Singapore Airlines Ltd.'s (C6L.SG) chief executive Sunday said the business environment remains challenging due to the slowing global economy and conditions in the crude oil market.
"The current environment is challenging. Our attention is right now preoccupied by the business challenges we face," Chew Choon Seng told Dow Jones Newswires.
Chew is here to attend the three-day International Air Transport Association's 65th annual general meeting.
Singapore Airlines is facing a difficult operating environment as a slowing global economy crimps demand for business and leisure travel. For the fourth quarter ended March 31, the airline, which is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, posted a 92% drop in net profit to S$42 million due to fuel-hedging losses and a drop in demand for air travel.
The airline also warned that the uncertainties from the swine flu will have an impact on its business.
"The environment is very challenging because of the (global) crude oil environment and the depressed conditions we are all facing," Chew said.
On the airline's plans in China, Chew said that Singapore Air is open to opportunities in the region, but declined to comment on whether it is still interested in China Eastern Airlines Corp. (CEA).
Recently, China Eastern's board secretary, Luo Zhuping, said that the Chinese government hopes that Singapore Air will invest in China Eastern after the Singaporean airline allowed its offer to lapse last year.
Chew had said earlier that talks with CEA haven't been revived, but that his airline was interested in China's airline sector.
"In the longer term, China, India and so on represent important economies in which we hope to be able to participate in. But it very much depends on the regulatory environment, what the governments in those countries decide upon," Chew said Sunday.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Investors Predict Globalization Of Industry, Especially To China
Venture capitalists expect their industry to grow increasingly global, as firms shift more attention to Asia and as institutional investors around the world seek to add venture funds to their portfolios, a survey shows.
Half of 725 venture capitalists queried said they expect their investment in Asia (excluding India) to increase over the next three years, while 12% projected a decline, according to the 2009 Global Venture Capital Survey conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and the National Venture Capital Association. Meanwhile, 43% said they planned to boost their investing in India. The survey, which included U.S., European, Asia Pacific, Israeli and non-U.S. American investors, found that 52% of respondents already invest outside their home country.
Burgeoning middle classes and relatively strong economic growth are prompting venture investors to see strong opportunity in Asian countries such as China. “You have a huge market and a lot of problems that can be solved in China,” said NVCA President Mark Heesen in a conference call Tuesday. “The United States is no longer the only area in the world for venture capital activity.”
Venture firms raising funds are also searching the globe for investors. Fifty-four percent of respondents predicted that their number of limited partners outside their home country would increase, while 38% said the number would remain the same, and 8% predicted that foreign limited partner involvement would decline. While U.S. firms don’t look at the federal government as a direct source of capital, governments in other countries are more active in supporting venture capital firms.
“You are going to continue to see marked interest around the world in this asset class,” Heesen said. “This is a not a zero sum game; we believe everyone can win in this new global venture capital environment.”
But survey respondents said China stands to gain from the downturn that’s drying up investment in the U.S. and other Western nations. Thirty-eight percent said China has the most to gain from the crisis, while 18% chose the U.S. Further, 51% said the U.S. had the most to lose from the downturn, though Heesen said this is not unexpected considering that the U.S. has been the industry leader. “When you’re on top, you have the most to lose,” he said.
Globalization, however, is only one of the trends shaking up the industry. Another is a general winnowing of venture capital firms. Institutions will continue to invest in venture firms that have delivered good returns, but will cut off those that haven’t, Heesen said. In the coming years, 10% to 15% of firms operating today will disappear because they will be unable to get their existing limited partners to re-up or find new investors, he said.
Meantime, venture firms have spent the bulk of this year reassessing their portfolios, which has contributed to a general slowdown in new investment. In some ways, the downturn has made it easier to sort through a portfolio, said Steve Fredrick, general partner of Grotech Ventures, in an interview.
“It’s getting easier to do that triage, because the market is sending decisive signals as to what has traction and what doesn’t,” Fredrick said.
