Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

US jobless claims rose to 206,000 in the week ending August 29, but the increase did little to alter the picture of a labour market where lay-offs remain historically uncommon. The latest figure from the US Labor Department was up from a revised 204,000 the previous week. The four-week average, which helps smooth out weekly fluctuations, increased by 1,500 to 207,250. Initial claims are closely watched as an indicator of redundancies and the wider direction of employment. They have generally remained between 200,000 and 230,000 a week over the past year, a range considered unusually low by historical standards. Continuing…

The US federal government is preparing to use artificial intelligence to interview some job applicants, beginning with candidates for its new Tech Force programme, officials said. The trial is expected to begin within days and will not initially apply across every federal agency. It will instead focus on the initiative, which recruits technology specialists from the private sector for temporary government roles lasting up to two years. Applicants to the Tech Force pool will be assessed using CodeSignal, a recruitment platform that provides automated technical screening and virtual interviews. Under the pilot, AI agents will ask candidates a standard set…

Meghan Markle has paid tribute to her “friend and mentor” Gloria Steinem, sharing a previously unseen photograph of the feminist icon with Prince Archie following her death at the age of 92. The Duchess of Sussex posted three images on Instagram in memory of Steinem, who died peacefully at her home in New York City on Wednesday, September 2, surrounded by people who loved her. Her foundation did not disclose a cause of death. ([abcnews.com](https://abcnews.com/US/feminist-icon-journalist-gloria-steinem-dies/story?id=82183161&utm_source=openai)) One of the photographs showed Steinem reaching towards Archie, now seven, during a visit to Meghan and Prince Harry’s California home. The child’s face was…

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will make NFL history next week when they travel to Melbourne for the league’s first regular-season game in Australia. The NFC West rivals will meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, September 11, with kick-off scheduled for 10.35am local time. The journey will be the longest ever undertaken by two NFL teams for a game. The Rams are expected to cover about 7,937 miles from Los Angeles, while the 49ers’ trip from Santa Clara will be slightly shorter at approximately 7,872 miles. The Melbourne fixture is the first of a record…

Daniel Lubetzky has spoken about the four qualities he believes are essential to building a successful business as he appeared on CBS Mornings to discuss his new podcast, Build or Break. The KIND Snacks founder and Shark Tank judge said the series would explore the setbacks, failures and turning points behind the success of entrepreneurs and other prominent figures. Lubetzky identifies the four skills as curiosity, compassion, creativity and courage. He has described them as the foundations of a “builder’s mindset” – an approach aimed at solving problems rather than deepening divisions. Daniel Lubetzky’s new podcast Build or Break The…

A Claude outage is affecting users attempting to send requests to several of Anthropic’s AI models, with some prompts failing to complete or returning error messages. The disruption began at about 9.41am Eastern Time on 3 September and includes the company’s Mythos, Fable and Opus model ranges. Anthropic has confirmed that the incident is affecting both current and earlier versions of the services. Claude outage affects multiple models Anthropic’s status updates initially identified elevated errors involving Claude Mythos 5.1, Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Opus 5. The company later expanded the list of affected systems to include Mythos and Fable…

Rain chances are set to rise across Arizona as moisture drawn north from Hurricane Marie reaches the state, bringing the prospect of scattered thunderstorms, flash flooding, strong winds and dust through the coming days. The hurricane is expected to remain offshore in the Pacific, but its position south-west of Baja California is helping to strengthen the monsoon flow into Arizona. The National Weather Service said tropical moisture would move into the region from Thursday night into Friday, with the greatest impact likely across foothills and higher ground east of Phoenix. ([marine.weather.gov](https://marine.weather.gov/product.php?format=txt&glossary=1&issuedby=PSR&product=AFD&site=BOX&version=2&utm_source=openai)) Marie was classed as a Category 2 hurricane on…

The parents of 13-year-old Blayde Pettitt have paid tribute to their “kind, funny and caring” son after he died from injuries sustained in a fatal e-scooter crash in Childers, Queensland. Blayde suffered serious head injuries in the single-vehicle collision on Macrossan Street shortly after 6pm on Wednesday, August 26. Paramedics performed CPR at the scene before he was flown to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane in a critical condition. He died in hospital days later with his family and loved ones by his side. His parents said their son was an “old soul” who had “the biggest heart” and loved…

Two more people have been charged over the death of 12-year-old Bobby Bloomfield, who was struck by a car in Pilgrims Hatch, near Brentwood, Essex. Essex Police said William Lunnon, 65, of Ashwells Road, had been charged with perverting the course of justice, while Ruth Lunnon, 65, of the same address, had been charged with assisting an offender in relation to murder. The pair appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and were released on bail. They are due to appear at Basildon Crown Court on October 1. Bobby was hit on Ashwells Road at about 5.40pm on Sunday, June…

Gloria Steinem, the journalist, author and activist who became one of the defining figures of the modern women’s movement, has died aged 92. Steinem died on Wednesday, September 2, at her home in New York City. Her foundation said she had passed away peacefully surrounded by people who loved her; no cause of death was disclosed. ([abcnews.com](https://abcnews.com/US/feminist-icon-journalist-gloria-steinem-dies/story?id=82183161&utm_source=openai)) “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” the statement said. For more than six decades, Steinem campaigned on women’s rights, reproductive freedom, political representation and equality. With her centre-parted hair, aviator glasses and…