Obama health drive faces critical vote
WASHINGTON (AFP) - – President Barack Obama's signature drive to remake US health care faced a critical Senate test vote Saturday, amid bitter 11th-hour debate and behind-the-scenes wrangling on a century-old policy feud.
Lawmakers were to vote at 8:00 pm (0100 GMT Sunday) on whether to formally take up White House-backed Democratic legislation estimated to extend coverage to some 31 million Americans who currently lack it.
The measure, which includes a government-backed insurance program to compete with private firms and restrictions on dropping care for pre-existing ailments, is estimated to cost 848 billion dollars through 2019 but cut the sky-high US budget deficit by 130 billion dollars over the same period.
If Democrats held together and rallied the 60 votes needed to ensure passage over united opposition from the 100-seat chamber's 40 Republicans, the Senate was due to take up the bill around November 30th for at least three weeks.
A successful vote after that would force the Senate and the House of Representatives, which passed its own version of the legislation November 7, to craft a compromise bill and vote again in order to send it to Obama.
Republicans, one of whom has vowed a "holy war" against the bill, hope to delay the battle into next year with the expectation that the 2010 midterm elections may make it harder for centrist Democrats to support the legislation.
As debate opened Saturday, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned against passing "this staggering spending program at a time when many would argue our international bankers, the Chinese, are lecturing us about debt."
Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid shot back that McConnell had unquestioningly backed spending hundreds of billions of dollars for the "war of choice" in Iraq under then-president George W. Bush.
Reid charged it was "beyond the pale" for McConnell "to lecture us now on debt when not only the war but the other actions of the Bush administration drove this country into deep debt."
The heated debate was unlikely to sway the most-watched wavering Democrats, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, whose vote was perhaps most in doubt because she faces a tough reelection campaign in 2010.
On Thursday, another swing-vote Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said he would vote with his party on Saturday while warning he might side with Republicans in subsequent fights.
The White House, which has wooed undecided Democrats, declared the legislation "a critical milestone" on Friday and warned "the nation cannot wait another year for health insurance reform."
After next week's Thanksgiving holiday break, Reid was speak to individual senators to "make sure they each have some peace of mind about what the bill does and can support it, and if they have a concern, address it," said the Democrats' chief Senate vote counter, Dick Durbin of Illinois.
The House of Representatives approved its own trillion-dollar version in a 220-215 squeaker only after winning over a platoon of centrist Democrats by toughening restrictions on federal funds subsidizing abortions.
The Senate version does not include that stricter language, and changes several other key provisions of what would be the most sweeping overhaul of its kind in four decades.
The United States is the world's richest nation but the only industrialized democracy that does not provide health care coverage to all of its citizens, with an estimated 36 million Americans uninsured. Related article: Women's health in political tug-of-war.
Several US presidents since Teddy Roosevelt in the early 1900s have sought to overcome the traditional US suspicion of a wider government role in health care.
Washington spends more than double what Britain, France, and Germany do per person on health care, but lags behind other countries in life expectancy and infant mortality, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Ming Yi sentenced to 10 months jail; his aide Raymond Yeung gets 9 months jail
SINGAPORE: The ex—CEO of Ren Ci Hospital, Ming Yi has been sentenced to ten months jail. A district court has also sentenced his former aide, 34—year—old Raymond Yeung to nine months’ imprisonment.
47—year—old Ming Yi, whose real name is Goh Kah Heng and Raymond Yeung were convicted last month of falsifying Ren Ci payment vouchers.
The pair was involved in an unauthorised loan of S$50,000 made in 2004 to the Mandala Buddhist Cultural Centre, a religious artefact shop managed by Yeung.
They were also convicted of giving false information to the Commissioner of Charities.
District Judge Toh Yung Cheong said Ming Yi had abused his authority and betrayed the trust given to him.
He said the money could have been used to help the poor and needy patients.
In mitigation, Ming Yi’s lawyer Senior Counsel Andre Yeap argued against a jail sentence.
He said the "tsunami—sized" shame Ming Yi endured because of the trial is punishment enough.
He said Ming Yi had helped a lot of people even risking his life when performing physical stunts to raise money for Ren Ci.
Moreover, he also did not personally profit from the loan to Yeung.
But the prosecution, DPP Jaswant Singh, said a tough stand is needed when charitable funds are misused.
Moreover, Yeung put the money to "frivolous" use to renovate a friend’s flat in Hong Kong.
Both Ming Yi and Yeung have filed an appeal.
Andre Yeap, Ming Yi’s lawyer, said: "We actually have ten days to file a notice of appeal against sentencing. But for administrative reasons, we were told we have to file a notice of appeal today, so that’s been filed. I believe Raymond has filed a notice of appeal also for the same reason."
Both Ming Yi and Yeung had filed an appeal against their conviction last month.
Both men are now out on bail. Ming Yi’s was set at S$450,000 while Yeung’s is S$200,000. — 938LIVE/vm
Magazine pays damages to Singapore leaders: lawyer
SINGAPORE (AFP) - – The Far Eastern Economic Review and its editor have paid over 400,000 Singapore dollars (290,000 US) to settle a defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, the magazine's lawyer said Wednesday.
"They have paid it yesterday," said Peter Low, who defended the Hong Kong-based publication and its editor Hugo Restall against the defamation suit filed by the premier and his father Lee Kuan Yew.
