraction, The Washington Posts Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan write. Meanwhile, The Posts Ezra Kleinthat, while scandals often lead to reform, they may not this time.

POLL: ECONOMY STILL BAD, BUT IMPROVING. A new CNN/ORC International poll shows that two-thirds of respondents rated the nations economic state as poor, but that this figure is down from 74 percent in December. Twenty-nine percent of respondents rated economic conditions as very poor, the lowest percentage in more than a year. Any positive changes in the economy appear to have only helped college graduates, while the rest of the country is still struggling, said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. The number of college graduates who say the economy is performing well increased to 42 percent from 34 percent, though there was no significant change among those without a college degree, he said.

MARKEYS CAMP RESPONDS TO POND SCUM COMMENT. Rep. Ed Markey hit back at Gabriel Gomez today after Gomez called Markey pond scum, Talking Points Memo reports. Gomezto a web video which includes a picture of Gomez along with one of Osama bin Laden. Markeys spokesperson, Andrew Zucker, called Gomezs comment a new low. Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino endorsed Markey, WCVB, a local Boston TV station, . Markey is also receiving criticism for being absent from Capitol Hill; the Boston Globe that the lawmaker hasnt voted since May 9.

OBAMA TO TOUR OKLAHOMA, NEW JERSEY. On Sunday, the presidentwill tour portions of Oklahoma ravaged by a massive tornado earlier this week, meeting with families and first responders, . On Tuesday, Obama will tour New Jerseys coastline, which was badly damaged by superstorm Sandy last year, with Republican Gov. Chris Christie. Christies praise for the Democratic president at the time of the storm made waves during the 2012 election.

NOMINATE YOUR PICK: 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN UNDER 35. A generation of change has empowered women and transformed Washington in the process. Who are the young women emerging today as leaders and decision makers in the administration, Congress, the media, nonprofits, the private sector, and on K Street? National Journal wants want to hear who you think should make the list!  

ROMANCE-NOVEL AUTHOR POINTS TO BACHMANN AS INSPIRATION. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is the inspiration behind Fires of Siberia, an e-book set to be released next month, Politico reports. The novel is about a presidential candidate who must confront her deepest self and choose between civilization and a wild, primitive ecstasy. The author, Try Sager, said the main character had some physical resemblance to Bachmann, whom he admires. I do feel that one of the reasons that she drives people crazy is because shes a woman in power and I think that its a phenomenon in our culture that makes people react strongly. Couple that with her attractiveness and sex appeal, and I thought, OK, well maybe a romance novel is a good place to look into some of these cultural feelings.

Stop going online and texting and stuff, man! I aint worried about you, thats your business, just stay off line. Stay off Instagram, man!Lori Coad, a homeless woman, yelling at former Rep. Anthony Weiner at a Harlem metro station. ()

A GRIM MILESTONE FOR AMERICA. This year, the United States is expected to surpass 40,000 suicide deaths, the highest annual total ever recorded, Newsweek reports. The shootings, stabbings, poisonings, drownings, strangulations, and deaths by unspecified means (which the magazine describes as a catch-all column for the most inventive forms of self-destructionthe swan dives into lava, the encounters with farm equipment ) are more than what could be expected based on population growth. They now outpace the rate of driving deaths. And researchers are groping to explain the cause, with joblessness and similar reasons failing to provide a full answer. As author Tony Dokoupil observes, the takeaway is darkly profound: Weve become our own greatest danger.

COMEDIANS GIDDY OVER OBAMAS PROM PICS. WhenTime published a few photos of President Obama at age 17 at his prom in Hawaii, wearing a white jacket and a lei around his neck, the late-night television hosts were all over it. On NBC, The Tonight Show's Jay Leno quipped that Obama used to be able to get phone numbers without the aid of the Justice Department. ABCs Jimmy Kimmel commented on Obamas love life in high school, saying, Girls in Kenya are very good-looking.

HOW TO SURVIVE A MARATHON MARKUP. Rule One: Empty your bladder. Rule Two: Charge your phone. Veteran National Journal reporter Fawn Johnson offers lessons in survival for anyone covering, lobbying, or staffing lawmakers who mark up an 800-plus-page bill, as members of the Judiciary Committee did this week when passing immigration reform.  

