Report by Public Health Experts Laments “Missed Opportunity” as World Health Organization Debates Global Tobacco Policy
Knowledge Action Change criticizes the World Health Organization for endorsing countries that ban e-cigarettes; says organization is ignoring international treaty that approves these lower- harm alternatives to smoking
GENEVA, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — As delegates gather for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) biennial conference on tobacco, the authors of a new report, “No Fire, No Smoke: Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction,” are fiercely criticizing the WHO’s record. The public health experts accuse the WHO of failing to comply with international treaty obligations to back reduced-harm alternatives to smoking. They deplore that the WHO instead recommends bans on e-cigarettes—a move that has been implemented by dozens of countries.
The authors of “No Fire, No Smoke“ say that lower-risk alternatives such as e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn devices, and Swedish snus have been hugely successful at reducing smoking. Yet they say that the WHO has displayed a historic hostility to them.
“The WHO ignores its own treaty that obliges signatories to adopt the harm-reduction approach of encouraging safer nicotine products. This is a tragic missed opportunity to stop one billion lives being claimed by smoking this century,” said Professor Gerry Stimson of Knowledge Action Change (London), which commissioned the report.
The report lists the 39 countries where e-cigarettes or nicotine liquids are banned, including Australia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. The European Union allows e-cigarettes but bans the pasteurized oral tobacco product snus that is exceptionally popular in Scandinavia.
Following the introduction of snus in Norway, the smoking rate among young women plummeted from 30% to just 1%. In the United States, the rapid growth in e-cigarette use has been accompanied by a decrease in smoking among school-aged children, with numbers dropping by half over the last 6 years. Meanwhile, in Japan, the success of heated tobacco products has seen cigarette sales fall by a quarter over the last 2 years.
“In examining the data, it has been striking how closely tied the availability of these substitutes is to plunging smoking rates. Whatever the motivation for countries banning them, they need to realize that such policies make them the tobacco industry’s best friends,” said Harry Shapiro, the lead author of the report.
While the Europe Union has made snus illegal, in several Asia-Pacific countries, bans on using e-cigarettes cause the most concern.
“Many of the vapers I represent live in fear of getting arrested for trying to save their lives. Their countries allow deadly cigarettes but ban much safer e-cigarettes because the WHO has encouraged bans,” said Nancy Sutthoff of the consumer group International Network of Nicotine Consumers Organisations.
The WHO policy making conference will be attended by representatives of 181 countries. All 181 countries have ratified the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which obliges them to incorporate harm reduction. However, the WHO event is far from inclusive: in previous years, it has banned consumers, journalists, and bodies including Interpol from attending.
The “No Fire, No Smoke: Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction” report and this press release are published by Knowledge Action Change, a private sector public health agency.
Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon Solves African Hair Transplantation With Two New Technologies
Dr. Sanusi Umar Announces The Release Of Dr.UPunch Curl 2.0
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Sanusi Umar, a Los Angeles dermatologic surgeon, has announced the release of two new, separate hair transplant tools to solve a matter that has vexed the hair transplant community. All aspects of surgery have trended towards minimally invasive procedures as more patients prefer discretion. In hair transplantation, the minimally invasive procedure is called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). It differs from previous techniques that result in a linear scar. When performed properly, FUE leaves tiny scattered wounds that heal into less visible dot scars, enabling shorter hair cuts. This is not typically possible with the older procedure, which leaves a noticeable line-shaped scar.
While a majority of the world population has enjoyed this procedure, patients of African descent– particularly males who prefer shorter haircuts– have not benefited uniformly from this boon. This is because of skin and hair characteristics that render current FUE tools ineffective for most of this demographic. Some practitioners with experience in Afro textured hair FUE using conventional tools often acquire specialized methods that involve using larger punches, guessing hair bending and curve angles, and manual curve navigation while accepting a relatively higher graft attrition rate.
