• Associated Press

    Kuwait's emir dissolves parliament again, amid political gridlock in oil-rich nation

    Kuwait's emir again dissolved the small, oil-rich country's parliament Friday, citing the political deadlock that has prevailed in recent years. Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber made the announcement in an address carried by state television, saying other unspecified portions of the constitution had been suspended as well. “The unhealthy atmosphere experienced by Kuwait in previous years has encouraged the spread of corruption to reach most state facilities, and unfortunately it reached the security and economic institutions,” the 83-year-old Sheikh Meshal said.

  • Reuters

    Microsoft hit with $242 million US verdict in Cortana patent lawsuit

    Microsoft must pay patent owner IPA Technologies $242 million, a federal jury in Delaware said on Friday after determining that Microsoft's Cortana virtual-assistant software infringed an IPA patent. The jury agreed with IPA after a week-long trial that Microsoft's voice-recognition technology violates IPA's patent rights in computer-communications software. IPA is a subsidiary of patent-licensing company Wi-LAN, which is jointly owned by Canadian technology company Quarterhill and two investment firms.

  • Storyful

    Baseball-sized Hailstones Splash Into Pool During Texas Storm

    Massive hailstones splashed down into a pool and damaged parts of a home in central Texas as severe storms swept the area on Thursday, May 9.Footage filmed and posted to TikTok by Dan Sousa shows what he described as baseball-sized hailstones splashing into his pool, yard, and roof on Thursday.“Temporary irrigation pipes shattered, one window shattered, metal roof took a beating,” Sousa told Storyful. “It even ripped a hole in our wellhead cover!”The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a hazardous weather outlook for the area until next Thursday, with the possibility of strong storms, lightning, and large hail. Credit: Dan Sousa via Storyful