INSIDE AN OKLAHOMA SCHOOL DURING THE TORNADO. As ABC News reports, a fifth-grade teacher at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma captured the horrific moments as she huddled with her students in the dark during Mondays massive tornado, assuring them that its almost over. The tornado killed 24 people, 10 of them children. .

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York issued subpoenas to SAC's president, chief compliance officer and head of trading, according to the Journal's report.

Others at SAC, including the firm's founder Steven A. Cohen, were asked last week to testify before a grand as part of the U.S. government's insider trading probe of the hedge fund, Reuters has previously reported.

The three who received the subpoenas are Thomas Conheeney, SAC's president, Steven Kessler, the chief compliance officer and Phillipp Villhauer, the head of trading, the Wall Street Journal reported.

An SAC spokesman declined to comment on the report.

(Reporting by Emily Flitter; editing by Andrew Hay)

Each machine has a set of features designed to draw gamers away from rival consoles. There's one thing all three have in common, though: They are about more than gaming and include entertainment services such as television, movies and music.

Here's a closer look at the three systems. More details are expected at the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles next month.

Wii U (Nintendo)

The Japanese gaming company launched the Wii U, the follow-up to its popular Wii, in November, making it the only new console out for last year's holiday season. The console features a tablet-like controller with a touch screen, called the GamePad, which can be used to control games on the TV set or to play games separately, as you would on a regular tablet computer. It also allows someone with a GamePad to have a different experience with a game than someone playing it at the same time with a regular Wii controller.

The GamePad also serves as a fancy remote controller to navigate a TV-watching feature called TVii. The service groups your favorite shows and sports teams together, whether it's on live TV or an Internet video service such as Hulu Plus. And it offers water-cooler moments you can chat about on social media.

Unlike the Wii, the Wii U features high-definition graphics. In doing so, Nintendo's system catches up to the years-old Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 from Sony.

Sales of the Wii U have been disappointing, with 3.5 million sold as of March 31, the end of Nintendo's fiscal year. Nintendo Co. had originally expected to sell 5.5 million units and later lowered the forecast to 4 million, but it still fell short.

Price: Starts at $300 but some retailers have offered it at lower prices.

PlayStation 4 (Sony)

Sony shared some details about the PlayStation 4 in February, but it didn't show what the console would look like. The company said the PS4 would essentially be a "supercharged PC," much like the Xbox. That's a big departure from the old and idiosyncratic PlayStation design and should make it easier for developers to create games.

But the adoption of PC chips also means that the new console won't be able to play games created for any of the three previous PlayStations. Players will have to stream older games over the Internet.

Other new features revolve around social networking and remote access. With one button, you can broadcast video of your game play so friends elsewhere can watch. You can also run a game on the PS4 to stream over the Internet to Sony's mobile gaming device, the PlayStation Vita, which debuted last year.

The PlayStation online network will have access to Sony's video and music services, as well as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon as long as you have subscriptions to those services. You'll also be able to access Facebook.

The PS4 will have a Blu-ray disc drive for movies, just like the PS3. The console will go on sale this holiday season, though Sony Corp. has not disclosed an exact date.

Price: Not yet announced.

Xbox One (Microsoft)

Microsoft's new console seeks to deliver the Holy Grail of home entertainment an all-in-one device that lets you watch television, play movies, listen to music and browse the Internet as well as play video games.

The Xbox One lets you use voice commands to switch between watching TV and playing "Call of Duty," or ask "What's on HBO?" to view a TV channel guide. Simply connect your cable or satellite set-top box to the game machine with an HDMI cable.

A new version of Microsoft's camera-based Kinect controller offers better motion and voice detection than the one currently available. Unlike the Xbox 360, the Xbox One will require Kinect, which will come with the package.

Microsoft also reached a multiyear deal with the National Football League to develop new interactive viewing experiences, such as the ability to watch games, chat with other fans, view statistics, access highlights in real time and gather fantasy information about players and teams all on a single screen.

