Pay dues, else lose your
right to vote: this seems to
be the current slogan of
the LIN as it seeks to fight
its deepening financial crisis. As a first step, it has
stripped 35 countries out of a total of 185
of their voting rights. These countries
which include 17 from Africa, owe the LIN
sums ranging from as low as US $480 (Cape
Verde) to US $3.5 million (Georgia). LIN
spokesperson Sylvana Foa, says that the
world body is even considering the idea of
plastic money to tide over the crisis. LIN
officials are now looking into changing the
scale of assessments which stipulates how
much each of the member-states should
pay for the budget.
Synthetic drug abuse has assumed alarming proportions, says a recent study by the
LIN Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).
Synthetic drugs are different from the
plant-based drugs - cannabis, cocaine and
heroin - in that they are made of chemical
stimulants like methamphetamine, amphetamine and hallucinogens and include
ecstasy and LSD. Their "versatility, high
yields and high fianancial rewards clearly
establish this group as a top candidate for
global expansion", reveals the UNDCP
report. Their consumption worldwide could
soon overtake the plant-based drugs,
warns the study.
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