Author: Darren Leonard

US president pledges to ramp up heat-related worker protections as more than 100 million Americans affected by heatwave. US President Joe Biden has announced a series of measures to help protect workers from the effects of extreme heat as people across the United States struggle to cope with blazing temperatures. The White House said on Thursday that Washington would step up heat safety violation inspections in key industries, such as construction and agriculture. The Biden administration also said it would put a so-called “Hazard Alert” system in place to make employers aware of what they should be doing to help their workers stay cool,…

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are asking a judge to postpone his criminal trial without setting a new date as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate. Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are asking a judge to postpone his criminal trial without setting a new date as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate. In a late Monday filing, Trump’s defense attorneys said the case was “extraordinary,” with a large volume of documents and footage to be reviewed as the former president leads the race for the Republican nomination to unseat President…

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the doors on some Ford Escapes can open while the SUVs are being driven. U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the doors on some Ford Escapes can open while the SUVs are being driven. The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers 346,000 Escapes from the 2020 and 2021 model years. The agency says in documents posted Tuesday on its website that it has 118 complaints that spot welds in a door assembly bracket can fail. Investigators contacted some of the owners and found 25 reports of minor injuries. Many…

Microsoft (MSFT) and the video game giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI) will face off Thursday against the US government in a high-stakes battle over one of the largest technology acquisitions in history. The showdown in federal court will have the CEOs of both companies taking the stand to defend their $69 billion merger against claims that the combination could violate US antitrust law and harm millions of consumers. The outcome of the fight will shape the future of the multibillion-dollar games industry. It will also impact enormously popular gaming franchises such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft,” which Activision owns and would be transferred to…

Murrayfield Stadium, EdinburghIn a typically breathless three-hour set, the Boss and band deliver the goods with such joy and passion, there’s little option other than to succumb As you get older,” notes Bruce Springsteen wryly, “death gives you pause to think.” The singer and his 17-strong band are being held briefly at the halfway mark of a nearly three-hour set that segues fluidly from song to song, rarely pausing for breath – just a “one, two, three, four!” from Springsteen, before powering up again. We’ve reached the part where he recalls joining his first band in the mid-60s and how, 50 years…

A Chinese minesweeper is taking part in a military exercise with Singapore for the first time, a move that could signal greater attention in Beijing to the strategically important Strait of Malacca, according to a defence analyst. The exercise also reflects Singapore’s efforts to chart a course between China and the United States as the two powers jostle for geopolitical influence, the analyst said. The minesweeper, the Chibi, is one of two Chinese vessels taking part in “China-Singapore Exercise Maritime Cooperation 2023” – the other is the guided-missile frigate Yulin. Both are from the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).…

On 24 April, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles released the public version of the Defence Strategic Review, as well as the Government’s response to the Review, and the National Defence Statement for 2023. In response to the Review’s recommendations, the Government has “agreed, or agreed in-principle with further work required” to all recommendations, and has also identified six priority areas for “immediate action”. The priority areas identified in the Review are: “acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS to improve our deterrence capabilities”, “developing the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) ability to precisely strike targets at longer-range and manufacture…

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday was essential in advancing his country’s national interest and strengthening the “very important alliance” between Manila and Washington. Before leaving for his four-day official visit to Washington, Marcos said on Sunday he would convey to Biden his determination to forge “an even stronger relationship” with the United States to “address the concerns of our times,” including issues related to the economy. “During this visit, we will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long standing alliance as an instrument of peace and…

The US has announced plans to open new migrant processing centres in Colombia and Guatemala as part of efforts to reduce undocumented immigration. The regional facilities will process thousands of claims a month, with pathways for legal migration expanded. The number of deportations for those ineligible to be in the US will also be doubled or tripled. The US is bracing for a spike in undocumented immigration when Covid-era processing rules end in May. The processing centres will allow successful applicants to enter the US legally and improve their access to assistance such as refugee resettlement processing and family reunification.…

While flashes of the aurora borealis could be seen in parts of Colorado last month, the phenomenon is nothing new to residents and visitors in Alaska. An intensely bright display of the northern lights was caught on video by an enthusiast and photographer in Fairbanks, Alaska on March 24. He called it “the most insane aurora of my life.” Colorado ski resort predicts long spring ski season Vincent Ledvina, whose Twitter says he is “The Aurora Guy” and an “aurora chaser and astrophotographer.” His page lists him as a first-year space physics graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. The video…