UNITED NATIONS

The first comprehensive status report on tobacco consumption all over the world has been prepared by the World Health Organization. The study revealed that around 1,100 million individuals around the world smoke regularly. While use of tobacco has decreased in developed countries since the early '80s, this decrease has been offset by a comparable increase in less developed countries. It is estimated that if current trends continue, tobacco use will claim 10 million deaths per year, of which around seven million will occur in developing nations.

A new UN report titled The World Economic and Social Survey 1996 says that real income per person is likely to increase this year in over 80 per cent of the developing economies which accounts for 96 per cent of the population of developing world. The survey has been carried out by the UN department of economic and social information and policy research. Last year, the per capita gross domestic product rose in 75 per cent of the developing countries. The survey predicts strong economic growth in central and eastern Europe. Domestic factors have been identified as the important sources of economic growth in developing and transition economies.