AFTER holding up obstinately Lrgainst a volley of criticism for 3 long months, the Russian government has finally buckled down and scrapped its plans of introducing a law which would require foreign visitors staying in Russia for more than 3 months to undergo a compulsory screening for the HIV virus. The screening would have been followed by a certificate.

However, the health and foreign ministries failed to work out a mechanism for implementing the regulations. The citizens of Moscow, too, were openly sceptical, accusing the government of trying to divert their attention from the real issue which has been dogging them: the escalating number Of HIV positive patients in the city.