Now that firms are completing the process, however, they can get back to making new deals, said Terry McGuire, managing general partner of Polaris Venture Partners and chairman of the NVCA, during the conference call. “We have our houses in order for the most part,” McGuire said. “You’re going to see a lot more investment coming in the second half of the year.”
Much of that investment will likely be in later-stage companies, according to the survey. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they intend to move toward later-stage investing to support existing portfolio companies. Just 6% intend to move toward early-stage investing.
This is partly because firms are looking to shorten the time to exit, but for many firms, it’s not by choice, Heesen said. Older firms with large portfolios have many maturing companies that need capital, so firms by necessity are spending much of their money and time on these holdings, he said.
The survey shows that venture investors intend to move away from traditional, maturing industries such as semiconductors and telecommunications, and toward emerging opportunities in fields such as clean technology and medical devices. Sixty-three percent of venture capitalists surveyed said they expect to boost their investments in clean technology over the next three years, while 37% said they planned to ratchet up investment in medical devices. Just 15% said they planned to invest more in telecom, while 6% were looking to invest more in semiconductors.
Half of 725 venture capitalists queried said they expect their investment in Asia (excluding India) to increase over the next three years, while 12% projected a decline, according to the 2009 Global Venture Capital Survey conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and the National Venture Capital Association. Meanwhile, 43% said they planned to boost their investing in India. The survey, which included U.S., European, Asia Pacific, Israeli and non-U.S. American investors, found that 52% of respondents already invest outside their home country.
Burgeoning middle classes and relatively strong economic growth are prompting venture investors to see strong opportunity in Asian countries such as China. “You have a huge market and a lot of problems that can be solved in China,” said NVCA President Mark Heesen in a conference call Tuesday. “The United States is no longer the only area in the world for venture capital activity.”
Venture firms raising funds are also searching the globe for investors. Fifty-four percent of respondents predicted that their number of limited partners outside their home country would increase, while 38% said the number would remain the same, and 8% predicted that foreign limited partner involvement would decline. While U.S. firms don’t look at the federal government as a direct source of capital, governments in other countries are more active in supporting venture capital firms.
“You are going to continue to see marked interest around the world in this asset class,” Heesen said. “This is a not a zero sum game; we believe everyone can win in this new global venture capital environment.”
But survey respondents said China stands to gain from the downturn that’s drying up investment in the U.S. and other Western nations. Thirty-eight percent said China has the most to gain from the crisis, while 18% chose the U.S. Further, 51% said the U.S. had the most to lose from the downturn, though Heesen said this is not unexpected considering that the U.S. has been the industry leader. “When you’re on top, you have the most to lose,” he said.
Globalization, however, is only one of the trends shaking up the industry. Another is a general winnowing of venture capital firms. Institutions will continue to invest in venture firms that have delivered good returns, but will cut off those that haven’t, Heesen said. In the coming years, 10% to 15% of firms operating today will disappear because they will be unable to get their existing limited partners to re-up or find new investors, he said.
Meantime, venture firms have spent the bulk of this year reassessing their portfolios, which has contributed to a general slowdown in new investment. In some ways, the downturn has made it easier to sort through a portfolio, said Steve Fredrick, general partner of Grotech Ventures, in an interview.
“It’s getting easier to do that triage, because the market is sending decisive signals as to what has traction and what doesn’t,” Fredrick said.
Now that firms are completing the process, however, they can get back to making new deals, said Terry McGuire, managing general partner of Polaris Venture Partners and chairman of the NVCA, during the conference call. “We have our houses in order for the most part,” McGuire said. “You’re going to see a lot more investment coming in the second half of the year.”
Much of that investment will likely be in later-stage companies, according to the survey. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they intend to move toward later-stage investing to support existing portfolio companies. Just 6% intend to move toward early-stage investing.
This is partly because firms are looking to shorten the time to exit, but for many firms, it’s not by choice, Heesen said. Older firms with large portfolios have many maturing companies that need capital, so firms by necessity are spending much of their money and time on these holdings, he said.
