Articles by Jonathan Stempel

Walgreens Paying $106.8 Million to Settle Prescription Billing Fraud Charges

Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $106.8 million to settle charges it fraudulently billed the U.S. government for prescriptions that were never dispensed, the Department of Justice said on Friday. The Justice Department said Walgreens violated the federal False Claims …

Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Is Rip-Off of 2009 Film, Lawsuit Says

Netflix Inc. was accused by an Indian filmmaker of copying his 2009 movie for its popular Squid Game series as the company prepares to release the second season of the show later this year. The filmmaker, Soham Shah, sued Netflix …

A Continent Ablaze: South America Surpasses Record for Fires

South America is being ravaged by fire from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest through the world’s largest wetlands to dry forests in Bolivia, breaking a previous record for the number of blazes seen in a year up to Sept. 11. Satellite data …

Cooler Weather Helping Fight Large Southern California Wildfire

Cooler weather is aiding the fight against a large Southern California wildfire, one of three large fires in the region. The Bridge Fire exploded in size on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in the communities of Wrightwood and Pinion Hills. Authorities also …

Product Recall Trends: Navigating New Compounding Risks in 2024

The past quarter alone has been an active season for product recalls in the U.S. From April to June, 254.56 million product units were recalled across the automotive, consumer products, food and drink, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. That’s more …

Microsoft, Cyber Firms Pursue Changes After CrowdStrike Outage

Microsoft Corp. said it’s building an alternative for cybersecurity companies that now utilize the deepest layer of its operating system after a flawed update from CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. triggered a global IT meltdown. The Redmond, Washington-based technology giant announced Thursday …

Estimates Put U.S. Damage and Loss from Francine at $9B with $1.5B in Insured Losses

A preliminary estimate shows total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Francine in the U.S. is expected to be $9 billion. The storm effects are continuing to be felt, and some areas have yet to report complete information about damage, …

Sedgwick Announces Strategic Partnership With Altas Partners

Sedgwick added a new major investor. The global provider of claims management services this week announced an investment from North American private equity firm Altas Partners. Current investors, including funds managed by global investment firm Carlyle and by Stone Point …

Francine Knocks Out Power to Hundreds of Thousands in South

Francine knocked out power to more than 400,000 homes and businesses and canceled hundreds of flights across the US South after coming ashore as a hurricane. The storm has weakened to a tropical depression with winds of 35 miles (55 …

Carmakers Adjust Electrification Plans as EV Demand Slows

Several global automakers are scaling down their electrification targets, hurt by slowing demand for fully electric vehicles due to lack of affordable models, slow roll-out of charging points, growing trade tensions and increased competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. The global …