A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to one year and eight months in prison on Wednesday for corruption but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges. The ruling marked the first time that both members of a presidential couple were convicted of crimes in South Korea Her husband, former president Yoon Suk-yeol , was handed a five-year jail term earlier ...
A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to one year and eight months in prison on Wednesday for corruption but acquitted her for alleged stock manipulation and other charges. The ruling marked the first time that both members of a presidential couple were convicted of crimes in South Korea Her husband, former president Yoon Suk-yeol , was handed a five-year jail term earlier this month after being found guilty of multiple charges, including attempts to block his arrest following his botched 2024 martial law decree. Advertisement Yoon, 65, separately faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty in another case. Kim, 53, was at the centre of a string of influence-peddling and bribery scandals throughout Yoon’s presidency, which was cut short to less than three years after his failed self-coup attempt led to his impeachment and removal from office. Advertisement Kim was arrested and indicted in August last year on charges of manipulating stocks of Deutsche Motors between 2010 and 2012, allegedly reaping around 810 million won (US$565,524) in illegal profits. But a judge on Wednesday cleared her of any wrongdoing in the case.
Frozen extremities are one of several obstacles facing voters in Japan as they prepare to cast their ballots at next month’s snap general election. The vote, called by the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, less than four months after taking office, will be held in the middle of a winter that has seen record snowfall in parts of the country, prompting concern about a low turnout. Preparations for the...
Frozen extremities are one of several obstacles facing voters in Japan as they prepare to cast their ballots at next month’s snap general election. The vote, called by the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, less than four months after taking office, will be held in the middle of a winter that has seen record snowfall in parts of the country, prompting concern about a low turnout. Preparations for the lower house vote – an attempt by Takaichi to use her personal popularity to strengthen her fragile coalition – are already falling foul of the weather. In several areas, billboards displaying posters showing the names, faces and political affiliations of candidates have disappeared beneath heavy snowfall. Authorities in a town in Aomori prefecture in Japan’s far north have been forced to cut the number of billboards erected ahead of the vote to just 97, compared with 621 ahead of last year’s upper house elections, which were held in the summer. Ten people have died over the past week as a result of the brutal weather, particularly along the Sea of Japan coast, the public broadcaster NHK said, adding that the accumulation of snow had already exceeded the yearly average. View image in fullscreen Voters brave the cold to listen to a speech at a House of Representatives election rally in Hirosaki, Aomori prefecture on Tuesday. Photograph: JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images The weather has added to logistical headaches caused by the 16-day gap between the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and election day on 8 February – the shortest period in living memory. The Japan Times reported that some local municipalities complained that they were struggling to make arrangements to accommodate voters, forcing employees to work overtime. Observers believe a combination of cold weather, Takaichi’s high approval ratings and a weak opposition could combine to increase voter apathy – a feature of recent national elections irrespective of their timing. “This time, all the conditions for a...
Key Points Costco Wholesale's subscription-based business model works wonders for investors. Coca-Cola is an anchor stock for any long-term dividend portfolio. Altria Group continues to pump out a massive dividend thanks to Marlboro's pricing power. 10 stocks we like better than Costco Wholesale › There's a lot to like about investing in dividend stocks. They pay you income that you can reinvest f...
Key Points Costco Wholesale's subscription-based business model works wonders for investors. Coca-Cola is an anchor stock for any long-term dividend portfolio. Altria Group continues to pump out a massive dividend thanks to Marlboro's pricing power. 10 stocks we like better than Costco Wholesale › There's a lot to like about investing in dividend stocks. They pay you income that you can reinvest for more dividends, or simply take that money and pay your bills with it. The beauty of it all is that you never have to sell your shares. Consumer spending is the heartbeat of the economy. Investors can find many high-quality dividend stocks in consumer-facing companies with strong brands and long track records of success. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Some excellent examples include Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), and Altria Group (NYSE: MO). All three represent very different investing styles. Here is the skinny on each one. 1. A leading retailer with a loyal customer base Costco Wholesale might be the only store with a borderline cult following. People flock to the membership-only big-box retailer for its famous hot-dog meal deal and deals on bulk quantity merchandise. As one of the world's largest retailers, it can source and sell products at low prices. In fact, most of Costco's profit doesn't come from merchandise sales, but from the subscription fees members pay. The company has paid and raised its dividend for 20 consecutive years. While the stock yields only 0.5%, there is room for growth, as Costco spends only a quarter of its earnings on dividends. Costco has also paid an occasional special dividend over the years, a potential bonus for long-term investors. 2. A global icon with decades of dividend growth Coca-Cola built a global empire on its namesake soda. Today, the company sells billions of servings of soda, water, juice,...
K2 Gold ( KTO:CA ) ( KTGDF ) announced a non-brokered private placement and will issue up to ~21.43M common shares in the capital of the company at a price of C$0.70 per offered share. Total gross proceeds are expected to be C$15M. The net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used for exploration at the Mojave and Si2 projects as well as for general corporate purposes. The closing of the ...
K2 Gold ( KTO:CA ) ( KTGDF ) announced a non-brokered private placement and will issue up to ~21.43M common shares in the capital of the company at a price of C$0.70 per offered share. Total gross proceeds are expected to be C$15M. The net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used for exploration at the Mojave and Si2 projects as well as for general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur as soon as practicable. More on K2 Gold Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on K2 Gold Corporation Financial information for K2 Gold Corporation