The survey shows that venture investors intend to move away from traditional, maturing industries such as semiconductors and telecommunications, and toward emerging opportunities in fields such as clean technology and medical devices. Sixty-three percent of venture capitalists surveyed said they expect to boost their investments in clean technology over the next three years, while 37% said they planned to ratchet up investment in medical devices. Just 15% said they planned to invest more in telecom, while 6% were looking to invest more in semiconductors.
India's millions of mentally ill hidden behind taboo
Many of the patients at the Sanjali rehabilitation centre in New Delhi cannot explain why they are there or how they lived before chronic mental illness took over their lives.
They are among the lucky few in India to receive regular treatment in a country where mental illness carries a huge stigma and psychiatric hospitals can be severe and frightening institutions.
Experts estimate around 20 million Indians suffer serious mental disorders, with most hidden from public view by their families.
For many Indians, their first instinct when symptoms of mental illness begin to manifest themselves in their relatives is to seek a spiritual explanation for the sudden change in behaviour.
Families in denial will often take their loved ones to temples or faith healers, both of which abound across the country.
India does have some half-way houses that serve as temporary shelters for destitute and homeless mentally ill people, but there are few long-term options for families who are unable to look after their kin.
Nimesh Desai, head of psychiatry at the New Delhi-based Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, estimates India has fewer than 4,000 psychiatrists, and even fewer general mental health professionals.
"The lack of psychiatrists is bad and the shortage of psychologists, social workers and counsellors is even more alarming," said Desai. "It meets about five to seven percent of the projected need."
One reason is a reluctance among young medical students to pursue a career in mental health. While India prides itself on churning out thousands of world-class doctors and surgeons, there is no prestige in psychiatry.
"The shame and stigma that is attached to mental illness is also attached to a mental health doctor," said Naveen Kumar from the Manas Foundation, a mental health charity.
"Though we have one of the largest pools of medical professionals, they are not geared toward dealing with mental health problems.
"It leaves mental patients at the mercy of the faith healers who exist on every street corner and in every village of India (who) are supposed to have magic healing powers."
Common treatments include inducing the patient into a trance or even physical abuse, said Kumar.
While many mental health problems can be easily treated at the primary care level, general practitioners are not adequately trained to tackle them -- and are unable to refer patients to specialists.
Kumar said only five to 10 percent of Indians are "psychologically aware" enough to seek help in the first place, and many families believe going to a doctor for mental illnesses is a sign of weakness.
Instead, age-old religious rituals and superstitions that have passed through generations are often relied on, and religious shrines are regularly packed with devotees looking to rid a family member of a "curse".
"Only when you find that the person is not improving or there are other complications will you even consider going to a general practitioner," said Kumar.
Here at the Sanjali centre patients suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis are unfortunate in their illness but lucky to have families who have recognised their problems and sought professional help.
Sanjali offers a varied day therapy programme aimed at helping patients live as normally as possible outside the clinic, said co-ordinator Simrita Chaudhry.
While patients take medication to curb symptoms, the centre's goal is to rehabilitate people so they can re-enter society and the workforce, she said, adding however that by the time many are brought here it is often too late.
"Only a small number are discharged every year," said Chaudhry.
In an airy, clean environment, the day patients join in musical activities, games, drawing classes and light exercise such as bowling in a makeshift alley.
Among the centre's regulars is 64-year-old Pallavi -- not her real name -- who had a bright future as a junior doctor until she suffered a nervous breakdown and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Now receiving a combination of medication and therapy, she remembers nothing about her life as a young wife and mother, but is quick to express the paranoia symptomatic of her illness.
"People don't respect me," she whispered, her eyes darting around the room.
The secrecy surrounding mental illness in India, plus the serious shortage of mental health professionals, means many people must suffer in silence.
