UNITED NATIONS: The United States may lose its vote in the United Nations General Assembly in the new millennium if it does not pay up dues of at least $250 million by the year end, a senior UN official has said. The minimum amount of $250 million could be higher, UN under-secretary general for management Joseph Connor warned on Thursday. The US owes a huge $1.6 billion of the $2.9 billion owed by member states to the world body, Connor said. A member state loses vote in theGeneral Assembly when its arrears are more than two years of its assessed dues. The US pays 25 per cent of the regular budget and about 31 per cent of the peacekeeping expenses. The congress wants to bring it down to 20 per cent of the regular budget and around 25 per cent of the peacekeeping budget.

ISLAMABAD: A special anti-terrorist court in Pakistan has sentenced to death 15 people accused of killing eight persons in a group rivalry four years ago. Choudhury Zafar Hussain, judge of the Special Court for Suppression of Terrorist Activities, Multan, awarded death sentences on Thursday to a group of 15 people apart from slapping fines on them for inflicting injuries to some other persons, media reports said.