Dr. Sanusi Umar announced two new, separate inventions (patent-pending), either of which offer a comprehensive solution to the Afro textured FUE problem. The provider now has a wider menu where no options existed, and faces less technical demands. One procedure uses a specialized rotary tool– The Intelligent Punch (patent-pending), mounted on a patented graft-hydrating and punch-lubricating system (Dr.UGraft™ Nurture handpiece). According to Dr. Umar, “The system is intuitive and comes with optimized settings, so the operator needs no PH.D in computer science to dial them in.” Used with the Dr.UGraft Nurture handpiece, the Intelligent Punch intuitively navigates graft angles, enabling safe extraction of grafts in all Afro textured hair FUE.
Dr. Umar then announced the launch of yet another new invention– Dr.UPunch Curl 2.0 (Patent pending)– an unconventional non-rotary tool. This is an enhanced version of a previous invention – Dr.UPunch 1.0 ( European Patent 2939617B1). According to Dr. Umar, the new version is more user friendly. The punches are smaller, sharper and faster, hence its early release to other FUE providers. Less skill is required as guessing hair curving and bending angles is irrelevant. “Minimal effort is needed, and it is very easy to learn,” says Dr. Umar (aka Dr. U). An instructional video released by Dr. U reveals how both of these independent technologies work.
Dr. U continued, “I went into the field of hair restoration to find a solution for my own hair loss and found only limitations. It became my life’s mission to fix this. I started developing tools which benefited all hair types — except mine. My hope is that these new tools can contribute to more universal hair loss treatments. Any FUE practitioner with average skill can operate these devices and provide as good a result as they can for other racial groups.”
Both tools are ready for purchase on the Dr.UGraft website. They are also available for the first time at the Los Angeles Hair Transplant Hands-On Cadaver Course this Oct. 6-7, and at the ISHRS annual congress in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 10-14 at Booth # 61.
Dr. Sanusi Umar is a globally recognized dermatologic surgeon in Los Angeles. He is the founder of Dr. U Hair and Skin Clinic, Dr. U Devices and FineTouch Laboratories. He is also on faculty at the David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA, and the Director of Cosmetic Dermatology at the Harbor-UCLA Dermatology Department.
Contact Information:
Anahit Moumjian
Dr. U Devices Inc.
1-310-318-1500
info@ugraft.com
Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/
Zoomlion Joins Kenya’s KES Road Project, Further Advancing Gains in African Market
CHANGSHA, China, Sept. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Zoomlion), China’s top construction machinery manufacturer, has delivered an order of ZE360E and ZE230E excavators to Kenya’s Kitale- Endebess-Suam (KES) road renovation project, the company’s latest milestone in its decade-long history in the African market.
Located in Trans Nzoia County and expected to take 912 days, Zoomlion’s excavators will be used to upgrade and rebuild a 45-kilometer-long (27.96 miles) segment of the KES’s asphalt road.
“It’s an honor to join the KES road renovation project,” said Fu Hongsheng, General Manager Assistant of Zoomlion Overseas Company. “Zoomlion’s dedication to quality and understanding of the African market has enabled us to win the trust of clients across the continent and we are confident that our excavators will excel in the construction tasks ahead.
“China’s Belt and Road Initiative has given us new opportunities to expand in the African market. We have built a comprehensive operations network in Africa that emphasizes strong spare parts and service support as well as technician and talent training. Zoomlion’s equipment is now in active service in multiple infrastructure projects in Africa, making our brand a symbol of Sino-Africa friendship,” said Fu.
Since entering the market in 2007 Zoomlion’s thoroughly-tested equipment has participated in over a dozen construction projects across Africa, including the East-West Highway in Algeria, Kusile Power Station in South Africa, Central Railway project in Tanzania and the Hass Towers in Kenya.
In 2014, Zoomlion’s concrete mixing plant serviced Kenya’s Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway project, the country’s first railway since independence. Zoomlion’s highly efficient and reliable equipment as well as the professional service team’s dedicated work were praised by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development.
Zoomlion now sells engineering, earthmoving, concrete and construction machinery products to 15 countries in Africa, including Algeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Namibia.