Most patients at Sanjali come from wealthy families in south Delhi who can afford the daily fee of 100 rupees and have some understanding of the problem.
Denial cuts across classes, but Desai said attitudes are slowly changing, partly thanks to government and private education campaigns, as well as the impact of globalisation.
"Even so-called middle-class, educated people will first go to a shrine such as Ajmer in Rajasthan if there's a mental health problem," said Desai.
"But Indian society and government is becoming more and more internationalised in its outlook (and) one of the positive fall-outs of it is the acceptance of issues of mental health."
At Sanjali, the huge burden of mental illness on families is clear.
Jagdish -- also not his real name -- is a 48-year-old schizophrenic who has been coming to the centre every day for 11 years.
He trembles as he slumps forward in his chair, but cheerfully says: "I like coming here."
Yet as secure and tranquil as it seems, Sanjali's safety net cannot be taken for granted.
"We don't have any facilities to offer life-long, full-time rehab," said Chaudhry.
"Tomorrow when the families are no longer there to look after them at home, what happens to these people?"
They are among the lucky few in India to receive regular treatment in a country where mental illness carries a huge stigma and psychiatric hospitals can be severe and frightening institutions.
Experts estimate around 20 million Indians suffer serious mental disorders, with most hidden from public view by their families.
For many Indians, their first instinct when symptoms of mental illness begin to manifest themselves in their relatives is to seek a spiritual explanation for the sudden change in behaviour.
Families in denial will often take their loved ones to temples or faith healers, both of which abound across the country.
India does have some half-way houses that serve as temporary shelters for destitute and homeless mentally ill people, but there are few long-term options for families who are unable to look after their kin.
Nimesh Desai, head of psychiatry at the New Delhi-based Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, estimates India has fewer than 4,000 psychiatrists, and even fewer general mental health professionals.
"The lack of psychiatrists is bad and the shortage of psychologists, social workers and counsellors is even more alarming," said Desai. "It meets about five to seven percent of the projected need."
One reason is a reluctance among young medical students to pursue a career in mental health. While India prides itself on churning out thousands of world-class doctors and surgeons, there is no prestige in psychiatry.
"The shame and stigma that is attached to mental illness is also attached to a mental health doctor," said Naveen Kumar from the Manas Foundation, a mental health charity.
"Though we have one of the largest pools of medical professionals, they are not geared toward dealing with mental health problems.
"It leaves mental patients at the mercy of the faith healers who exist on every street corner and in every village of India (who) are supposed to have magic healing powers."
Common treatments include inducing the patient into a trance or even physical abuse, said Kumar.
While many mental health problems can be easily treated at the primary care level, general practitioners are not adequately trained to tackle them -- and are unable to refer patients to specialists.
Kumar said only five to 10 percent of Indians are "psychologically aware" enough to seek help in the first place, and many families believe going to a doctor for mental illnesses is a sign of weakness.
Instead, age-old religious rituals and superstitions that have passed through generations are often relied on, and religious shrines are regularly packed with devotees looking to rid a family member of a "curse".
"Only when you find that the person is not improving or there are other complications will you even consider going to a general practitioner," said Kumar.
Here at the Sanjali centre patients suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis are unfortunate in their illness but lucky to have families who have recognised their problems and sought professional help.
Sanjali offers a varied day therapy programme aimed at helping patients live as normally as possible outside the clinic, said co-ordinator Simrita Chaudhry.
While patients take medication to curb symptoms, the centre's goal is to rehabilitate people so they can re-enter society and the workforce, she said, adding however that by the time many are brought here it is often too late.
"Only a small number are discharged every year," said Chaudhry.
In an airy, clean environment, the day patients join in musical activities, games, drawing classes and light exercise such as bowling in a makeshift alley.
Among the centre's regulars is 64-year-old Pallavi -- not her real name -- who had a bright future as a junior doctor until she suffered a nervous breakdown and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Now receiving a combination of medication and therapy, she remembers nothing about her life as a young wife and mother, but is quick to express the paranoia symptomatic of her illness.
