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The Sun
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Philippines deepens regional ties with Vietnam, Laos through expanded partnerships
KUALA LUMPUR: The Philippines is strengthening regional ties with Vietnam and Laos, as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held separate bilateral meetings with their leaders on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia on Monday, Philippines News Agency (PNA) reported. In his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Marcos said the two countries are discussing the possibility of elevating their strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership. 'Our ministers are in discussion on the possibility of elevating the strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership. I believe there are already productive conversations between our two countries,' Marcos said, as quoted in a Malacanang news release. Pham acknowledged the progress in bilateral relations since Marcos' state visit to Vietnam in January 2024 and expressed hope that the partnership can be further elevated. Both leaders also discussed enhanced cooperation in trade, agriculture, food security, tourism, education, and cultural exchanges. Marcos extended his condolences over the recent passing of former Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong. In a separate bilateral meeting, Marcos and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation as the Philippines and Laos mark 70 years of diplomatic relations. The two leaders identified key sectors for deeper collaboration, including trade, education, defense, digital innovation, agriculture, skills development and tourism. Marcos also underscored the potential of expanding trade ties, noting Laos' rapid economic growth. Trade between the two countries has nearly doubled, from US$7 million in 2019 to approximately US$13.72 million in 2024. He raised the idea of establishing direct flights between Manila and Vientiane to further boost tourism and connectivity. Siphandone commended the Filipino community in Laos -- over 2,000 strong -- for their contributions in education, research and architecture. He also thanked the Philippine government for supporting Lao ministries through scholarships and language training. He welcomed increased Filipino investments in Laos' priority sectors, including clean energy, advanced technology, health services, and infrastructure. Siphandone extended a formal invitation for Marcos to undertake a state visit to Laos, signalling a forward-looking agenda for broader cooperation in the years ahead.
Euronews
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Arab leaders reiterate push for Gaza ceasefire at Baghdad summit
Arab leaders gathered in Baghdad on Saturday for the annual Arab League Summit, where they announced they were working on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and vowed to contribute to the enclave's reconstruction. The summit in the Iraqi capital was attended by Arab leaders including Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also attended as a guest, as did UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The Spanish prime minister, who in a speech to the Spanis parliament on Wednesday called Israel a "genocidal state", urged the international community to apply pressure on Israel "to halt the massacre in Gaza." Guterres called for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza and the flow of aid into the territory, which has been under a total blockade by Israel for more than two months. He also said the UN rejects any "forced displacement" of Palestinians. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for allowing aid to flow back into Gaza, which has been under a total blockade by Israel since early March. "This genocide has reached levels of ugliness not seen in all conflicts throughout history," he said, adding that Iraq will work on setting up an Arab fund for the region's reconstructionom which his country will pay $20 million for Gaza and a roughly similar amount for Lebanon. Egypt's el-Sissi said that his country was coordinating with Qatar and the US in "exerting intense efforts to reach a ceasefire", and that Egypt plans to hold an international conference for the Gaza's reconstruction "once the aggression stops". Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is leader of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank and holds no authority over Hamas in Gaza, urged the militant group to hand over its weapons to the PNA. A notable absentee was new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who sent his foreign minister instead. Iraqi Shiite militias and political factions wary of al-Sharaa's past as a Sunni militant pushed back against his invitation to the summit. Al-Sharaa did nevertheless meet US President Donald Trump earlier in the week, who promised to remove US-imposed sanctions on Syria. The day before the summit took place, Israel announced the launching of a new announced a new phase in its Gaza offensive called "Gideon's Chariots", under which the IDF said it was "conducting extensive strikes and mobilising troops to achieve operational control in the areas of Gaza." The UN Secretary-General responded to the news by saying he was "alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more." Separate to Israel's announcement of an expanded offensive, Euronews revealed the existence of documents dated December 2023 which revealed that creating a new entity in Gaza "the day after" a defeat of Hamas is one of the proposals the Israeli government has on the table. The meeting in Baghdad was the 34th Arab League Summit, where Arab leaders gather to address regional matters. The League was formed in 1945 and currently comprises of 22 members.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fresno hospital kickback scheme was fueled by wine, cigars and Vegas strip clubs