About Zoomlion
Founded in 1992, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Zoomlion) is a high-end equipment manufacturing enterprise that integrates engineering machinery, agricultural machinery and financial services. The company now sells nearly 800 cutting-edge products from 49 product lines covering nine major categories. Zoomlion is China’s first construction machinery company to be listed on both the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
For more information, please visit http://en.zoomlion.com/.
Bombardier CRJ Series Certified for Higher Maintenance Intervals
MONTREAL, Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) has granted approval for the maintenance intervals escalation of the CRJ700, CRJ900 and CRJ1000 aircraft. The line maintenance interval (A-check) is extended to 800 flight hours, and the heavy maintenance interval (C-check) at 8,000 flight hours.
“With the longest maintenance intervals on the regional jet market, the CRJ aircraft family continues to deliver more value to operators, along with its excellent reliability and its proven outstanding operational capability”, said Charles Comtois, Head of CRJ Series Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “We are thrilled that our operators are benefitting from our continuous improvement mindset as with this evolution, the CRJ Series operators can now take advantage of 14 per cent less maintenance days, meaning more days of revenue flying.”
The maintenance intervals have doubled since the launch of the CRJ aircraft family. The new maintenance intervals are applicable for new production deliveries as well as all CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 aircraft in service.
About Bombardier
With over 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.
Notes to Editors
An image of a CRJ900 aircraft in the Bombardier livery is posted with this news release at bombardier.com
The CRJ Series aircraft backgrounder is available in the BCA Media Hub.
Follow @BBD_Aircraft on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
To receive our press releases, please visit the RSS Feed section of Bombardier’s Website.
Bombardier, CRJ700, CRJ900, CRJ1000 and CRJ Series are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.
For Information
Nathalie Siphengphet
Head of Communications and Public Relations
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft
+1 416-375-3030
nathalie.siphengphet@aero.
www.bombardier.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/
The Canton Fair, China Southern and Turkish Airlines Team-up to Welcome the World to ‘Discover More’ at the 124th China Import and Export Fair
GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) announced an expansion in their offering to buyers with the signing of travel partnership deals with China Southern Airlines and Turkish Airlines for the upcoming 124th Canton Fair.
The new deals mark a significant expansion in the fair’s engagement plan with the international community. The partnership with China Southern Airlines will serve buyers from North America, while Turkish Airlines will provide participants with selected benefits on a wide range of routes from Middle East, Africa and South America.
Travellers flying China Southern Airlines will be entitled to special discounts on first class, business class, premium economy and economy tickets on routes between Los Angeles-Guangzhou and Vancouver-Guangzhou. Turkish Airlines passengers will be eligible for special discounts and extra mileage on both business and economy class tickets.
“Over the past 61 years, the fair has received overwhelming support from countries across the world. During the 123rd Canton Fair, in particular, we welcomed over 33,426 buyers from America and over 90,576 from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, ” said Alan Liu, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office at Canton Fair. “This year, and with this continued support in mind, we are pleased to announce our new partnership with two leading Airlines, which will greatly expand our offering and extend our invitation to global buyers from developed and emerging markets.”
The Canton Fair, China’s largest and most inclusive trade exhibition, is considered the window to China. According to recent customs data, bilateral trade between China and Africa reached USD170 billion in 2017, with an average growth rate of 14.1 percent per year. In the same year, China-Arab trade approached $200 billion (Dh734 billion), up 11.9 per cent year-on-year, while direct Chinese investment in Arab countries increased 9.3 per cent to $1.26 billion.
Development cooperation is increasing at all levels. With significant room for further global collaboration and growth, the fair is continuously looking to expand its offering and extend their invitation to ‘discover more at the Canton Fair’ to buyers and sellers across the world.
For more information on exclusive travel deals, booking tickets to the Fair or finding out more information on the new partnership, please login the “BEST (Buyer E-Service Tool)” on the Canton Fair official website invitation.cantonfair.org.cn.
About the Canton Fair
The China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is held biannually in Guangzhou every spring and fall. Established in 1957, the Canton Fair is now a comprehensive exhibition with the longest history, highest level, largest scale and largest number of products as well as the broadest distribution of buyer origins and the highest business turnover in China.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/