The two parties reached a settlement on the amount that FEER and Restall should pay the two Singapore leaders, said Low.
Court orders issued on November 13 to enforce the settlement showed the prime minister got 200,000 Singapore dollars in damages and 30,000 Singapore dollars in legal costs.
Lee Kuan Yew, 86, who now serves as a senior adviser in the cabinet, was to be paid 150,000 Singapore dollars in damages and 25,000 Singapore dollars in legal costs, the documents said.
The settlement was reached after the Court of Appeal last month upheld a 2008 decision finding the defendants guilty of defaming the Lees in a 2006 article based on an interview with Chee Soon Juan, an opposition party leader.
Dow Jones and Co., which owns the magazine, said in a statement that it disagreed with the verdict and denied any wrongdoing, but would settle the damages instead of prolonging the process.
"The Court casts significant doubt as to whether Singapore will ever recognise the fair and honest reporting privilege accorded to responsible journalism -- a privilege available in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries with diverse histories and cultures," Dow Jones said.
FEER, at its height one of Asia's most influential and respected publications, is to be shut down in December, one of a growing number of newspapers and magazines which have fallen victim to the Internet age.
The article at the heart of the case -- entitled "Singapore's 'Martyr', Chee Soon Juan" -- described the opposition Singapore Democratic Party secretary general's battle against the ruling People's Action Party and its leaders.
In the article, editor Restall also touched on the success of Singapore officials in libel suits against critics.
Singaporean leaders have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages from domestic critics and foreign publications.
They say the lawsuits are necessary to protect their reputations from unfounded attacks and dismiss criticism from human rights and media groups accusing Singapore of suppressing media freedom.
Singapore Press to buy shopping mall for $392 mln
SINGAPORE, Nov 17 - Singapore Press Holdings
The company said on Tuesday its subsidiary, CM Domain Pte Ltd, has received notification from the government's Housing Development Board that it won a tender for the purchase of Clementi Mall.
Jackie Chan is afraid of needles?
Despite his muscular built, Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan superstar admitted that he was afraid of needles, and revealed that his 3-day charity stint in Vietnam as a doctor's assistant was more tiring than martial arts!
Jackie was in Singapore last Saturday for his latest starring role - a charity ambassador of the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution (STCMI).
Known for his philantrophic efforts, Jackie was selected to be STCMI's charity ambassador by chairman Lim Guan Lee, through the help of Guan Weiqiang, boss of local pub "Easy 50". Last Saturday, the actor took out time to fly to Singapore to sign the agreement paper, as well as visit STCMI.
Needless to say, there were many fans receiving him when he arrived, young and old. The moment they saw him, the auntie fans kept on gushing about how their idol looks younger than he is on television. Also among the fans was a six-year-old boy, who was busy snapping photos of Jackie. When he was blocked, the boy lamented, "I want to see Jackie Chan! I've watched his movies and he knows real martial arts!" Indeed, the charm of this superstar knows no bounds.
At the press conference, Jackie said that he has been to Singapore quite a few times and is pretty familiar with our country. Through his good friend Guan Weiqiang's introduction of STCMI, he was won over by its history and mission and decided to accept the role of being its charity ambassador. With a laugh, he said that with endless offers of different roles and identities, he has no choice but to accept them.
Since he stopped filming 11 days ago, Jackie has been going around doing charitable work. He revealed that four days ago, while in doing charity in Vietnam, he was an assistant to a doctor. Jackie said that he witnessed how the doctor operated on a girl with cleft lip and his respect for doctors and nurses grew after watching the whole process. "In just one hour, my whole body was already aching! It was more draining than doing martial arts!" he exclaimed.
While it seems like daredevil stuntman Jackie Chan is afraid of nothing, he revealed that his Achilles' heel was needles! He admitted that being a doctor's assistant once was enough as it was more than he could handle.
"I'm afraid that I will faint! I am very scared of needles, so every time I go for an injection, I will get dizzy. Some people will throw up and faint when they witness such an operation. While I said that I would not, I was really having a hard time controlling myself."
Not forgetting his newly-found role as a charity ambassador, Jackie took this opportunity to ask the media give more coverage to charity events. "This way, people will know how to go about helping others! What has reports like Andy Lau's marriage or who am I dining with got to do with society?"
Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution sets its sight on raising 3.5 million and hopes that Wakin Chau will attend the event
Founded in 1867, the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution (STCMI) will be collaborating MediaCorp's Channel 8 to organize a live charity show next year on March 21. Although Jackie will start filming another movie in the same month, he has promised to do his part for the event and even said that he will gather his artiste friends to help out. One of the artistes that STCMI hopes to grace the event is Hong Kong actor-singer Wakin Chau. Unfortunately, due to scheduling problems, he is unable to confirm whether he can turn up.
Chairman Lim Guan Lee said that the reason they decided to organise a charity show was to raise more funds to renovate their 33-year-old building and add more medical facilities.
STCMI is setting its sights high on raising 3.5 million. Ambassador Jackie Chan said that this figure will not be impossible to reach if every Singaporean donates $1 or even just $0.50.
One question raised by a reporter was if the target was not reached, will Jackie donate the rest? Amongst laughter, Jackie's cheery response was, "I'm already used to donating money." During the interview, Jackie also expressed confidence on Singaporean's take towards charity.
Jackie Chan left Singapore two days ago and will be heading to Thailand, Cambodia and Shandong, China to continue doing his part for charity.