In the Spotlight is a Fresno Bee series that digs into the high-profile local issues that readers care most about. Story idea? Email tips@ One of the most brazen — and costliest — hospital kickback schemes involving the region's largest hospital group took place inside a nondescript, palm tree-lined medical plaza in north Fresno. That's where a healthcare technology company founded with money from Community Regional Medical Center built an exclusive wine and cigar lounge, complete with private humidor lockers for cigar storage, a state-of-the-art smoke ventilation system, and luxury wines and liquors valued at about $1 million. Only a select few executives and physicians had access to the office-turned-lounge near First Street and Alluvial Avenue, known as 'HQ2.' It was a place where doctors, healthcare executives and physician group leaders were generously rewarded for using the company's electronic health record system and fraudulently referring patients in violation of several federal laws, according to a 2019 unsealed federal whistleblower lawsuit. The alleged conspirators planned to build a grander 'ranch' luxury retreat using funds generated from the kickback scheme, according to the complaint, which was unsealed Wednesday. The scheme came to light only after a 2017 building fire at the medical plaza revealed a cache of a thousand bottles of wine,arousing suspicions from the whistleblower, an accountant, of improper spending. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that Community Health System and healthcare technology affiliate Physician Network Advantage Inc. (PNA) have agreed to pay $31 million to the federal government to settle allegations that it violated the False Claim Act. Community Health System (CHS), Fresno's largest healthcare group, owns downtown Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center and the Clovis Community Medical Center, as well as a health plan and physician network. Community Medical Centers (CMC) is the name of the group that includes the hospitals and clinics under the CHS umbrella. PNA is a health care technology business founded and funded by CMC to support Fresno-area physicians' adoption of the electronic health records platform used by Community, according to federal prosecutors. PNA's CEO Chris Roggenstein is a 'longtime friend' of former CHS CEO Craig Castro, according to the lawsuit. At the heart of the complaint is a scheme that PNA provided lavish benefits to doctors and physician group executives in exchange for enrolling in CMC's electronic health record technology known as 'Epic EHR.' The lawsuit also alleges physicians and medical groups who joined the network made fraudulent referrals to CMC facilities in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The kickback scheme involves several major players in Fresno's medical system, from hospital executives to medical records companies to some of the largest physician groups in the Central Valley. Some of the 17 luxury gifts, trips and donations listed in the lawsuit included: A trip to Paris, France for Castro and his family totaling approximately $63,000. A private plane for Timothy Joslin, former CEO of CRMC, to go to Las Vegas. Strip clubs and meals for CMC executives and physicians during a Las Vegas medical conference in January 2016. A $9,400 trip to Spain for Scott Wells, president of Santé Health and Santé Foundation, as well as Joyce Fields-Keene CEO of Central California Faculty Medical Group, or CCFMG (now known as Inspire Health Medical Group). 'The whistleblower lawsuit makes claims regarding personal choices that don't reflect our high standards as a non-profit health system, or the values of our current leadership team and board. And a number of elements in the 2019 lawsuit reflect either inaccurate or incomplete information,' said Michelle Von Tersch, senior vice president and chief of staff for CHS. In a statement, PNA said it cooperated with the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento in its review of Community Health System's electronic medical records program that began nearly 15 years ago. 'The settlement brings this matter to a conclusion without any determination or admission of legal liability for PNA,' the statement said. Thirty-five doctors were known to have received payment from CHS, according to the settlement agreement. According to the complaint, CMC embarked on the seven-year, $75 million quality improvement initiative in or around 2010 to replace their business and clinical data system with new technology — the Epic EHR system. CHS Board Chair Roger Sturdevant said that, in 2009, the federal government directed the healthcare industry to transition to electronic health records, which CHS did to provide patients with a 'robust, consistent, and secure electronic health records system.' 'However, it is clear we needed stronger oversight measures to assure that both Community and our vendor partner maintained appropriate compliance at all times.' Sturdevant told The Bee in a statement. 'While we are confident that physician referrals were driven by Community Health System's position as a leading provider of hospital-based and specialty services, we recognize that even the appearance of inappropriate incentives must be addressed.' In 2010, Physician Network Alliance, Inc. was formed with the sole purpose and business function of expanding defendant CMC's Epic EHR network of Fresno area medical practices — and to shelter the illegal kickback payments and elaborate gifts, the lawsuit says. According to the complaint, as early as 2011 CMC and PNA started giving kickbacks to Fresno-area physicians in the form of cash, expensive wine, strip-clubs, trips with private planes, and free or heavily discounted access to the Epic EHR software. PNA would bring in physicians and doctors groups into the network, all of which were subject to approval by CMC. In or around 2014 and 2015, CMC and PNA changed their building model so that PNA could retain some of the money received from the physician group, licensing fees and other monthly fees for maintenance and support of the Epic EHR system. Defendant PNA was able to retain a cash surplus from the Epic EHR client fees, so PNA began to use the excess cash for extra gifts and travel for CMC executives and CMC network physicians, such as the European and Vegas trips. PNA allegedly provided jobs to family members of CMC executives at the request of CMC. The HQ2 cigar lounge was constructed sometime after 2014 with an estimated $1.1 million of CMC funds, the complaint said. Michael Terpening, the former controller for PNA, discovered the 'illegal activity' after a fire at PNA's headquarters in 2017, in which 40 to 50 boxes of wine — totaling 1,000 bottles — were found in a storage room. When Terpening approached his boss Roggenstein about the wine, he was told it was 'leftover from the holiday party.' Terpening and his attorney could not be reached for comment. Discovery of the wine surplus led Terpening to become suspicious of other large expenditures submitted as deductible 'business expenses' for PNA, the complaint said. But, according to the complaint, Roggenstein ignored Terpening's advice to cease the illegal activity, and instead 'redoubled his criminal efforts.' Roggenstein and CMC had plans to build out the 'HQ Ranch,' a luxury retreat for CMC executives and physician practices that would include a cigar and wine lounge 'large and grander in scale than HQ2,' a skeet shooting range and a small off-road vehicle course. 