WASHINGTON: Historic US health care reform legislation will have to return to the House of Representatives for a new vote after the Senate parliamentarian struck two minor provisions. The decision came as the US Senate met in a middle-of-the-night session to try to finish the bill, which would put the finishing touches on the sweeping healthcare overhaul signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin upheld two Republican challenges on points of order under budget reconciliation rules, Senate Democratic aides said, requiring another vote by the House. The points of order involved the revamp of the student loan program included in the package, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Under the reconciliation rules, each provision in the package must have a budgetary impact. The decision could set up another politically difficult vote in the House, which narrowly passed the overhaul and the companion bill of final changes to cap a year-long political struggle. “We are confident the House will quickly pass the bill with these minor changes,” said Kate Cyrul, a spokeswoman for Tom Harkin, Democratic chairman of the Senate Health Committee. The ruling came after Senate Democrats had managed to fend off 30 Republican amendments designed to derail the bill. The Senate’’s approval of even one of the amendments also would have sent the entire package back to the House for another vote, and Democratic senators vowed to prevent that. Republicans had met with the parliamentarian through the evening on Wednesday in hopes of finding language in the bill that could be challenged under budget reconciliation rules that require every provision have a budgetary impact. Those rules allow passage by a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the 60 needed to overcome procedural hurdles. The ruling means 16 lines will be stricken from the bill, but that is enough to require House action once again. The overhaul signed by Mr Obama represents the biggest changes to the US health system in four decades. It expands insurance coverage to 32 million Americans and imposes new regulations such as barring insurance companies from refusing to cover patients with pre-existing medical conditions.
Written on March 25, 2010 | Posted in
Health,
International,
News
HONG KONG: China faces a diabetes epidemic, a new report warned Thursday, with rising obesity levels and an ageing population helping to trigger a major public health problem. The study published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that more than 92 million men and women are living with diabetes in China, or almost one in 10 adults in the world’’s largest population. “Our results indicate that diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the general adult population in China,” the report said, adding that most cases remained undiagnosed. “Given its large population, China may bear a higher diabetes-related burden than any other country.” The report said another 148.2 million were considered to be pre-diabetic, or showing early symptoms of developing diabetes, a condition that could lead to cardiovascular disease, China’’s leading cause of death. It said that effects associated with rapid pace of growth and change in the world’’s third largest economy were a factor. “The ageing of the population, urbanisation, nutritional changes, and decreasing levels of physical activity, with a consequent epidemic of obesity, have probably contributed to the rapid increase” in levels of diabetes in China, the report said. The study was based on a sample of more than 46,000 adults aged 20 years or older from 14 provinces and municipalities, which the authors said was representative of the entire population. The report said 9.7 percent of the adult population, accounting for more than 50 million men and 42 million women, lived with diabetes while pre-diabetes affected 15.5 percent, or 76 million men and 72 million women. It urged that “public health measures should be undertaken to mitigate the consequences of new cases of diabetes.”
Written on March 25, 2010 | Posted in
Health,
International,
News
SAO PAULO: Ronaldinho’’s experience could have a calming effect on Brazil’’s youthful World Cup side if coach Dunga recalled the 30-year-old to the squad, Pele said. Three-times World Cup winner Pele said in an interview that he would pick Ronaldinho, who turned 30 on Sunday and has played at two finals, helping Brazil win their fifth title in 2002. The 69-year-old also said Lionel Messi needed a well-organised Argentina side in which to exhibit his brilliant Barcelona form, while England and Spain would be dangerous opponents at the June 11-July 11 tournament in South Africa. Pele praised Dunga’’s record but was concerned about a possible lack of World Cup experience among the players expected to be picked for the squad. “I think Brazil are on the right track but we have to be careful because the majority of the players have never played at a World Cup before, so there will be a lot of pressure and we must see how those players handle it,” Pele said. “If Ronaldinho keeps playing as he is now … I believe he would be a good component because he could help when the younger players feel the pressure.” Ronaldinho, who last played for Brazil last April, has been in good form for AC Milan this year but despite speculation about a return to the national team he appears out of Dunga’’s plans. Brazil and fellow favourites Spain could expect tough opposition from the likes of Argentina, despite their poor qualifying campaign. “Even (top) teams that are not in form like Argentina, who practically qualified in last place, we”ve got to respect them because they”re a country accustomed to playing the World Cup,” he said. “Another country that had not been doing well but who in this World Cup will be a difficult country to beat is England, who can take a very strong team (to South Africa). “They can reach the last four.” Pele identified Messi, Portugal’’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Robinho of Brazil as players with the potential to light up the World Cup. Messi, however, might be unable to reproduce the fantastic form he is showing at Spanish club Barcelona. “He’’s a great player, he’’s playing marvellously at Barcelona but when he goes to the national team he doesn”t play as well,” said Pele. “That is possibly because the national team doesn”t have the same group as Barcelona. “Then there’’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who’’s also a marvelous player, and Robinho, who has already improved quite a bit,” he added. Robinho, who has returned to Santos on loan from Manchester City, had a crowd-pleasing style while Brazil would also need Kaka to be in top form. “For the public, Robinho has a happier style that appeals to the fans,” he said. “Now, for the national team, it’’s very important that Kaka is in good shape.”
Written on March 24, 2010 | Posted in
Sports
KARACHI: Pakistan Steel were on the brink of a defeat against United Bank Limited (UBL) after being forced to follow on they were struggling at 94-4 i
Written on March 21, 2010 | Posted in
Sports
LONDON: Sir Alex Ferguson has fanned the flames ahead of Sunday’s (today’s) potentially explosive encounter between Manchester United and Liverpool by
Written on March 21, 2010 | Posted in
Sports
Happy New Year to every one, at-last, a year of sadness, a year of grievness, and a year of troubles has endned, its whole new year, so would it be better ? would it bring our old pakistan back – interm of peace.
So many questions popping up in my mind, and same would be with [...]
Written on January 1, 2010 | Posted in
unlmitie
Is it because we are moving towars un-law nation, or is it because we are becoming animals day by day, but the true fact is that sexual abuses ( child cases , mostly ) have become very common. In pakistan, news papers, blogs , websites never go missing a single day without child abuse case [...]
Written on September 3, 2009 | Posted in
News
I didn’t write for so long, i tried to write, but i couldn’t find one topic to write on. Because we only write if we think that it can bring some change or atleast have an effect. But I am sure, 17 caror nation is effect-free now. Anyways, according to new study by US RESEARCH [...]
Written on June 28, 2009 | Posted in
News
Pakistan beat Ireland by 39 runs and qualified for semifinal of T20 World cup, Congratulations to all pakistanis, whil
Pakistan 159/5 (20/20 ov)e West Indies beat England by five wickets in a rain-affected match at The Oval to seal their place in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20.
Ireland 120/9 (20.0/20 ov)
Fall of wickets 1-38 (Shahzaib Hasan, [...]
Written on June 15, 2009 | Posted in
T20 Worldcup 2009
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan ordered its army to go after the country’s top Taliban commander, a feared militant whose remote stronghold could prove a difficult test for troops but whose demise would be a major blow to the insurgencies here and in Afghanistan.
The announcement Sunday of the operation in South Waziristan, rumored for weeks, came hours [...]
Written on June 14, 2009 | Posted in
Politics,
Talibans
