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 Words in the News
INTRO 
  The organisation which controls nuclear material around the world revealed a financial emergency. BBC World Affairs Correspondent Nick Charles reported.
IN FULL 
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IAEA

10th August 2000

Financial crisis at the International Atomic Energy Agency

NEWS 1 
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   The IAEA - whose job it is to try to ensure that countries around the world don’t divert nuclear materials into clandestine weapons' programmes - has been facing one of the worst financial crises in its history. That’s because some members have been late in paying their dues. According to an article in the Washington Post newspaper, one of the countries involved was France, while others have delayed contributions because they’re irritated that U.S. payment practices have placed an increasing burden on them.
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WORDS 
  

IAEA - acronym for International Atomic Energy Agency

divert - if something is diverted it is sent to a different place than was planned

clandestine - secret

crises - emergencies

paying their dues - if you belong to an organisation your membership payment is called your dues

contributions - here, another word for money that is owed

irritated - annoyed or angry

placed an increasing burden - if something places a burden on you then it gives you a problem. An increasing burden is a problem that is getting bigger

NEWS 2  AudioListen to the second part of the report
   The United States contributes about a quarter of the IAEA’s 300 million dollar annual budget, but only makes its contributions late in each calendar year because of US budgetary practice, which can cause cash flow problems for UN agencies. As a result of the go-slow by other members, the IAEA was faced with an outstanding bill of a million dollars on travel expenses, and risked defaulting on salary payments for its 2,100 staff. According to IAEA sources, the agency warned its members of the crisis, and as a result two of them have come up with additional funding.
  AudioListen to the words
WORDS  

budgetary practice - the way an organisation deals with its finances is its budgetary practice

cash flow problems - if you have a cash flow problem you do not have enough money coming in to make the payments that have to go out

go-slow - an expression which means not co-operating in good time

an outstanding bill - a bill which has not been paid yet

defaulting - if you default on a payment it means you don't make that payment

additional funding - extra money

    
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