Half of the new tuberculosis cases in sub-Saharan Africa are now HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) co-infected, the Forum for Collaborative Research reported on Thursday.

The research noted the dual epidemic are threatening the lives of millions of people in the region, especially in slum areas where both TB and HIV are rife

In a major breakthrough, scientists announced Thursday that they have sequenced a genome for one strain of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.

The findings could help fight the deadly disease, better diagnosis of the strain and understanding of the mechanisms involved in its resistance to drugs

The Asia Pacific region will meet its target to reduce extreme poverty by half by 2015, a joint report released Monday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said. The region is also ahead of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa in meeting its goals of primary education, gender parity and its fight against AIDS.

Called The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2007, the report is in partnership with the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Ahead of a major HIV-fundraising meeting in Berlin, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday called for more AIDS prevention and medication programmes aimed at young people.

Only 15 percent of the children who need anti-retroviral drugs are receiving them, UNICEF said adding that 330,000 children are dying every year of AIDS

/strong> Rupert Everett, the actor and Special Representative of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), is on a four-day visit to Russia to learn what is being done to reverse the spread of the epidemic in a country where the number of those living with HIV is officially put at 386,000, but is widely believed to be up to 1.1 million.

"This trip is special to me - I want to help UNAIDS raise awareness about how HIV affects the most vulnerable groups in our society," said Everett, known for several acclaimed films including "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Another Country." "Often HIV is linked with other diseases such as TB and those affected are often discriminated against