Weighty issues to dominate European obesity meeting

VIENNA, May 28: Fat is not just a feminist issue but a global problem that will take heavy tolls on health and countries’ economies as obesity reaches epidemic proportions, health experts warn.

Thirty years after author Susie Orbach published her seminal book on the diet culture, women are still trying to attain the svelte frames of catwalk models but many are doing so without much success.

Delegates gathering for the 11th European Congress on obesity in Vienna that begins on Wednesday say obesity among men, women and children is increasing at a staggering rate in most Western and some less developed countries.

They say it is threatening an accompanying surge in medical and psychological problems.

"The problem is the same everywhere but the extent is influenced by local factors," Dr Hermann Toplak, chairman of the Congress, told Reuters.

Between 10-20 per cent of men and 10-25 per cent of women in most European countries are obese, according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). In Britain the number of obese people has doubled since 1980.

An estimated two to eight percent of sick care costs in Western countries are attributable to obesity which represents a major fraction of national healthcare budgets.

"There is a real obesity epidemic in Eastern Europe. They have 35 per cent in obesity in some regions," said Toplak, an Austrian internist and specialist in diabetic metabolism. High fat diets and a lack of exercise are thought to be the major underlying cause of obesity, which has increased by 10-50 percent in the majority of European countries in the past decade.

But the 2,000 scientists, doctors and nutritionists attending the four-day meeting in the Austrian capital will also present research about the role of genetics, metabolism, physiology and drugs in contributing to the problem and new therapies to treat it.

Low fat diets, exercise programmes and drugs that suppress appetite have been the main methods to combat obesity.

As researchers learn more about the causes of obesity, Toplak predicts pharmaceutical firms will translate that knowledge into a variety of drugs to help people eat less or to absorb less fat.

"Drug companies will try to develop drugs not only for appetite control in the Central nervous system and the gut but they will try to design drugs that will either will be able to burn fat or help people burn fat or to prevent fat storage," he said.

"It would be ideal to have something to prevent fat going to fat cells."

The link between genetics and obesity and obesity and diabetics will also be on the top of the Congress agenda. Ninety percent of people with type two diabetes are obese.

In addition to diabetes, obesity causes respiratory, muscle and skin problems, infertility, high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease and hormone-related cancers, low self-esteem and depression. (REUTERS)

Dead or alive
Malaysian city offers reward for rats

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28: Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu city in Sabah state on Borneo island is offering 26 cents for every rat caught dead or alive, in a campaign to rid the city of the rodents, a news report said today.

Mayor Abdul Ghani Rashid launched the month-long reward campaign on Saturday, saying he hopes the cash offer would create awareness among business operators, especially restaurant owners, to keep premises clean.

As a further incentive, a company which caught the most number of rats would also get a bonus of 300 ringgit from city hall, he was quoted as saying by The Star Daily.

Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, currently employed six pest control companies to catch rats in the city, he said.

Another Sabahan town, Sandakan, held a similar reward-for-rat campaign last year but news reports then said the campaign drew weak public response. (DPA)

India opposes charges of racial discrimination

GEVEVA, May 28: India has strongly opposed all attempts of putting ‘racial discrimination’ and ‘cast system’ in the same basket at a United Nations meeting here and said if the international community wanted to deliberate on the latter it should widen the ambit of the forthcoming world conference on racism to be held in Durban, South Africa.

"We have heard referenes being made to the caste system and members of the traditionally disadvantage castes in my country. We are, however, not persuaded that such issues fall within the ambit of the world conference," the Indian delegates said at the on-going `second preparatory committee for world conference against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance’ (II Prepcom), convened by UN here.

While NGOs and other social organisations were trying to put caste system in the ambit of the world conference to get international attention on the issue, the officials have been maintaining that both were different as racism was based more on biological basis whereas caste system was more on social set up.

"Even though the caste system has been based on birth, it is obvious that the term descent in the convention (on racial discrimination) clearly refers to racial descent. The term caste, on the other hand, is not based on race. It has its origin in the functional division of the Indian society during ancient times," the officials said at the `II prepcom meeting’.

The two-week long meeting, which will end on Friday, is preparing the draft declaration and programme of action for the world conference which will be held in Durban from August 31 to September seven.

The prepcom has divided the delegates into two sub-sections, one to prepare the document and other to make action programme.

India is part of both the working groups and has been active in highlighting the reform actions being taken in the country for the uplift of the ‘traditionally disadvantaged castes’. (PTI)

Britain hopeful on Vajpayee-Musharraf meet

NEW DELHI, May 28: Terming as an "important move" the invitation by prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf, Britain today hoped the expected summit would help in "unlocking" the deadlock between the two neighbours and resolve the Britian had maintained that india and pakistan should resume dialogue to settle all their differences and Vajpayee’s invitation to Gen Musharraf was an "important move" in that direction, British high commissioner to India Bob Young told reporters here.

Stating that initial reaction from Pakistan was positive, he said there is a "probability of unlocking" the deadlock between the two countries.

Young said the two countries would be able to resolve their differences "sooner or later."

On sanctions imposed against India by several countries following the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, the envoy said Britain had not slapped any sanctions but the restrictions on sale of equipment having us components was a problem.

Asked about Kashmiri and Khalistani separatist groups operating from Britain, Young said Britain had taken steps to "proscribe" them to "ensure that they cannot operate from British soil."

Citing framing of legislations in this regard, he said "it is now to be seen how it operates in practice."

He said the security services of India and Britain were in touch with each other and both sides were satisfied with the steps taken on eliminating the militants’ operations from U.K. on extradition, the British envoy said it was a "slow and complicated process, particularly if the individual appeals."

"The legal process is sometimes slow," Young said, adding "but the treaty is working".

He also dismissed "widely held misconceptions" on visa issue and said "India is by far the country which issues largest visas."

Last year, 1,80,000 visas were issued and this year, it is up by ten per cent, he said adding Britain was encouraging Indians to visit U.K.

The envoy said Britain was also trying to beef up links between institutions of the two countries and encourage Indian students to take up courses in Britain.

There were 6,000 Indian students in Britain last year and this year the number rose to 7,000, he said, adding it was targeted to raise the number to 10,000 by 2004 at the average of 1,000 per year.

Young said Britain and india were also involved in strengthening two-way trade and there had been growth of investments in variety of areas, including IT sector.

Britain was also engaged in development sector in India which at present stood to the tune of RS 700 crore and was expected to be trebled in the next three years. (PTI)

| home | state | national | business | editorial | advertisement | sports
| international | weather | mailbag | suggestions | search | subscribe | send mail |