Bill Gates Says Poor Countries Not Doomed to Stay Poor

NEW YORK (AP) — Bill and Melinda Gates are pitching an optimistic future for the world's poor and are dispelling three myths they say hamper progressive efforts to fight disease and poverty.

In their sixth annual letter published Tuesday, Bill Gates writes that the first myth floated by some is that poor countries are doomed to stay poor. He says that's not true, and he predicts that by 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world.

He says the second myth is that foreign aid is wasteful.

Melinda Gates writes the case against the third myth, that saving lives leads to overpopulation.

The Seattle, Wash.-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the world's largest charitable foundation, paying out $28.3 billion in grants since its inception 13 years ago.