«SFGate» (sfgate.com)

South Korea’s president has dismissed calls for independent investigations into allegations involving his wife and top officials. President Yoon Suk Yeol's move drew strong rebukes from his rivals Thurday. After suffering a heavy loss in the recent April 10 parliamentary elections, Yoon faces what appears to be his biggest political challenge yet as opposition parties extend their control of the National Assembly to 2028. The main opposition Democratic Party has called for independent investigations... Читать дальше...

Norfolk Southern shareholders will decide Thursday morning whether to back an activist investor’s bid to take over the railroad’s board and replace management. Ancora Holdings picked up significant support during the campaign from major investors like EdgePoint Investment Group, two major rail unions and some customers. But the rest of rail labor, several key regulators and a number of other customers backed management. If all seven of Ancora’s nominees are elected, that would give them the votes... Читать дальше...

Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for interfering in a criminal investigation while leading the government of his South Pacific island nation. The Fiji Times newspaper reported Bainimarama was sentenced Thursday and the suspended police commissioner received a two-year prison sentence for abuse of office. Bainimarama took power as a military dictator following a 2006 coup and was democratically elected in 2014 and 2018. His successor after the 2022 election promised change. Читать дальше...

Gunmen have killed seven barbers in a home in a volatile province in southwestern Pakistan. Police and a government official say the killings occurred early Thursday in Baluchistan province. The barbers were from Punjab province and lived and worked together. Police are investigating who was behind the attack. Separatists often target people from Punjab in Baluchistan as part of a campaign to force them to leave the province, which for years has experienced a low-level insurgency by groups demanding independence from the central government. Читать дальше...

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage. The claims Thursday by Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree come as the tempo of the rebel attacks have waned in recent weeks as they’ve been targeted by repeated airstrikes launched by a U.S.-led coalition warship in waterways crucial to international trade. Saree claimed attacks on the MSC Diego and MSC Gina. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a U.S.-led coalition of nations operating in the Mideast... Читать дальше...

A crash between a truck and a passenger van on a highway in northwestern China’s Ningxia region has killed nine people. State media said two others were injured in the crash early Thursday outside the city of Qingtongxia. They were in stable condition at a hospital. An official said the driver of the van was among the dead, while the truck driver was receiving emergency medical care. Local media footage showed the front of the passenger van was destroyed. Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the accident.

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Severe storms are tearing through the southeast U.S., spawning damaging tornadoes, producing massive hail, and killing two people in Tennessee and another in North Carolina. Forecasters warn that the wave of storms could march toward parts of the South early Thursday. The storms continue an outbreak of torrential rain and tornadoes that have cut across the country this week, from the Plains to the Midwest and now the southeastern U.S. Officials say at least four people have died in storms since Monday.

This December marks the centennial of Rod Serling, the late host and writer of the classic TV series “The Twilight Zone.” A newly published story by Serling is the latest to draw upon his traumatizing World War II service, for which he received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Serling’s“First Squad, First Platoon,” a fictionalized take on the war that he worked on and set aside while attending Antioch College, appears this week in the new edition of The Strand Magazine. Daughters Jodi Serling and Anne Serling contributed forewords.

Hardline Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has tried and failed to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. But the resounding rejection by Democrats and Republicans does not end the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood on the House floor and read a long list of “transgressions” she said Johnson had committed as speaker. Colleagues booed in protest, and Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise quickly countered by calling for a vote to table Greene's motion. Читать дальше...

Armenia’s prime minister has talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as tensions are spiraling between the estranged allies. Putin hosted Nikol Pashinyan for talks following a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union, a Moscow-dominated economic alliance they both attended earlier in the day. In brief remarks at the start of Wednesday's talks, Putin said that bilateral trade was growing, but acknowledged “issues concerning security in the region.” Armenia’s ties with its longtime ally... Читать дальше...

Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, as the defense tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor’s salacious testimony about an alleged sexual encounter and the money she got to keep quiet. Defense attorneys will get another chance on Thursday to question Daniels, whose account is central to the prosecutors’ case accusing Trump of scheming to illegally influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying unflattering stories. Trump looked on in... Читать дальше...