"People don't respect me," she whispered, her eyes darting around the room.
The secrecy surrounding mental illness in India, plus the serious shortage of mental health professionals, means many people must suffer in silence.
Most patients at Sanjali come from wealthy families in south Delhi who can afford the daily fee of 100 rupees and have some understanding of the problem.
Denial cuts across classes, but Desai said attitudes are slowly changing, partly thanks to government and private education campaigns, as well as the impact of globalisation.
"Even so-called middle-class, educated people will first go to a shrine such as Ajmer in Rajasthan if there's a mental health problem," said Desai.
"But Indian society and government is becoming more and more internationalised in its outlook (and) one of the positive fall-outs of it is the acceptance of issues of mental health."
At Sanjali, the huge burden of mental illness on families is clear.
Jagdish -- also not his real name -- is a 48-year-old schizophrenic who has been coming to the centre every day for 11 years.
He trembles as he slumps forward in his chair, but cheerfully says: "I like coming here."
Yet as secure and tranquil as it seems, Sanjali's safety net cannot be taken for granted.
"We don't have any facilities to offer life-long, full-time rehab," said Chaudhry.
"Tomorrow when the families are no longer there to look after them at home, what happens to these people?"
India needs GM crops, says Jairam Ramesh
The country needs genetically- modified crops but there is no "great urgency" for GM foods, Union Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh said today.
"I draw a fundamental distinction between GM foods and GM crops. I do not see a great urgency for Bt. Brinjal and I see a very strong case for Bt. Cotton. Country needs GM crops; no great urgency for GM foods," Ramesh told reporters here.
He said Bt. Cotton has been successful in some states such as Gujarat but in some others, it created a lot of problems, adding, he is not against the idea of a comprehensive assessment from the experience of Bt. Cotton.
Part of the problem in Bt. Cotton was that India did not have an indigenous variety of Bt. Cotton but in the last few days the Central Institute of Cotton Research in Nagpur has introduced a local variety of Bt. Cotton that would substantially change the environment as far as Bt. Cotton is concerned.
"I believe that there is a very strong case to be made for a unified, independent, science-based national biotechnology regulatory regime which will do a comprehensive risk assessment for all GM technologies before they are introduced," the minister said.
On the flow of GM foods into India from overseas, he said as Minister of State for Commerce previously, he had requested the then Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to make labelling of GM products compulsory. "I will stick to this position." "Any product coming from anywhere containing GM characteristics.. There must be compulsory labelling so that consumers are made aware of what they are buying," he said. PTI
"I draw a fundamental distinction between GM foods and GM crops. I do not see a great urgency for Bt. Brinjal and I see a very strong case for Bt. Cotton. Country needs GM crops; no great urgency for GM foods," Ramesh told reporters here.
He said Bt. Cotton has been successful in some states such as Gujarat but in some others, it created a lot of problems, adding, he is not against the idea of a comprehensive assessment from the experience of Bt. Cotton.
Part of the problem in Bt. Cotton was that India did not have an indigenous variety of Bt. Cotton but in the last few days the Central Institute of Cotton Research in Nagpur has introduced a local variety of Bt. Cotton that would substantially change the environment as far as Bt. Cotton is concerned.
"I believe that there is a very strong case to be made for a unified, independent, science-based national biotechnology regulatory regime which will do a comprehensive risk assessment for all GM technologies before they are introduced," the minister said.
On the flow of GM foods into India from overseas, he said as Minister of State for Commerce previously, he had requested the then Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to make labelling of GM products compulsory. "I will stick to this position." "Any product coming from anywhere containing GM characteristics.. There must be compulsory labelling so that consumers are made aware of what they are buying," he said. PTI
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Federal directive to cut California water deliveries
Warning that salmon and other fish species are in danger of extinction, a federal agency Thursday issued directives that will guide the way dams, pumps, canals and other waterworks in California operate to help ease pressure on the Pacific coast's collapsing salmon fishery.
The biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service affects waterways from the American River to the San Joaquin and will reduce water deliveries to farmers and urban users by about 5% to 7% annually, according to officials. Complying with the court-ordered prescriptions could cost "hundreds of millions" and would be passed on to water users, according to a federal water manager.
The 800-page document is the latest in a series of actions to address the increasing obstacles to the salmon's twice-yearly runs: upstream migration for spawning, when the fish require cool, abundant water, and downstream emergence of juveniles, which must negotiate the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta's maze of gates, canals and diversions to reach the sea.
Maria Rea, the federal Fisheries Service officer primarily responsible for the biological opinion, said as much as 98% to 99% of young fish attempt- ing to exit the San Joaquin water system are succumbing to pollutants, unfamiliar food, predators and pumps removing water for irrigation and urban use.
The new document replaces a 2004 biological opinion that found that increased pumping of water to the Central Valley and Southern California posed no harm to threatened and endangered populations of California salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon. A federal judge last year ruled that the agency had erred and ordered it to redraft the opinion.
Rea called the document "One of the most complex and scientifically challenging" the agency has ever undertaken, and said, "What is at stake here is not just the survival of the species but the entire ecosystem that depends on them."
Some commercial fishermen applauded the changes. This is the second straight year that the state's salmon fleet has been barred from fishing off the coast. California officials estimated that the ban equates to a loss of 2,200 jobs and $250 million in revenue.
"We've given as much blood as we can give," said Larry Collins, vice president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Assns. .
The announcement was not universally embraced, though. "Public water agencies have faced cutback after cutback in failed attempts to boost fish populations," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors.
Don Glaser, regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal government's water management agency, said his office would "provisionally" accept the directives but hasn't had a chance to fully assess the implications.
Taken with federal requirements to reduce pumping to protect the delta smelt, Thursday's announcement will stress California's water system, Glaser said.
"I believe you are going to see less reliable water, particularly as it relates to farming activities in the Central Valley," he said, "and it will become more difficult to find replacement water for the urban growth that is anticipated in Southern California."
The biological opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Service affects waterways from the American River to the San Joaquin and will reduce water deliveries to farmers and urban users by about 5% to 7% annually, according to officials. Complying with the court-ordered prescriptions could cost "hundreds of millions" and would be passed on to water users, according to a federal water manager.
The 800-page document is the latest in a series of actions to address the increasing obstacles to the salmon's twice-yearly runs: upstream migration for spawning, when the fish require cool, abundant water, and downstream emergence of juveniles, which must negotiate the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta's maze of gates, canals and diversions to reach the sea.
Maria Rea, the federal Fisheries Service officer primarily responsible for the biological opinion, said as much as 98% to 99% of young fish attempt- ing to exit the San Joaquin water system are succumbing to pollutants, unfamiliar food, predators and pumps removing water for irrigation and urban use.
The new document replaces a 2004 biological opinion that found that increased pumping of water to the Central Valley and Southern California posed no harm to threatened and endangered populations of California salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon. A federal judge last year ruled that the agency had erred and ordered it to redraft the opinion.
Rea called the document "One of the most complex and scientifically challenging" the agency has ever undertaken, and said, "What is at stake here is not just the survival of the species but the entire ecosystem that depends on them."
Some commercial fishermen applauded the changes. This is the second straight year that the state's salmon fleet has been barred from fishing off the coast. California officials estimated that the ban equates to a loss of 2,200 jobs and $250 million in revenue.
"We've given as much blood as we can give," said Larry Collins, vice president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Assns. .
The announcement was not universally embraced, though. "Public water agencies have faced cutback after cutback in failed attempts to boost fish populations," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors.
Don Glaser, regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal government's water management agency, said his office would "provisionally" accept the directives but hasn't had a chance to fully assess the implications.
