INSURANCE NEWS
Missouri Urgent Care Chain Settles for $9.1 Million Over False Claims for COVID-19 Testing
ST. LOUIS (AP) – One of the largest urgent care chains in Missouri will pay $9.1 million to settle allegations that the company submitted false claims for medical services, including COVID-19 testing. The U.S. Attorney`s office in St. Louis on …
Beyoncé`s Childhood Home in Texas Catches Fire on Christmas Morning
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) – Beyoncé’s childhood home caught fire early on Christmas morning, though the family living there escaped safely. The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. Monday and the Houston Fire Department arrived on the scene of the …
Mentally Disabled Indiana Man Wrongfully Convicted in Slaying Agrees to $11.7 Million Settlement
ELKHART, Ind. (AP) – A mentally disabled man who was wrongfully convicted in the slaying of a 94-year-old woman has reached an $11.7 million settlement with a northern Indiana city and former police officers, his attorneys said Friday. The settlement …
Microsoft, OpenAI Sued by New York Times for Copyright Infringement
The New York Times Co. sued Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI Inc. for the use of content to help develop artificial intelligence services, in a sign of the increasingly fraught relationship between the media and a technology that could upend the …
Avalanche Closed Alaska Highway, Cutting off Access
A large avalanche and blizzard conditions in southern Alaska cut off road access to much of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage. The avalanche hit the Seward Highway near the intersection of the Sterling Highway around 8 a.m. Sunday. The …
California Lawsuit Says Grocer Broke Law by Asking Job-Seekers About Criminal Histories
California sued the Ralphs supermarket chain, alleging that it violated state law by asking job-seekers whether they had criminal records and illegally rejecting hundreds of applicants. The California Civil Rights Department contends that Ralphs Grocery Co. “has ignored and continues …
Canada’s Fairfax Completes $860M Acquisition of Gulf Insurance Group from KIPCO
Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. announced it has completed the US$860 million acquisition of Gulf Insurance Group (GIG) from Kuwait Projects Co. (KIPCO) and certain of its affiliates. First announced in April 2023, the deal represents approximately 46.32% of the equity …
SPAC Mania’s Ugly End Yields $46 Billion of Investor Losses in 2023
Wall Street’s affair with blank-check firms, the finance fad that pushed companies onto the stock market during the COVID-19 pandemic, ended this year with a string of big bankruptcies and even bigger losses for shareholders. At least 21 firms that …
Gas Tanker’s Detour of 8,000 Kilometers Highlights Shipping’s Current Chokepoints
A gas tanker’s long, circuitous journey is highlighting the toll that war and climate change are taking on the shipping industry. Pacific Weihai loaded in Houston on Dec. 14 with a cargo of liquefied petroleum gas intended for Ningbo, China, …
French Climate Damage Measures Came Late but Were Sufficient, Court Rules
France’s moves to limit climate damage came late but were sufficient, a French court ruled on Friday, in a blow to attempts by environmental campaigners to impose a 1.1 billion euro ($1.21 billion) penalty on the state for alleged failings. …
Iranian-Linked Hacks Expose Vulnerabilities of US Water System
In late November, an Iranian-backed hacking group attacked Israeli-made digital controls commonly used in the water and wastewater industries in the US, affecting multiple organizations across several states. That same month, the North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies water …
Severe Storms Lash Australia’s East Coast, Killing 9 People
Nine people have died in Australia after severe storms lashed the nation’s east coast on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning there is a risk of more flash flooding even as the weather system moves …