Although Nintendo's Wii was the most popular of the three at first, the Xbox 360 has outsold its rivals in recent years largely because of its robust online service, Xbox Live, which allows people to play games with others online for as much as $60 a year with annual plans. Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Call of Duty," has been a driving force behind Xbox Live, and Microsoft said players will be able to download new content for upcoming titles in the series on the Xbox One before any other system.

The new console will also add the ability to play Blu-ray discs, matching what Sony has in its older PlayStation 3. What it won't play are games for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft said the system will launch this year, but it did not give a date during Tuesday's unveiling.

Price: Not yet announced.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lionsgate nabbed U.S. distribution rights to the crime drama "Blood Ties" from Worldview Entertainment, the studio said Wednesday from the Cannes Film Festival.

The film premiered at the French Riviera gathering this week and features Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Zo Saldana, and Marion Cotillard.

Lionsgate said it plans to release the picture through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. "Blood Ties" is a remake of the French film "Les Liens du sang," yet unspools in a distinctly American setting -- New York City in the height (or depth) of its 1970s urban dissolution.

The crime drama finds a middle-aged crook struggling to readjust to society after he is released from prison, where he was being punished for his role in a gangland murder. There's a fractured family dynamic at play, because the ex-convict's younger brother is a cop with a bright future on the force. The film explores the twin push and pull of family and criminality.

Reviews have been mixed, with Variety's Scott Foundas labeling it a "dramatically undernourished saga." Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman singled Owen's performance out for praise, calling it "mesmerizing."

Guillaume Canet ("Tell No One") directed from a screenplay he wrote with director James Gray ("We Own the Night").

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CAA brokered the deal on behalf of Worldview Entertainment and Lionsgate was represented by Jason Constantine, the studio's president of acquisitions and co-productions, with Eda Kowan, SVP of acquisitions, and Wendy Jaffe, EVP of business and legal affairs.

Nor did the shots reduce the amount of the AIDS virus in the blood when people who'd been vaccinated later became infected, the National Institutes of Health said.

"It's disappointing," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But, "there was important information gained from this" study that will help determine what to try next.

The study had enrolled 2,504 volunteers, mostly gay men, in 19 cities since 2009. Half received dummy shots, and half received a two-part experimental vaccine developed by the NIH. All were provided free condoms and given extensive counseling about the risks for HIV.

It's a strategy known as "prime-boost." A DNA-based vaccine made with genetically engineered HIV material is given to prime the immune system to attack the AIDS virus. Then a different vaccine, encasing the same material inside a shell made of a disabled cold virus, acts as a booster shot to strengthen that response. Neither vaccine could cause HIV.

The idea: Train immune cells known as T cells to spot and attack the very earliest HIV-infected cells in someone's body. The hope was that the vaccine could either prevent HIV infection, or help those infected anyway to fight it.

A safety review this week found that slightly more study participants who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV. It's not clear why. But the difference wasn't statistically significant, meaning it may be due to chance. Overall, there were 41 HIV infections in the vaccinated group and 30 among placebo recipients. When researchers examined only participants diagnosed after being in the study for at least 28 weeks long enough for the shots to have done their job there were 27 HIV infections among the vaccinated and 21 among the placebo recipients.

The NIH said Thursday that it is stopping vaccinations in the study, known as HVTN 505, but that researchers will continue to study the volunteers' health.

Josh Robbins, 30, of Nashville, Tenn., is among the participants who became infected. He said he's glad he was in the study, because its close monitoring meant he was diagnosed and treated much sooner than most people and he's feeling great and because the findings help science.

"We've got to keep moving forward," Robbins said. The study "certainly can lead us down a new direction to hopefully find something that might work."

Multiple attempts at creating an AIDS vaccine have failed over the years. A 2009 study in Thailand is the only one ever to show a modest success, using a somewhat different prime-boost approach. Newer research suggests another approach to try creating powerful antibodies that could work a step earlier than the T-cell attack, before HIV gets inside the first cell.

Both approaches need continued research funding, said Mitchell Warren of the international AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

"Clearly an AIDS vaccine remains critical," he said.

___

Online:

NIH Q&A: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/Pages/HVTN505qa2013.aspx