U2 STAR Bono has been named along with people like US president George Bush, Pope Benedict, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and computer supremo Bill Gates as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

U2 star Bono took time out of his concert preparations on Monday night to dine with North Carolina's right-wing senator Jesse Helms.

A US congressional committee has drafted a Bill that threatens to withhold tens of millions of pounds from the United Nations unless the world body launches wide-ranging reforms, possibly setting the stage for a funding battle like the one that plunged the UN into financial crisis a decade ago.