'Once he realized that neither Defendant Mr. Roggenstein, Defendant PNA, nor Defendant CMC had any intention of remedying the above conduct, and in an effort to quit the illegal conspiracy, Mr. Terpening resigned from his position as a Controller for Defendant PNA,' the complaint said. The lawsuit alleged the defendants violated three federal laws through its kickback scheme: the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act and the Stark Law. The Anti-Kickback Statute makes it a crime to knowingly and willingly offer, pay, solicit or receive any remuneration to induce a person to refer to an individual for the furnishing of any item or service covered under federal healthcare program. Claims submitted knowingly and in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute constitute a 'false or fraudulent' claim under the False Claims Act, according to the lawsuit. The Stark Law prohibits a physician or medical provider from referring Medicare patients for certain services to an entity with which a physician's immediate family has a financial relationship. The 2019 complaint lists several defendants, including: Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center; Physician Network Advantage, Inc.; Santé Health System; Santé Health Foundation; Berj Apkarian; Craig Castro; Central California Faculty Medical Group; Timothy Joslin; Michael Muruyama; Grant Nakamura; Patrick Rafferty; Christopher Roggenstein; and Michael Synn. On Tuesday, summons were issued to the defendants. In court filings, the U.S. The Attorney's Office said it chose not to intervene at this time given the settlement with defendants Santé Health System, Inc., Santé Health Foundation, Central California Faculty Medical Group, Grant Nakamura and Michael Synn. But it has left open the possibility that it may take action pending further investigation. A scheduling conference is set for Aug. 21 at 11:30 am in the Yosemite Federal Courthouse with Magistrate Judge Helena M. Barch-Kuchta.
Saba Yemen
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Zionist enemy continue aggression on Tulkarm for 109th day
Tulkarm - (Saba): The Zionist enemy forces continue their aggression on Tulkarem city and its camp for the 109th consecutive day, while it continues for the 96th day on Nour Shams camp, amid field escalation and demolition of houses. The Palestinian News Agency (PNA) said that the enemy forces continued this morning their field escalation in Nour Shams camp, east of the city, which was represented by the continued demolition of residential buildings in the vicinity of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque in the centre of the camp. According to local estimates, the number of buildings demolished by occupation bulldozers during the past week reached 20 buildings with apartments, in addition to the demolition of other houses, whose residents evacuated after receiving prior coordination, and were forcibly displaced during the ongoing aggression. The demolitions were concentrated in the neighbourhoods of: As part of the occupation plan to demolish 106 houses and residential buildings in Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps, tension still prevails in the camp, amid anticipation of a new wave of demolitions, after they were forcibly displaced from their homes, and a suffocating siege was imposed on the camp. In a related context, the enemy forces continue to push military vehicles around the clock towards the city and its two camps, roaming the main streets, honking their horns in a provocative manner, deliberately passing against the direction of traffic, and obstructing the movement of citizens and vehicles. Meanwhile, the Zionist enemy continues to seize houses and residential buildings in Nablus Street and the adjacent northern neighbourhood, turning them into military barracks, after forcing the residents to evacuate, while military vehicles continue to be stationed in the area, knowing that some of these buildings have been under the control of the occupation for more than two months. The Zionist aggression and its continuous escalation on Tulkarem city and its camp resulted in the martyrdom of 13 citizens, including a child and two women, one of whom is eight months pregnant, in addition to wounding and arresting dozens, and causing extensive destruction of infrastructure, houses, shops and vehicles that were completely and partially demolished, burned, sabotaged, looted and stolen. The aggression also caused the forced displacement of more than 4,200 families from Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, comprising more than 25,000 citizens, and the destruction of more than 400 houses completely and 2,573 partially, in addition to closing their entrances and alleys with earth mounds, turning them into isolated areas devoid of life. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Saba Yemen
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Zionist Enemy Forces storm city of Al-Bireh for third time since dawn today
Ramallah - Saba: The Zionist Enemy Forces stormed the city of Al-Bireh for the third time since dawn today. Security sources told the Palestinian News Agency (PNA) that an enemy army force stormed the Umm al-Sharait neighbourhood in Al-Bireh, which led to clashes, without any reports of injuries. The Zionist enemy forces stormed the city twice, twice, at dawn and morning, and marched their military vehicles through its streets, and arrested the two young men Nour Mohammed Rayhan and Ahmed Shahit after raiding their homes in Al-Amari refugee camp, and demolished the memorial of the martyrs Imad and Adel Awadallah, in addition to demolishing the memorial of the martyrs Imad and Adel Awadallah. Whatsapp Telegram Email
