Latest news with #Changing
Ya Biladi
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Maghreb : The Polisario attends a congress held in Tunisia
An official Polisario delegation is currently in Tunisia attending a conference titled «Building Social Cohesion in a Changing World». Organized by the Catalan NGO NOVACT, the event includes the participation of a senior official from the Front's so-called «Ministry of Youth and Sports», according to the SPS news agency on Tuesday, April 22. As with previous events organized by the same association—such as the Camp for Climate Justice forum held from September 26 to 30, 2022—the Tunisian authorities have once again allowed the Polisario's participation. This move further underscores the ongoing tensions between Rabat and Tunis, signaling that reconciliation remains elusive. Relations between the two countries have significantly deteriorated since August 2022, when Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed gave a warm welcome to the Polisario leader during the Japan-Africa summit. The president has since moved away from the neutral stance of his predecessors on the Western Sahara issue, aligning more closely with Algeria's position. On August 25, 2024, President Saïed instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to make «the defense of the right of peoples to self-determination» a guiding principle of Tunisian diplomacy.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Supermarkets 'should be banned' from wrapping these 21 fruit and veg items in plastic
Supermarkets should be banned from selling products such as apples and bananas in plastic packaging, a global NGO said this week. WRAP has reiterated its call for 21 common fruit and vegetables to be banned from being packaged in plastic this Food Waste Action Week. The NGO called for a ban on the sale of apples, aubergines, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, garlic, ginger, lemons, limes, mangos, onions, oranges, parsnips, pears, peppers, potatoes, squash, swede and salad tomatoes in plastic wrap or trays. WRAP said selling these 21 items loose could potentially save 100,000 tonnes of edible fruit and vegetables from being wasted every year in Britain, as well as saving 13,000 tonnes of plastic film. Plastic wrapping and trays (which contain multiple vegetables, rather than one) means that people over-buy food, which then goes to waste. Every year in the UK, 510,000 tonnes of potatoes are binned, representing 46% of all potatoes bought in the UK, the NGO said. A spokesperson for WRAP told Yahoo News that the 21 items were adopted as a 'phase one' with an eventual goal of a wider ban. The spokesperson said: "These items were considered to be more feasible, were already being sold loose by at least one retailers in the UK and were either robust enough and/or had their own natural "packaging" (skin/rind etc). "Many businesses have been trialling these 21 items loose already and as such the transition to loose only would be smoother than focusing on alternatives." Four out of five (78%) British adults would buy fresh fruit and vegetables loose if they were offered, a survey by Love Food Hate Waste found this week. The survey found that 77% of people would prefer fruit to be delivered in a paper bag, rather than plastic wrap and plastic trays. A further 75% would prefer fruit and vegetables to be offered in cardboard trays or boxes. Jackie Bailey, senior campaign manager for Love Food Hate Waste, said: 'In the UK, 60% of all food waste comes from people's homes, with fresh fruit and veg making up the largest proportion. 'Buying loose fruit and veg has the potential to significantly cut the amount of food ending up in the bin and we have the evidence that it is what consumers want – now is the time for retailers and shoppers to make that a reality. "Increasing loose fruit and veg offerings in store will not only reduce plastic waste, it will also enable shoppers to buy closer to their needs, slashing food waste and preventing tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions.' Supermarkets use plastic wrap and trays on fruits like apples and tomatoes because it helps preserve them. Wrap and trays help to stop fruit from either being bruised or decomposing, which means less waste. Less waste means supermarkets make more money. The WRAP spokesperson said: "WRAP would like to see more fresh uncut produce sold loose in stores, to give people more chance to buy the quantities to suit their needs. "But this is not going to happen overnight. Changing the way supermarkets operate will require time to introduce new systems, and investment for things like scales." When plastic is thrown away, it breaks down into tiny particles called 'microplastics'. These are swallowed by wildlife, ranging from microscopic organisms up to blue whales, and can enter the food chain. Microplastics have been found inside human brains and in other organs in the body, and their long term effects are still not fully understood. A 2022 study found that tiny particles of microplastic are already polluting every lake and river in Britain, posing as-yet-unknown risks to wildlife, scientists have warned. Even remote bodies of water such as Loch Lomond are polluted with plastic particles. Researchers from Bangor University and Friends of the Earth collected water samples from rivers, reservoirs and lochs in England, Scotland and Wales. Every sample contained plastic, with the River Tame in Greater Manchester having more than 1,000 particles per litre - and Loch Lomond having 2.4 particles per litre. Ullswater in the Lake District had 29.5 shards of microplastic per litre.
