fortune gems win Polls close in Ghana's general election overshadowed by worst economic crisis in a generationINDIANAPOLIS — One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy. “To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services,” the statement said. “The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.” Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used “physician work time values,” which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it’s unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to “reverse the proposal immediately,” saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It’s not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado. People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the “nuanced, unpredictable human element” of surgery and was a clear “money grab.” “It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care,” he said. “If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses.” Prior to Anthem’s announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the “concerning” policy wouldn’t affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. To remove this article -The Shadow of France: Orange Telecom's Controversial Grip on the Central African Republic

Misl Satluj: Address SAD’s crisis

With his career in provincial politics now definitively over, incoming RM of Corman Park reeve Joe Hargrave says he is eager to utilize his experience and provincial connections to serve the municipality. “I’m looking forward to getting down to the job and working with the new council for the betterment of Corman Park,” said Hargrave. “This is a great RM. It’s a great, diverse community.” Back in May, Hargrave announced he would not be seeking re-election as the MLA for Prince Albert-Carlton, a role in which he had served for roughly eight years. Upon his election, he was quickly named to the Executive Council of Saskatchewan as the Minister of Crown Corporations, though he also oversaw SGI, the Saskatchewan Transportation Company and served as the Minister of Highways. In interviews with other media, Hargrave indicated his age and a desire to spend more time with family as his reasons for not seeking re-election. So why, then, put his name forward as reeve of Corman Park? Hargrave said he believes firmly that in order to make a difference, one has to be involved, and the position of reeve is one where “I think I can bring my experience to help.” He said he was also approached by a number of people about stepping into the role, including Saskatoon mayor Charlie Clark. While the Oct. 28 election did bring a lot of changes to the Legislature, such as reducing the Saskatchewan Party’s majority to 34 seats, Hargrave said he always got along with both sides of the aisle, noting that NDP leader Carla Beck had been his critic for most of his time as Minister. “She and I worked collaboratively on a number of things,” he said. While his connections don’t necessarily translate into favours, Hargrave said it helps to know all the players and how to converse with them. “I know who you are, and it’s just a little easier to have a conversation with the right person,” he said. Hargrave was acclaimed as reeve, which he admitted came as a bit of a surprise. However, after speaking to some of the people he believed were going to run, they stated his experience would be the most beneficial to the RM. When asked about the challenges facing Corman Park, Hargrave said it mostly relates to growth and how best to manage it. “We’ve just got to make sure it’s all done properly. And that’s sort of my goal: to make sure that council works as one for the benefit of the whole RM, not just each individual division.” Hargrave acknowledged he has already been approached by a number of individuals and groups with issues they would like to see addressed, but as he’s tried to point out, he isn’t actually the reeve until he’s sworn in. As such, until he’s actually had a chance to sit down and review some of the information that he wouldn’t be privy to as a member of the public, “I can’t have many answers to a lot of those questions that the people were asking,” he said. “I’m still new. I’m figuring things out.”