Former President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron Trump, has been chosen to serve as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention. The Republican Party of Florida said he will serve as one of 41 at-large delegates from Florida to the national gathering. Barron Trump has been largely kept out of the public eye, but he turned 18 on March and is graduating from high school next week. Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany, are also part of the Florida delegation. Читать дальше...

Hardline Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has tried and failed to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. Her long-shot effort was swiftly and resoundingly rejected Wednesday by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos. One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood on the House floor and read a long list of “transgressions” she said Johnson had committed as speaker. Colleagues booed in protest, and Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise quickly countered by calling for a vote to table Greene's motion. Читать дальше...

Legislation regulating artificial intelligence is one of several major bills that likely won't survive Connecticut's three-month legislative session. The General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn at midnight on Wednesday. Other weighty bills that appeared destined for possible defeat address climate change, codification of abortion rights in the state’s constitution, curbing the price that libraries pay for e-books and expanding protections for certain tenants. Lawmakers did pass a Democratic bill... Читать дальше...

A man left his granddaughter with a stranger while he went to drink, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

If you rent your home in a major metro area, chances are you already know this hard truth: Your pay raises aren’t keeping up with your rent hikes.

A new analysis released on Tuesday by the rental website StreetEasy and its parent company Zillow found that rent growth has surpassed wage growth in 44 out of the 50 largest U.S. metros since before the pandemic. The report analyzed rental data from both company sites as well as wage growth data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New York City’s watchdog agency says it has launched a probe into allegations that the New York City Police Department has improperly used its official social media accounts to target public officials and private citizens. The city's Department of Investigation confirmed the probe in a statement Wednesday. It was prompted by recent requests from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Legal Aid Society asking to look into the NYPD's social media policies and practices. The Legal Aid Society accused... Читать дальше...

Prosecutors say a former Memphis police officer has been charged with federal civil rights violations in the fatal shooting of a man while the officer was on duty. The U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis said Wednesday that 32-year-old Patric J. Ferguson also was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and destroying evidence in the January 2021 killing. Another man who is not an officer, Joshua M. Rogers, was indicted on charges of conspiring to cover up the shooting and destroying evidence. Читать дальше...

US Forecast for Thursday, May 9, 2024

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City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index

Albany, NY;80;53;66;50;Cooler, p.m. rain;N;10;58%;98%;2

Albuquerque, NM;75;46;74;46;Breezy in the p.m.;ESE;14;17%;18%;12

Anchorage, AK;50;34;43;33;A little a.m. rain;S;7;78%;70%;1

Asheville, NC;79;58;77;55;Thunderstorms;WNW;8;82%;99%;6

Atlanta... Читать дальше...

The pharma giant AstraZeneca has requested that the European authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine be pulled. In an update on the European Medicines Agency’s website Wednesday, the regulator said that the approval for AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria had been withdrawn at the company's request. AstraZeneca’s vaccine was first approved by the EMA in January 2021. But within weeks, concerns grew about the vaccine’s safety, when dozens of countries suspended the vaccine’s use after rare blood clots were detected. Читать дальше...

Michigan's attorney general has announced charges against a former small-town clerk and an attorney who had supported attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charges late Wednesday. Nessel alleges former clerk Stephanie Scott and attorney Stephanie Lambert allowed unauthorized access to a computer and its voter data in a search of fraud. Scott and Lambert were charged with multiple felonies. The charges are the latest to be brought... Читать дальше...

A reckless driver prompted an SF police pursuit after a hit-and-run, injuring a teen.

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — Allient Inc. (ALNT) on Wednesday reported first-quarter profit of $6.9 million.

Plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat urged investors to look past its mixed first quarter results Wednesday, saying a new, healthier burger just hitting U.S. shelves will help reignite weak sales. The comments came after a bumpy first quarter that saw lower demand for Beyond Meat’s burgers, steak and chicken in the U.S. and abroad. The El Segundo, California-based company said its revenue fell 18% to $75.6 million in the January-March period. That was slightly higher than Wall Street expected. It was... Читать дальше...