UNITED NATIONS

The last two remaining
stocks of the dreaded
smallpox virus in Russia
and US will now be
destroyed by June 30,
19", if all the members
of the World Health Organisation (WHO)
agree on its elimination. The annual meeting of the WHO board which is to be held in
May 1996, will discuss the elimination of
the virus, according to WHO. The destruction of the virus will be the first time that a species has been made deliberately extinct.
It was in 1980 that WHO announced the
worldwide eradication of smallpox.

The cash-strapped UN has hit out at its
largest funding nation - US - for with-
holding funds. The US owes a staggering
US $1.23 billion in JUN dues. The issue
has also angered the European Union
nations, who state that the system of
paying dues was unfair as they we
expected to pay their dues in time while
the US does not. The US has not paid
its arrears as it believes that the world
body indulges in wasteful expenses and
questions its relevance.