The following will be published in the May 22 issue of The Lancet:

Childhood obesity As part of US First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, President Barack Obama established the Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which has now released a report outlining action plans and identifying key bench­marks. Recommendations include encouraging breastfeeding, reducing children’s “screen time”, and improving nutritional labelling of foods.

Research crisis After two decades of financial neglect, clinical research in South Africa is in serious decline, according to the country’s Academy of Science. The lack of government funding is driving researchers towards more lucrative options and the pharmaceutical industry. The Academy is calling for a national funding scheme with 2% of gross domestic product going towards research.

CVD differences In recognising health inequalities as a “key challenge in the battle against cardiovascular disease”, the British Heart Foundation has released a report on ethnic differences in the disorder in the UK today. Salient findings include the fact that the risk of myocardial infarction is highest for people of south Asian origin, and that as many as 40% of Bangladeshi men smoke (compared with 25% overall).

HIV blood screening In China, the Ministry of Health plans to tighten blood screening for HIV, including introducing RNA tests, which will cost up to an extra 1 billion yuan (US$146 million), and expanding the current 7335 voluntary clinics for HIV testing and counselling. Each year, around ten people contract HIV through blood transfusion in China.

French food The French Ministry of Health has announced some positive results from its healthy eating and living programme. Since 2000, the population has reduced its sugar intake and followed advice on healthier eating habits. A new plan focuses on further action in disadvantaged areas, promotion of physical activity, and undernutrition in older people.

Caribbean pact Last week saw the signing of phase II of an AIDS response partnership agreement between the USA and the Caribbean Community. Over the next 5 years, 14 Caribbean states will receive up to US$25 million from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief towards prevention, laboratory strengthening, strategy, capacity building, and sustainability.

Commemorative chapel The Nurses’ Chapel in Westminster Abbey, Lon­don, UK, has been renamed the Nightingale Chapel after “exemplary Christian” and iconic figure of nursing, Florence Night­ingale. The dedication took place as part of a ceremony to mark the centenary of her death. This is the first chapel within the abbey to be named after an individual who is not a saint or member of Royalty.

Reproductive health The World Bank has released a new 5-year Reproductive Health Action Plan to help 58 countries with high maternal mortality and fertility rates achieve Millennium Development Goal 5. The Bank will increase funding and focus on promoting contraception, increasing access to antenatal care, educating women about prevention, and training new health-care workers.

Bad ads The US Food and Drug Ad­ministration has launched a campaign to encourage doctors to blow the whistle on inappropriate drug mar­keting. The Bad Ad Program aims to help doctors recognise and report advertisements that are inaccurate, unbalanced in terms of risks and benefits, inconsistent with prescribing information, or that are not supported by evidence from clinical studies.

Rights move The UN High Com­mis­sioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has expressed her en­couragement at Japan’s recent moves towards a more rights-based society. After a 3-day visit to the country, she praised the Government’s com­mitment to improving the treatment of people with leprosy, and its intention to set up an independent national human rights institution.

Anti-violence law Timor-Leste has passed a law against domestic violence, which calls for police to investigate domestic violence crimes and provides victims with emergency medical treatment, shelter, psychosocial support, and legal services. Domestic violence has been a crime in the country since 2009 but the existing legislation failed to define the crime and call for the provision of support services.

Poppy blight A fungus that destroys poppy plants has infected about half of Afghanistan’s crop, according to Antonio Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Poppies are used for opium production, to which Afghanistan contributes 92% worldwide. The reduced yield this year could cause opium prices to go up by 50%, Costa said.

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