Mid East Info
27-01-2025
- Health
- Mid East Info
Burjeel Holdings Champions Climate-Resilient and Innovative Healthcare Solutions at World Economic Forum - Middle East Business News and Information
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil joined esteemed global leaders to discuss critical healthcare challenges posed by climate change. DAVOS: Burjeel Holdings, a leading super-specialty healthcare services provider in the MENA region, highlighted its groundbreaking initiatives that incorporate climate change considerations into healthcare delivery, while also driving scalable solutions in the fight against cancer, at the World Economic Forum. During a high-level roundtable discussion titled 'Investing in Healthcare: A Prescription for Climate Resilience?', Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, joined distinguished global leaders to address critical healthcare challenges. The discussion centered on overcoming key roadblocks and identifying transformative opportunities for developing and funding innovative health solutions tailored to a climate-impacted future. Participants explored how collaboration and targeted investment can drive a proactive, resilient approach to safeguarding global health amid the challenges posed by climate change. Burjeel's Initiatives in Climate-Resilient Healthcare: Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil noted that while the initial investments in climate-resilient healthcare may be significant, the long-term benefits are essential for safeguarding global health. He highlighted the Burjeel Holdings Center for Climate and Health—an innovative initiative designed to deliver integrated, climate-resilient solutions by embedding climate-related counseling and preventive strategies directly into clinical care. The center was recently featured in a World Economic Forum whitepaper titled Healthcare in a Changing Climate: Investing in Resilient Solutions , which highlights its introduction of advanced screening for climate-sensitive triggers such as air pollution and extreme heat. 'Burjeel is demonstrating how healthcare providers can play a proactive role in addressing the health impacts of climate change. We've put together a dedicated team who, through our center for climate and health, are transforming care delivery in the face of climate change,' said Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil. He detailed an innovative program Burjeel will be launching in the summer that will use state-of-the-art Agentic AI to automatically contact at-risk patients—identified by physicians or through its electronic medical record system—to alert them about changes due to extreme weather. Notable participants in the session included Dr. Orazio Schillaci, Italy's Health Minister, along with Nick Studer of Oliver Wyman, Alan Dangour of the Wellcome Trust, Audrey Duval of Sanofi, Camilla Macapili Languille of Mubadala, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Pam Cheng of AstraZeneca, and Peter Sands of The Global Fund. Dr. Victor Dzau of the National Academy of Medicine served as facilitator. Innovating Cancer Care: Bridging Local Solutions: At the Annual Meeting 2025, Burjeel Holdings also conducted a WEF-accredited workshop titled 'Innovating Cancer Care: Bridging Local Solutions'. The session brought together multiple stakeholders with a shared interest of optimizing care for cancer patients in emerging markets including key opinion leaders from various sectors: oncology, translational science, AI and digital health, telemedicine and monitoring, decentralized trials, drug development (pharmaceuticals), and healthcare investment. The engaging and interactive workshop for the global experts was led by MSNBC anchor Richard Lui, Profs. Khaled Musallam, Don Dizon, and Garth Powis. Discussions focused on leveraging emerging technologies to enhance cancer diagnosis, improve treatment accessibility, and reduce costs. Experts examined strategies for addressing affordability and scaling successful local solutions—particularly in emerging markets—to achieve equitable universal cancer treatment . Speaking on c linical trials and access to innovative medicines, Prof. Khaled Musallam, Group Chief Research Officer, Burjeel Holdings, said, 'One key barrier to importing global clinical trials into emerging markets is lack of inter-country harmonization of regulatory approval pathways, and a considerable time window between clinical trials and marketing authorization – which commonly relies on US or European approvals. Adopting unified standards that meet the evolving requirements of the pharmaceutical industry and ensuring a continuum of access to novel therapies can be a key game changer.' The experts also discussed encouraging emerging economies that have some available resources to collaborate as best they can in establishing clinics and hospitals where outside funding agencies could provide access to evolving new medical technologies.