Taken with federal requirements to reduce pumping to protect the delta smelt, Thursday's announcement will stress California's water system, Glaser said.
"I believe you are going to see less reliable water, particularly as it relates to farming activities in the Central Valley," he said, "and it will become more difficult to find replacement water for the urban growth that is anticipated in Southern California."
Rotavirus: Every Child Should Be Vaccinated Against Diarrheal Disease, W.H.O. Says
The World Health Organization recommended last week that the vaccine against rotavirus, a diarrheal disease that kills 500,000 children a year, be given to every child in the world.
More than 85 percent of those deaths are of poor children in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and the W.H.O. endorsement allows donor money to be used for the vaccine.
Rotavirus drops are already routine for babies in the United States. Without them, virtually all children are infected by age 3; most cases are mild, but some unpredictably turn life-threatening.
In countries with ambulances and hospitals, even unimmunized children with severe viral diarrhea can usually be saved with intravenous fluids. In poor countries, they often die.
The recommendation came after trials in South Africa and Malawi showing that a GlaxoSmithKline vaccine worked even in areas with poor sanitation, competing viruses, high infant death rates and mothers with AIDS. The results of trials on a rival Merck vaccine in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Vietnam are expected in the fall.
The recommendation “clears the way for vaccines that will protect children in the developing world from one of the most deadly diseases they face,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which paid for much of the research.
The next steps will not be cheap, Mr. Gates said recently. Even in poor countries, the vaccine costs about $20 and the vials must be refrigerated — no easy task in places lacking electricity.
More than 85 percent of those deaths are of poor children in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and the W.H.O. endorsement allows donor money to be used for the vaccine.
Rotavirus drops are already routine for babies in the United States. Without them, virtually all children are infected by age 3; most cases are mild, but some unpredictably turn life-threatening.
In countries with ambulances and hospitals, even unimmunized children with severe viral diarrhea can usually be saved with intravenous fluids. In poor countries, they often die.
The recommendation came after trials in South Africa and Malawi showing that a GlaxoSmithKline vaccine worked even in areas with poor sanitation, competing viruses, high infant death rates and mothers with AIDS. The results of trials on a rival Merck vaccine in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Vietnam are expected in the fall.
The recommendation “clears the way for vaccines that will protect children in the developing world from one of the most deadly diseases they face,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of global health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which paid for much of the research.
The next steps will not be cheap, Mr. Gates said recently. Even in poor countries, the vaccine costs about $20 and the vials must be refrigerated — no easy task in places lacking electricity.
Minister calls for food date labels to be made clearer to reduce food waste
Retailers are being urged to phase out the sell-by and best-before date labels on food in a bid to reduce the UK's growing mountain of food waste.
Consumers are throwing away thousands of tonnes of edible food every year – some of it not even opened – because they are confused and misled by the plethora of different labels, the government claims.
Environment and food secretary Hilary Benn said products should only carry a "use before" date because it is the only meaningful, and legally necessary, safety cut-off point.
Other labels such as "sell until", "sell by", "display until" or "best before" are often used by retailers for stock or quality control, and can cause confusion, he said.
In a speech today to a conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, Benn said: "When we buy food it should be easy to know how long we should keep it for and how we should store it. Too many of us are putting things in the bin simply because we're not sure, we're confused by the label, or we're just playing safe."
He said Britons were throwing away thousands of tonnes of food every year completely unnecessarily: "As part of our war on waste I want to improve the labels on our food so that when we buy a loaf of bread or a packet of cold meat, we know exactly how long it's safe to eat."
The Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs published separate figures revealing that 370,000 tonnes of food is thrown away each year in the UK after passing its "best before" date, 40,000 tonnes of which has not even been opened by consumers while it was still edible. Some 440,000 tonnes of food thrown is away every year after passing a "use by" date, but 220,000 tonnes is thrown away before reaching the "expiry date".
