Town Hall News

(Reuters) – UnitedHealth Group Inc said on Wednesday its insurance unit will reduce the use of prior authorization process by 20% for some non-urgent surgeries and procedures. Under this process, Healthcare providers get coverage approval for certain non-emergency procedures. The reductions will begin in the third quarter and will continue through the rest of the year for most commercial and Medicare Advantage as well as Medicaid businesses. The company will […]

By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) – A Russian father who went on the run to avoid being sent to a penal colony after his daughter drew an anti-war picture at school was criticised by the Kremlin on Wednesday, but defended by the powerful head of the Wagner mercenary group. The case of Alexei Moskalyov, who came under police investigation last year over the anti-war picture drawn by his daughter Masha, has […]

By Chris Prentice and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged cryptocurrency trading platform Beaxy.com and several executives and related entities for failures to register, the agency said on Wednesday, the latest in a wave of enforcement activity targeting the crypto industry. Given the variety of roles Beaxy played in the marketplace, the company violated U.S. law by failing to register with the […]

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – An object found close to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea appeared to be a maritime buoy and does not pose a safety risk, the Danish Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The object, which was retrieved on Tuesday by the Danish navy, was discovered during an inspection of the last remaining intact pipeline by Swiss-based operator Nord Stream 2 AG. “Investigations indicate that […]

By Olena Harmash KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol deep behind the front line on Wednesday amid growing talk from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian forces worn out by a failed winter offensive. Unverified images on the internet showed explosions lighting up the night sky with streaks of contrails in Melitopol, base of the Russian-controlled administration in Zaporizhzhia, […]

By Johann M Cherian (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index extended gains on Wednesday, helped by energy stocks, while discount store chain Dollarama advanced after posting quarterly revenue above estimates. Dollarama Inc rose 1.2% and hit a two-month high after the discount store chain also reported a surge in same-store sales. The consumer discretionary sector index, housing the stock, added 0.9%. At 10:25 a.m. ET (1425 GMT), the Toronto Stock […]

PODGORICA (Reuters) – South Korea and the U.S. are seeking the extradition of Do Kwon, an international fugitive accused of a multibillion-dollar fraud, and another suspect arrested in Montenegro last week, the Montenegrin Justice Minister Marko Kovac said on Wednesday. Do Kwon, a South Korean national, is a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022 and […]

BAKU (Reuters) -Azerbaijan’s State Security Service said on Wednesday that it was investigating “a terror attack” after a lawmaker with strong anti-Iranian views was shot and wounded at his home. Fazil Mustafa, a member of parliament, was hospitalised after receiving wounds to his shoulder and thigh when he was shot with a Kalashnikov assault rifle on Tuesday night, the security agency said in a statement. His life was not at […]

LONDON (Reuters) -Mining group BHP Group is seeking to delay a potential 36 billion pound ($44 billion) London lawsuit over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster as it needs more time to prepare, the company’s lawyers said on Wednesday. The world’s biggest miner by market value is being sued by around 720,000 Brazilians over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao dam, owned by the Samarco joint venture it holds with Brazilian iron […]