Latest news with #public health
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Global Experts Acknowledge TATA Wooden Door's Breakthrough in Urban Noise Control Through Scenario-Based Construction in China
BEIJING, July 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On July, 2025, during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Dr. Zhang Qihua, President of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Development Foundation, pointed out in an interview: "As focus stays on air and water, WHO ranks urban noise as the second-biggest environmental health risk." Noise Pollution: A Neglected Global Health Threat. "In megacities over ten million, long-term noise exposure raises cardiovascular disease risk by 27%." "This directly hinders the achievement of SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)." He emphasized that the acoustic environment is gaining attention in public health and governance. With 48% of residents suffering sleep disturbances, improving tranquility is no longer just technical—it's a systemic social task. Scenario-Based Innovation: A Chinese Breakthrough Approach In the relevant discussion, Dr. Zhang pointed out several outstanding cases from Chinese enterprises in reducing residential noise: "We have observed that some Chinese companies are exploring more adaptable noise-reduction solutions tailored to the structural characteristics of local housing." "For example, the Chinese brand TATA Wooden Door has developed quiet products tailored to family needs in small apartments, multi-generational homes, and elderly-friendly spaces. "Such approaches also offer reference value for other developing countries." He believes that the process of enabling residential scenarios through technology is not only a response to real pain points in families but also promotes the shift of 'quietness' from a single function to a lifestyle component. Global Collaboration to Promote the Popularization of the "Quiet Lifestyle" On how to promote the global adoption of the "quiet lifestyle," Dr. Zhang stated that the key lies in experience sharing and local adaptation. He believes that mature markets can share acoustic standards and governance mechanisms, while emerging markets offer valuable practices in product innovation and application scenarios. "Cases like TATA Wooden Door show that acoustic optimization isn't limited by technology and can be implemented sustainably based on needs." "Sharing practical cases through forums helps regions find suitable paths." "When people begin choosing quiet products aligned with their lifestyles, it becomes a meaningful step toward better living environments," Dr. Zhang concluded. View source version on Contacts Global Alliance for Sustainable Development Foundationhttps:// Gasdfund@ TATA Wooden DoorJiang Yutongservice@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
5 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
Global Experts Acknowledge TATA Wooden Door's Breakthrough in Urban Noise Control Through Scenario-Based Construction in China
BEIJING, China, July 24, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- On July, 2025, during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Dr. Zhang Qihua, President of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Development Foundation, opens new tab, pointed out in an interview: 'As focus stays on air and water, WHO ranks urban noise as the second-biggest environmental health risk.' Noise Pollution: A Neglected Global Health Threat 'In megacities over ten million, long-term noise exposure raises cardiovascular disease risk by 27%. This directly hinders the achievement of SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities),' added Dr. Zhang. He emphasized that the acoustic environment is gaining attention in public health and governance. With 48% of residents suffering sleep disturbances, improving tranquility is no longer just technical—it's a systemic social task. Scenario-Based Innovation: A Chinese Breakthrough Approach In the relevant discussion, Dr. Zhang pointed out several outstanding cases from Chinese enterprises in reducing residential noise: 'We have observed that some Chinese companies are exploring more adaptable noise-reduction solutions tailored to the structural characteristics of local housing. For example, the Chinese brand TATA Wooden Door has developed quiet products tailored to family needs in small apartments, multi-generational homes, and elderly-friendly spaces. Such approaches also offer reference value for other developing countries.' He believes that the process of enabling residential scenarios through technology is not only a response to real pain points in families but also promotes the shift of "quietness" from a single function to a lifestyle component. Global Collaboration to Promote the Popularization of the 'Quiet Lifestyle' On how to promote the global adoption of the 'quiet lifestyle,' Dr. Zhang stated that the key lies in experience sharing and local adaptation. He believes that mature markets can share acoustic standards and governance mechanisms, while emerging markets offer valuable practices in product innovation and application scenarios. 'Cases like TATA Wooden Door show that acoustic optimization isn't limited by technology and can be implemented sustainably based on needs. Sharing practical cases through forums helps regions find suitable paths. When people begin choosing quiet products aligned with their lifestyles, it becomes a meaningful step toward better living environments,' Dr. Zhang concluded. About TATA Wooden Door TATA Wooden Door, established in 1999 in Beijing, has emerged as one of China's foremost wooden-room-door manufacturers. Renowned for its expert craftsmanship, environmental innovation, and stylish designs, TATA offers a wide selection of interior doors—painted, paint‑free, glazed, or fully solid—all engineered from premium fir, plywood, MDF, or oak. Utilizing urea‑free adhesives, hot‑pressed veneers, imported PU coatings, and patented magnetic seals, their products resist warping, termites, moisture, and noise. Backed by over 25 years of expertise, BIM-support, free quoting, precise installation, and award-winning quality (including use in the National Stadium and a Luban Award), TATA delivers reliable performance for modern residential and commercial projects. For more information, visit opens new tab. Media Contact Jiang Yutongservice@ ### SOURCE: TATA Wooden Door Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Pacific security and health leaders pledge cooperation