Only "use by" dates indicate a potential food safety concern, Defra said — but research has shown that "best before" — intended to be a mark of quality — is often mistaken for a safety warning. "Sell by" dates are used by retailers for stock control — but often end up confusing customers into throwing away perfectly good food.
Working together with retailers, the food industry, the Food Standards Agency and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), the government said it wanted to make labelling much clearer. "Sell by" and "display until" labels could be phased out altogether, or alternatively made less visible to consumers.
But the issue of food labelling is fraught with problems, with the food industry currently resisting government plans to introduce a voluntary system to display nutritional content.
Retailers said that scrapping "best before" labels would not reduce food waste, and said achieving better understanding of food date labels and improving food management at home would make more difference to reducing food waste.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium said: "Scrapping best-before dates won't reduce food waste. Customer education will. Date labels are there to help customers but they need to understand what they mean. Retailers are working with the government to improve understanding and to help customers make better choices about buying, storing and using food at home."
In a parallel move Benn said consumers could see a major overhaul of all packaging over the next decade. He unveiled the government's new packaging strategy, Making the most of packaging, which looks at the packaging of the future and what our shop shelves and kitchen cupboards should look like if we cut the amount of packaging produced, used and thrown away, and increase the amount recycled. Among the proposals, the use of refillable and reusable packaging could be expanded, so in the future customers could have the option of buying anything from laundry detergent to coffee by simply taking empty containers back to shops to be refilled.
Consumers are throwing away thousands of tonnes of edible food every year – some of it not even opened – because they are confused and misled by the plethora of different labels, the government claims.
Environment and food secretary Hilary Benn said products should only carry a "use before" date because it is the only meaningful, and legally necessary, safety cut-off point.
Other labels such as "sell until", "sell by", "display until" or "best before" are often used by retailers for stock or quality control, and can cause confusion, he said.
In a speech today to a conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, Benn said: "When we buy food it should be easy to know how long we should keep it for and how we should store it. Too many of us are putting things in the bin simply because we're not sure, we're confused by the label, or we're just playing safe."
He said Britons were throwing away thousands of tonnes of food every year completely unnecessarily: "As part of our war on waste I want to improve the labels on our food so that when we buy a loaf of bread or a packet of cold meat, we know exactly how long it's safe to eat."
The Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs published separate figures revealing that 370,000 tonnes of food is thrown away each year in the UK after passing its "best before" date, 40,000 tonnes of which has not even been opened by consumers while it was still edible. Some 440,000 tonnes of food thrown is away every year after passing a "use by" date, but 220,000 tonnes is thrown away before reaching the "expiry date".
Only "use by" dates indicate a potential food safety concern, Defra said — but research has shown that "best before" — intended to be a mark of quality — is often mistaken for a safety warning. "Sell by" dates are used by retailers for stock control — but often end up confusing customers into throwing away perfectly good food.
Working together with retailers, the food industry, the Food Standards Agency and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), the government said it wanted to make labelling much clearer. "Sell by" and "display until" labels could be phased out altogether, or alternatively made less visible to consumers.
But the issue of food labelling is fraught with problems, with the food industry currently resisting government plans to introduce a voluntary system to display nutritional content.
Retailers said that scrapping "best before" labels would not reduce food waste, and said achieving better understanding of food date labels and improving food management at home would make more difference to reducing food waste.
Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium said: "Scrapping best-before dates won't reduce food waste. Customer education will. Date labels are there to help customers but they need to understand what they mean. Retailers are working with the government to improve understanding and to help customers make better choices about buying, storing and using food at home."
In a parallel move Benn said consumers could see a major overhaul of all packaging over the next decade. He unveiled the government's new packaging strategy, Making the most of packaging, which looks at the packaging of the future and what our shop shelves and kitchen cupboards should look like if we cut the amount of packaging produced, used and thrown away, and increase the amount recycled. Among the proposals, the use of refillable and reusable packaging could be expanded, so in the future customers could have the option of buying anything from laundry detergent to coffee by simply taking empty containers back to shops to be refilled.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)