USA: 10 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations as Biden pitches cost reductions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden touted the potential cost savings of Medicare’s first-ever price negotiations for widely used prescription drugs on Tuesday as he struggles to convince Americans that he’s improved their lives as he runs for reelection.

The drugs include the blood thinner Eliquis, diabetes treatment Jardiance and eight other medications. The negotiation process was authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed last year, capping decades of debate over whether the federal government should be allowed to haggle with pharmaceutical companies.

U.S military in talks to develop port in Philippines facing Taiwan

MANILA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, the local governor and two other officials told Reuters, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan.

U.S. military involvement in the proposed port in the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, could stoke tensions at a time of growing friction with China and a drive by Washington to intensify its longstanding defence treaty engagement with the Philippines.

USA: Millions more workers would be entitled to overtime pay under a proposed Biden administration rule

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration will propose a new rule Wednesday that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, reviving an Obama-era policy effort that was ultimately scuttled in court.

US deploys B-1B bombers for separate drills with South Korea, Japan

SEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States separately deployed B-1B bombers for joint drills with South Korea and Japan on Wednesday, as the three allies have stepped up responses to threats from North Korea.

A U.S. B-1B flew alongside South Korean FA-50 jets and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters as part of ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, South Korea's defence ministry said. It marked the 10th such flight by an American bomber this year.

USA: Tribal ranger draws weapon on climate activists blocking road to Burning Man; conduct under review

NIXON, Nev. (AP) — A tribal ranger’s conduct is under review after he pointed a weapon Sunday at environmental activists and plowed his patrol vehicle through their blockade on the road leading to the annual Burning Man counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert.

The incident unfolded on a rural stretch of highway on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation in northwestern Nevada. The protest calling attention to climate change stopped traffic as attendees were headed to the Black Rock Desert north of the reservation for opening day of Burning Man.

USA: Biden plan would guarantee overtime pay for 3.6 million workers

Aug 30 (Reuters) - The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday moved to extend mandatory overtime pay to 3.6 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule that would require employers to pay overtime premiums to workers who earn a salary of less than $1,059 per week, or about $55,000 per year.

93 potential unmarked child, infant graves found in Canada

OTTAWA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A First Nation has found 79 suspected child grave sites and 14 potential infant grave sites at a former residential school in Saskatchewan, Canada, CTV News reported Tuesday.

"This is not a final number. It breaks my heart that there are likely more," English River First Nation chief Jenny Wolverine was quoted as saying during a news conference in Saskatoon, the capital city of Saskatchewan in central Canada on Tuesday.

Saudi man receives death penalty for posts online, latest case in wide-ranging crackdown on dissent

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death over his posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and his activity on YouTube, the latest in a widening crackdown on dissent in the kingdom that has drawn international criticism.

The judgement against Mohammed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, seen Wednesday by The Associated Press, comes against the backdrop of doctoral student Salma al-Shehab and others facing decadeslong prison sentences over their comments online.

Borrell’s threats to take medical supplies away from Russians reek of 'Nazism' — diplomat

MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/: Moscow considers threats by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to take medical supplies away from the Russian people as inadmissible and neo-Nazist, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

USA: Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case and orders him to pay fees

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, entering a default judgment against the former New York City mayor and ordering him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said the punishment was necessary because Giuliani had ignored his duty as a defendant to turn over information requested by election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss, as part of their lawsuit.

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