The number of municipal councillors rejecting the use of the notwithstanding clause to clear encampments has increased, boosting them to form a coalition as a call to action on National Housing Day. Currently, 72 elected municipal leaders have formed a group to stand up “for foundational democratic principles and advocating for transparent, accountable governance,” stated a Friday release, and have rereleased its letter against 15 mayors calling for use of the clause. Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett and Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie are among the group asking Premier Doug Ford to implement the notwithstanding clause when it comes to clearing encampments in cities. Cambridge council’s vote to back the notwithstanding clause was 6-3, with councillors Scott Hamilton, Ross Earnshaw and Sheri Roberts against. Besides Earnshaw, Hamilton and Roberts joining the coalition, regional councillors Rob Deutschmann, Pam Wolf, Doug Craig, Chantal Huinink and Colleen James, and Kitchener councillors Debbie Chapman and Kari Williams are involved. “History shows us time and time again that it’s an incredibly slippery slope for politicians to remove the rights of any Canadian citizen in order to suit a political goal or objective — especially when persons losing their rights are part of the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of our society,” Hamilton said in the release. “I personally feel that invoking the notwithstanding clause is not the route to take, and we, as a city, province, and country, should not go down this dangerous path and open this Pandora’s box.” The coalition is calling on the province to commit resources for “evidence-based” solutions to the homelessness crisis in the province, and the 15 mayors to rescind their letters. Members of the coalition in Barrie, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent, Guelph, St. Catharines, Oakville, and Windsor, the release stated, confirm their councils were not consulted before the use of the notwithstanding clause was requested by their respective mayors. The coalition believes the request by the mayors, in bypassing council debate, let alone bypassing public consultation, is not within the scope of legislated strong-mayor powers. The call for the use of the notwithstanding clause, especially in circumstances related to vulnerable and unhoused persons, represents “unaccountable governance and the undermining of local democracy.” “The notwithstanding clause was intended to be reserved for matters of very serious consequence — certainly not for municipal matters,” said London Coun. Sam Trosow, who is also a law professor at Western University. “The Ford government has used or entertained using it inappropriately on several occasions, including a city ward dispute, a labour dispute, and now homeless policy. This is excessive and wrong.”

Why is there a row over climate finance?Devendra Fadnavis denies CM row as BJP-led Mahayuti heads for landslide win in MaharashtraBellRing Brands ( NYSE:BRBR – Free Report ) had its price target increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $67.00 to $81.00 in a research report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock. BRBR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of BellRing Brands in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of BellRing Brands from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of BellRing Brands from $61.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on BellRing Brands from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of BellRing Brands in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.27. View Our Latest Analysis on BellRing Brands BellRing Brands Price Performance BellRing Brands ( NYSE:BRBR – Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 18th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $555.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $545.00 million. BellRing Brands had a net margin of 12.35% and a negative return on equity of 103.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that BellRing Brands will post 2.12 earnings per share for the current year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On BellRing Brands Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of BellRing Brands by 73.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 57,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,374,000 after purchasing an additional 24,126 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in BellRing Brands by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,978,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $825,172,000 after buying an additional 698,121 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in BellRing Brands by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 8,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its position in BellRing Brands by 96.5% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 15,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 7,620 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BellRing Brands by 3.8% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $440,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.97% of the company’s stock. BellRing Brands Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) BellRing Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various nutrition products in the United States. The company offers ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, other RTD beverages, powders, nutrition bars, and other products primarily under the Premier Protein and Dymatize brands. It distributes its products through club, food, drug, mass, eCommerce, specialty, and convenience channels. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for BellRing Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BellRing Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Syria's Jolani: from jihadist to pragmatist

Buddies in the barracks and outsidehave broken an unwanted record on Saturday (December 7). The Red Devils slipped back into their old ways as netted three at Old Trafford to claim all three points on a windy Manchester evening. The defeat leaves side 13th, with 19 points to their name after 15 games. It's the lowest position the Red Devils have ever been in the top flight after 15 games since the 1986/87 season. United eventually finished 11th that season - a certain was hired in November to try and turn the season around. Come and join The Daily Star on , the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It's now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X. Fear not, we're not leaving , but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on , and see us social better than the rest. You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a . So what are you waiting for?! Let's Amorim has been brought in by INEOS and Co to try and turn around the Red Devils' season after spell came to an end. However, it hasn't been the dream start for Amorim, who have won just one of his first four games. There was a bore draw with Ipswich followed by an emphatic win against , but they have been followed by back-to-back defeats against and Forest. Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter! From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox. It only takes a matter of seconds. Simply , then provide your email address and that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories. You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, Speaking ahead of the game, Amorim admitted United are a club in crisis: "That is very clear," he said. "We are a massive club but we are not a massive team. We know it, so there is no problem to say it." "We're not one of the best teams in the league," he added. "We have to say and think that clearly. "But [in] our past, our club is maybe the best one in the league. So here we have a problem. We have to focus on the little details, then we will improve as a team."