French diet guru urges students be graded on weight

PARIS, FRANCE: France's top diet guru Pierre Dukan is urging the government to grade students on their weight in a bid to curb growing obesity. 5 Jan 2012 12:33

Non-communicable diseases: Africa must 'spend a lot more'

BERLIN, GERMANY: According to scidev.net, Olive Shisana, CEO of the South African Human Sciences Research Council, said at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany that infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, are expected to decline while non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, will increase in Africa over the coming decades. 4 Nov 2011 11:47

Fast pace of Africa's urbanisation challenge water supplies; sanitation

Rapid urbanisation over the last five decades is changing Africa's landscape and also generating formidable challenges for supplies of water and sanitation services says a new UN report released this week. 24 Mar 2011 10:04

UK ruling opens door to mesothelioma sufferers

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that a person who is exposed to even tiny amounts of asbestos and who then contracts mesothelioma has a claim for compensation from the company or persons responsible for the exposure. 15 Mar 2011 08:37

Global SMS traffic to reach 8.7 trillion in 2015

LONDON, UK: According to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media, SMS will remain a significant source of revenues and traffic for mobile operators on a global basis until at least 2015. The company reckons SMS traffic growth will be driven by enterprise, emerging markets and social networks. 27 Jan 2011 08:28

Unilever to halve CO2 impact

Unilever has announced plans to halve the environmental footprint of its products by 2020, to help 1 billion people improve their health and well-being and to source all of its agricultural raw materials sustainably. 16 Nov 2010 13:17

The 70m spit

SHANGHAI, CHINA: Spitting is a national habit in China. The Public Health Bureau Of Shanghai wanted an anti-spitting public awareness campaign to target migrant workers in an attempt to squash the habit. 12 Oct 2010 10:55

Maputo still on the alert list

Dr Ian Cornish, regional MD of International SOS said expatriates, business and leisure travellers should be aware of the current risks of travel to Mozambique and have contingency plans in place. 8 Sep 2010 07:31

Dangers in the Dust - inside the global asbestos trade

LONDON, UK / WASHINGTON, DC: Banned or restricted in more than 50 countries, white asbestos continues to be widely used in China, India, Russia and Brazil, and many developing nations, according to Dangers in the Dust, a joint report by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the BBC's International News Services. 22 Jul 2010 11:08