The use of illegal drugs is harming communities in the Pacific, and it's an issue that must be addressed holistically. This was the takeaway from a Pacific Regional and National Security Conference panel on transnational crime and national security. 15 July 2025 Photo: Facebook / Pacific Security College A conference of Pacific security and health leaders concluded in Suva last week with the promise to "collaborate more" on a drug crisis spiralling out of control. But public health experts say that law enforcement are undermining efforts to combat the drug-driven spread of HIV in Fiji, putting the wider region at risk. This comes at a time when transmission of the disease has risen to levels only surpassed by the Philippines within the Asia-Pacific region, according to UNAIDS. National HIV Response Taskforce chair Dr Jason Mitchell believes Fiji is still far behind where they need to be in terms of detection and prevention measures. "I think a lot of times when we are trying to introduce strong public health interventions, there's opposition, oftentimes from our law enforcement agencies." Dr Mitchell told RNZ Pacific that progressive prevention measures, such as needle and syringe programmes, are often opposed at all levels of Pacific governments. "There may be legislation that they are often expected to uphold. They could also be responding to the public or political sentiments around drugs and drug users." Speaking at the recent Pacific Regional and National Security Conference 2025, held in Suva, Dr Mitchell said that the growing drug trade in the Pacific is driving the spread of HIV. "About 50 percent of people who were infected with HIV last year were as a result of intravenous drug use" According to a new UNAIDS report, "Aids, Crisis and the Power to Transform" Fiji stands out in all the worst ways. "Since 2014, number of new HIV infections in Fiji has risen by an alarming 10-fold. UNAIDS estimates that in 2014, there were fewer than 500 people living with HIV in Fiji. Just 10 years later, that number was 5900." That rate, according to the report puts Fiji above Papua New Guinea, the previous regional leaders, to the second fastest transmission rate in the Asia-Pacific, behind only the Philippines. The report further acknowledges that given people struggle to access support services where their case would be recorded, these estimates could fall short. "In 2024, only 36 percent of people living with HIV in Fiji were aware of their HIV status, and only 24 percent were receiving treatment." When asked whether law enforcement in Fiji hinders public health efforts, UNAIDS head Renata Ram said yes. "In the Pacific, law enforcement policies can sometimes create significant barriers to effective HIV prevention, particularly for key populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who use drugs." "The criminalisation of these populations in many Pacific Island countries contributes to increased stigma and discrimination, driving them further away from essential health and HIV services." Ram said that colonial-era laws that continue to criminalise same-sex relations, sex work and drug possession are causing HIV-infected persons to avoid seeking help. "Punitive drug laws and the lack of protective legal environments for vulnerable populations hinder the implementation and scale-up of high-impact interventions, such as needle-syringe programmes and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)." Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu Photo: Fiji Police Force Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said at the conference that he and Dr Mitchell are finding time to sit down and have a chat. "It's more befitting for us to have more conference in regards to this, so that we can know what's happening in other countries, share information, look into the success stories of other countries, and how can we ourselves learn from what other countries are doing well." Tudravu said they have to fight a war on two fronts: trying to hold back the spread of drugs internally, while stopping the flow of drugs into the country from the wider Pacific. "We share information, we share resources, and we help each other... but having said that Pacific islands are limited to the resources that we have, so we need the partners that are out there, our bigger brothers, to come on board, because what we are doing in the Pacific also affects them." Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime's head of the Pacific programme Virginia Comolli told RNZ Pacific that a transnational operation, with shared resources and the help of Australia and New Zealand, would give police the space to make changes internally. "This is certainly a law enforcement issue that requires involvement of the police and customs, etc, but it also requires these security actors to cooperate closely with doctors, with public health practitioners, with mental health specialists." Comolli said she was impressed with how open and frank the police leaders were. "They are the first ones to say they cannot fight this challenge alone... who would admit that capabilities within law enforcement aren't always up to scratch." "They also highlighted how legislation needs to be to be updated in order to be on par with these emerging challenges in the introduction of new illicit substances. So I think there was lots of honesty there."
