S. Korean children's trans fat consumption higher than adults

South Korean children's consumption of trans fats, known as a major cause of heart disease, is twice as much as adults' intake, a study showed Tuesday. Trans fats are used in many kinds of fast food and snacks. They came into the media spotlight last year when New York City officials banned their use in restaurants. According to a recent study by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), the average daily consumption of trans fats among 916 children between the ages of five and 12 stood at 0.36 grams, while the figure among 781 adults aged 20-77 was 0.18 grams. The figure for those aged between 13 to 19 was the highest, at 0.48 grams, the study showed. However, Korean consumption is overall much lower than that of other nations, with the adult average of the United States and Canada being 5.3 grams and 8.4 grams respectively.

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Indian children adding more blood to tainted diamonds?

Leonardo di Caprio may well be nominated for the Oscar for his role as the South African diamond smuggler in ‘Blood Diamond', a film attempting to lay bare the thriving international trade in conflict diamonds that fuels wars and conflicts in several part of Africa. The movie, supported by Global Witness and Amnesty International, opened in India a few weeks ago and is showing in glittering multiplexes in the heart of Mumbai, just around the corner from the diamond markets of this bustling ‘financiapolis' of India. Over 90% of the world's rough diamonds pass through these markets on their journey to Surat, the biggest small-diamond processing centre in the world 326 kms by road from the city. A Guardian Observer investigation alleges that ‘blood diamonds' from Ivory Coast and Liberia are being illegally processed here.

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Miss America pageant to raise money for children's hospitals

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Miss America Organization for the first time has chosen to focus its community service efforts on a single cause - helping children's hospitals. Under a partnership with the Children's Miracle Network, the 86-year-old pageant plans a national platform to advocate on behalf of children's hospitals. The Tennessee hospitals in the network are T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital in Chattanooga, East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville, Le Bonheur (luh BAWN'ur) Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Monroe Carell Junior Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and Wellmont Health System in Kingsport. Miss America 2007 is to be crowned January 29th in a show to be broadcast live on the cable channel Country Music Television from the Aladdin hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

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