Bloomberg Health insurer Centene Corp. agreed to buy managed-care provider WellCare Health Plans Inc. for more than $15 billion, expanding in the market for government insurance plans just as politicians in Washington appear to be gearing up for another health-policy clash. Centene, based in St. Louis, offered $305.39 per share in cash and stock for Tampa, Florida-based WellCare, the companies ...

Bloomberg Wirecard AG’s Chief Executive Officer Markus Braun tried to put fraud allegations behind him as questions persisted after an external probe failed to resolve issues from potential criminal behavior in Singapore to unexplained transactions. Braun said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday that the company views the issue as closed, saying: “Everything is on the table. The ...

Bloomberg Some projects to develop new power cables between the UK and France are on hold because of uncertainties related to Brexit, throwing into question the delivery of infrastructure intended to reduce electricity costs in the UK. Work continues on two new interconnectors that were already under construction between the countries. However, talks on 3 other subsea power lines have ...

Bloomberg Filings for US unemployment benefits fell more than expected to a four-week low, as the labour market tightens further following the end of a five-week government shutdown. Jobless claims fell to 221,000 in the week that ended on March 16, beating economist forecasts for 225,000, Labor Department figures showed. The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, ticked up to 225,000 ...

Bloomberg Qualcomm Inc. has fired multiple legal shots at Apple Inc. aiming to use patents to get an import ban on the iPhone. In separate rulings, one hit and one missed. The US International Trade Commission invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and ...

Bloomberg BT Group Plc, Britain’s dominant phone company, is considering a deeper restructuring under new Chief Executive Officer Philip Jansen that could see its 100,000-strong workforce shrink by a quarter over five years, according to people with knowledge of the matter. BT has internally discussed a target of reducing its headcount to 75,000, partly through accelerated automation of back-office processes, ...

Bloomberg A secretive group seeking to overthrow Kim Jong-un’s regime claimed responsibility for a raid last month on North Korea’s embassy in Madrid, alleging the country’s overseas missions are conduits for illicit funds. The group, called Free Joseon and previously known as Cheollima Civil Defense, said in a statement posted to its website that its actions were in response “to ...

Bloomberg As talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un flourished last year, South Korean leader Moon Jae-in enjoyed international praise for bringing them together. Now that they’ve split, he’s facing pressure to get them back to the table. Trump’s decision to walk away from his Hanoi summit with Kim continues to reverberate a month later in ...

Bloomberg Seven political parties opposed to Thailand’s ruling junta said they had the numbers to form a majority coalition following the general election, intensifying a tussle for power with a pro-military bloc. Sudarat Keyuraphan, a leader of the Pheu Thai party linked to exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said the coalition would unofficially have 255 seats in the 500-seat lower ...

Bloomberg China’s Communist Party expelled former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, months after he went missing during a trip to the country. Meng was also removed from his government post as vice public security minister over violations that included the taking of bribes and abuse of power, according to a statement from the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The ...