ASIA WELLNESS FOR PEACE: Healthplex & Nutraceutical China (HNC) in Shanghai set on June 24-26

Visit this site to register: http://www.sys-con.com/node/3271003. HNC 2014 was a big success. However, in 2015, the exhibition will rise to an even higher level of quality. The event's display area has been increased by 50%, and currently two-thirds of the stands have been sold. This annual gathering for professionals from the global health industry aims to benefit attending visitors who are trying to nurture health business in China. At HNC 2015, you will build relationships, learn about current market trends and find new business opportunities. Being the most international health expo in China, HNC has welcomed 11,349 international visitors and featured 112 international exhibitors from the USA, UK, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Korea and Brazil in 2014. Lots of exhibitors have already confirmed that they will be coming back in 2015, and some new companies have chosen to showcase their products and services through HNC. So far, Dupont, Gelita, TCI, Tongrentang, Tasly, Nutribiotech, Robinson, Contract Pharmacal Corp., Jamieson and other leading companies from the global health industry have all confirmed that they will be participating this year. The organizer believes that more companies will join in the next few months and attend this annual party for the Asian health industry in Shanghai, China, this June.

AFRICA WELLNESS FOR PEACE: Improvements in agriculture, health, education and banking thru Gates Foundation

Bill and Melinda Gates have outlined their vision of what the world will look like 15 years from now, and it is confidently optimistic: The number of children dying before the age of 5 will be cut in half; polio, guinea worm and river blindness will be wiped off the face of the Earth; and the African continent will be able to feed itself. For the Gateses, the answer is science. They believe that African farmers could theoretically double their yields using new types of fertilizers and better seeds. On banking, Melinda Gates said mobile finance is important not only for economic reasons but also for health ones. She said the foundation will put a special emphasis on making sure mobile phones reach women. “It’s so important because if they get an extra dollar in their hands they are 90 percent more likely to plow it back into the health of their families. They are the ones often dealing with the health shocks if the child gets malaria or otherwise gets sick,” she said.

OCEANIA WELLNESS FOR PEACE: Basketball boosts management capacity in Oceania

The Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) in Oceania in partnership with the Oceania Sports Education Program (OSEP) is enhancing the management and administrative capacity of selected Basketball Federations in the Oceania Region through a Management in Sports Organization (MiSO) workshop. The MiSO workshop is being held at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi from January 20-23 and was opened by FIBA Central board member, FIBA Oceania board member and Chair of Basketball Australia, Mr Scott Derwin. Involving nine Basketball Federation representatives from Vanuatu, Kiribati, Solomon Island and Fiji, participants will develop action plans that will enable them to enhance the quality of services provided by the National Federations. Ned Taito, the Vice President for Basketball Fiji said that the workshop has enabled participants to identify gaps in their service delivery and provides them with the necessary tools to overcome these shortfalls in Basketball Fiji governance, structure and finance. President of Solomon Islands Basketball Federation Brian Pongotapu also echoed the same sentiments. He said that the National Olympic Committees within the Oceania Region do need to accept this training to improve governance compliance and better administrate and support the sporting federations. FIBA Head of Basketball for Development Oceania, Jo Ferris is grateful that the federations are gaining much from the workshop and for the level of input from all of the participants involved. The workshop is being run as part of FIBA in Oceania’s Hoops for Health program that is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs through its Pacific Sports Partnership Program. Hoops for Health promotes participation in basketball to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the Pacific.http://www.solomonstarnews.com/sports/regional/5719-basketball-boosts-management-capacity-in-oceania

NORTH AMERICA WELLNESS FOR PEACE: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, the weight loss trend for Americans!

Eating smaller portions is the strategy for 49% of North Americans, followed closely by eating fewer processed foods, at 46%. We’re number-one in that category: cutting back on processed foods happens more in North America than in any other region in the world. Diet programs are at the bottom of how we change what’s on our plate. Only 9% of North Americans used Weight Watchers or other slimming programs, Nielsen reports. Researchers for the Nielsen Global Health & Wellness Survey found that when people in North America commit to changing their diet for weight loss, the most popular way to do it is now to add in more natural, fresh foods. About 60% of people in North America say that’s the diet tweak they’re doing—a major departure from the traditional notion of dieting-as-deprivation. And though it’s still a very popular method for weight loss, cutting fat is even falling out of favor. http://time.com/3674453/diet-weight-loss/

SOUTH AMERICA WELLNESS FOR PEACE: Telestroke Technology useful in Miami, Brazil, Peru

What Is Telestroke? Telestroke technology can provide improved stroke care to patients in underserved areas. Telestroke is the use of telemedicine specifically for stroke care. Telemedicine is the use of electronic communication methods, such as telephone, Internet, and videoconferencing, to exchange medical information from one geographic site to another.35The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) recommends the use of telemedicine, or telestroke, to improve stroke care in rural, remote, or underserved areas. Source: http://www.activase.com/telestroke/what-is-telestroke With pilots and operating services in Miami, Brazil, Peru and Iraq, to name a few, STS has shown that the University of Miami can install remote clinics and spread its top-tier trauma center throughout the world. Their focus at present is telestroke, with an estimated hundreds of millions in cost-savings and lives saved. As services like theirs continue to grow, and incorporate the IP and innovation from around the Miami, culturally appropriate and specific opportunities in Latin America are limitless. Given the geographic proximity and ease of telehealth services, Jim O’Connell, Director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Miami believes, “It would seem that the University of Miami is poised to influence every Latin American capital as an extension of our entrepreneurs, scientists, residents and medical students.” And this is exactly what Orlando and Rosalina Vallone intend to do with their telehealth company Specialty Telehealth Services (STS). In addition to the pharma companies and biotech tenants in the UMLSTP building, STS has emerged as a shining example of what is possible when the geography of care changes with telehealth. http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2015/01/24/could-cultural-diversity-be-the-key-to-miamis-life-science-boom/

EUROPE WELLNESS FOR PEACE: France has the best health care in Europe!

France has the best health care in Europe, according to research from independent survey centre Numbeo. France topped the European rankings scoring with 82.58. Macedonia scored at the bottom with 35.12. The United Kingdom scored 73.88, making it the 12-ranked country on the list. British healthcare is ahead of Spain's, Switzerland's, and Finland's health systems, but lags behind Turkey and Cyprus, among other countries. According to the BBC, reform in Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has become a major focus ahead of this year's general election. A report published on Oct. 23 warned that the health service in England could face a £30 billion annual shortfall by 2020. Worldwide, Japan had the best score with 87.07. Bahrain and Taiwan precede France on the global ranking. http://www.businessinsider.in/RANKED-The-Best-Health-Care-In-Europe/articleshow/45994968.cms

On Climate Change Talks, Pope Francis advised to make "courageous" decisions to protect God's creation

"I think we have exploited nature too much," Francis said, citing deforestation and monoculture. "Thanks be to God that today there are voices, so many people who are speaking out about it." Francis, who pledged on the day of his installation as pope to make the environment a priority, said he expected his encyclical on ecology to be released by June or July. He said he wanted it out in plenty of time to be read and absorbed before the next round of climate change negotiations opens in Paris in November after the last round in Peru failed to reach an agreement. "The meetings in Peru were nothing much, I was disappointed," he said. "There was a lack of courage. They stopped at a certain point. We hope that in Paris the representatives have more courage to go forward." Source: http://www.philstar.com/world/2015/01/15/1413449/update-pope-climate-change-man-has-slapped-nature-face