co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee full committee hearing on "Building on Success: New Directions in Global Health" on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Clinton and Gates called on US lawmakers to boost foreign aid to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.(AFP/Tim Sloan)" border="0" />AFP - Former president Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates called Wednesday on US lawmakers to boost foreign aid to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria in the world's poorest nations.

in the northwestern region of Xinjiang in September 2009. China's human rights record was poor last year and worsened as authorities increased harassment of activists and repression in theXinjiang region the US State Department said(AFP/File/Philippe Lopez)" border="0" />AFP - China's human rights record was poor last year and worsened as authorities increased harassment of activists and repression in the Xinjiang region the US State Department said Thursday.

laid off nine months ago from her job as an elderly care worker searches for employment at a jobs center in San Francisco California in this February 4 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/Files" border="0" />Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell slightly less than expected last week hinting at a slow labor market recovery.

2010. REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin" border="0" />Reuters - Ukraine's new prime minister Mykola Azarov declaring state coffers were empty promised on Thursday to meet all obligations to the International Monetary Fund and push through a realistic 2010 budget.