South China Morning Post
19-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Is Asia's cleaner air driving global warming?
Global warming has picked up pace since around 2010, leading to the recent string of record hot years. Why this is happening is still unclear and is among the biggest questions in climate science today. Our new study reveals that reductions in air pollution – particularly in China and East Asia – are a key reason for this faster warming. Advertisement Clean-up of sulphur emissions from global shipping has been implicated in past research. But that clean-up only began in 2020, so it is considered too weak to explain the full extent of this acceleration. Nasa researchers have suggested that changes in clouds could play a role, either through reductions in cloud cover in the tropics or over the North Pacific. One factor that has not been well quantified, however, is the effect of monumental efforts by countries in East Asia , notably China, to combat air pollution and improve public health through strict air quality policies. There has already been a 75 per cent reduction in East Asian sulphur dioxide emissions since around 2013, and that clean-up effort picked up pace just as global warming began accelerating. Our study addresses the link between East Asian air quality improvements and global temperature, building on the efforts of eight teams of climate modellers across the world. Women in traditional Chinese attire use an umbrella to shield themselves from the sun in Shanghai on July 4. Photo: Reuters We have found that polluted air may have been masking the full effects of global warming. Cleaner air could now be revealing more of the human-induced global warming from greenhouse gases.
Zawya
18-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UAE: MoF, FTA announce amendment to excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages
The Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) have announced an amendment to the excise tax mechanism applied to sugar sweetened beverages (SSB's), introducing a tiered volumetric model that links the tax value on each litre of a sugar sweetened beverage to its sugar content per 100ml. The higher the sugar content per 100ml, the higher the tax per litre, marking a shift from the flat rate currently applied to these beverages. This amendment is part of the UAE's broader efforts to promote public health, reduce the consumption of high-sugar products, and encourage manufacturers to lower sugar levels in their beverages. The announcement follows a proactive approach aimed at providing suppliers, importers, and stakeholders sufficient time to prepare for the upcoming changes. This includes updating internal systems, reviewing product formulations, and ensuring that their records with the Federal Tax Authority are aligned with the requirements of the enhanced model. The updated mechanism is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2026, pending the issuance of the relevant implementing legislation. The Ministry of Finance stated that this enhanced model reflects the UAE's commitment to adopting flexible financial and legislative tools that promote healthy lifestyles. Unlike the previous model, which was based on product classification, the new system ties the tax rate directly to the level of sugar content, and by extension, to the associated health impact. This approach incentivises manufacturers to reduce sugar levels and empowers consumers to make more informed dietary choices. This direction also supports efforts to strengthen Gulf-wide tax policy integration and reinforces the use of taxation as a strategic tool to advance sustainable development goals. The Ministry confirmed that comprehensive awareness campaigns will be launched—jointly with the Federal Tax Authority and relevant health and regulatory entities—to ensure a smooth transition and full readiness across the business ecosystem once the legislative tool is in place. Notably, the system was developed in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention to ensure alignment with national health objectives and to deliver measurable improvements in dietary consumption patterns. Businesses across the UAE will be granted sufficient time to prepare for the implementation of the new mechanism. Additional details will be announced in the coming period to support businesses in achieving full compliance with the updated policy.
