• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Pictures

A martial arts enthusiast pulls a vehicle with a rope connected to his eye sockets during a performance in Hefei, Anhui province November 30, 2009. Picture taken November 30, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

Pictures of the year: Oddly

A look at the year's best strange and unusual photos.   Slideshow 

    Paying for gyms for obese children

    SEOUL
    Thu Oct 2, 2008 11:21am EDT
    Drinking water bottles sit near two boys watching a game at OK Slim summer camp on the outskirts of Beijing August 3, 2006. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV

    SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea plans to help obese children pay for health club membership and other activities that can help them lose weight, an official said on Wednesday.

    Oddly Enough

    Health ministry official Chun Myung-sook said the rate of childhood obesity had tripled over the past three years due to a changing diet higher in fatty foods and a more sedentary lifestyle.

    Under the government plan, elementary school students whose body mass index indicates obesity will be able to receive up to 40,000 won ($33.58) a month to help them bring their weight down.

    "Kids won't be able to waste the money on eating sweets. We will give them electronic vouchers that can only be used in designated places," Chun said.

    Costs to the government and the economy related to childhood obesity were 2 trillion won in 2006, the ministry said, making the voucher program cost effective.

    (Reporting by Kim Junghyun and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)
    Oddly Enough


    More from Reuters

    Photo

    U.S.-led climate deal under threat in Copenhagen

    COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - U.N. climate talks fell into crisis on Saturday after some developing nations angrily rejected a plan worked out by U.S. President Barack Obama, China and other fast growing economies for fighting global warming. | Video

    » More Top News
    A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

    The food-stamp economy

    On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 

    U.S.
    Two men shake hands in a file photo. REUTERS/File

    Let's make a deal

    The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article 

    Global Deals Review