Seoul Gazette - News from Seoul, the Dongan District, Manan District, Buk District, Busanjin District, South Korea and the world

Oil prices dived again Wednesday on fresh hopes for an end to the Iran war, while Samsung blasted past the $1 trillion valuation mark in an equity markets rally stoked by the AI tech boom.

Swathes of football-mad Asia from China and India to Malaysia and Thailand are yet to confirm broadcast rights for the biggest-ever World Cup with kick-off barely one month away.

The United States will pause escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz barely a day after it began doing so, President Donald Trump said, citing a desire to reach a peace deal with Iran.

A cousin of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Wednesday he owned a 30 percent stake in a digital payments platform linked to cyberscams and money laundering and sanctioned by Washington.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth invited Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson, who opposes a woman's right to vote, to preach at the Defense Department earlier this year.

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Tiwa Savage walked around a music centre in Lagos, smiling, listening and giving words of encouragement to scores of young artists in an elite music training programme.

Resignations, boycotts and threats to cut funding -- the Venice Biennale opens to the press on Wednesday in turmoil over the return of Russia for the first time since the Ukraine war broke out.

Philips said Wednesday its first-quarter profits had doubled, maintaining its sales forecasts as the Dutch electronics and medical device manufacturer seeks to turn the page on a scandal involving faulty sleep machines.

Strasbourg could this week reach the first European final in their history, at the end of a turbulent season for the club which belongs to the same BlueCo consortium that owns Chelsea.

David Attenborough, a leading voice on climate change and biodiversity loss whose landmark documentaries transformed popular understanding of the natural world for a global audience, marks his 100th birthday on Friday.

A man accused of murdering 15 people in an antisemitic mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach is facing a raft of fresh charges, court records released Wednesday showed.

The unilateral ceasefire announced by Kyiv was due to take effect on Wednesday, but Ukraine accused Russia of new strikes just hours after attacks killed at least 28 people in cities across the war-battered nation.

A group of 13 Australians related to alleged Islamic State jihadists is returning home from Syria, Australian authorities said Wednesday, warning some will face arrest.

The Oklahoma City Thunder overpowered LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday to grab a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference semi-final series.

With provocative songs and glittering performances, the Eurovision Song Contest's festive 70th edition in Vienna next week will be held under tight security in the shadow of controversy sparked by Israel's participation.

New Zealand, which attracts millions of tourists each year with its pristine nature and spectacular landscapes, is facing a legal challenge over "magical thinking" in its climate promises.

Vacuum cleaners and vapes could get more expensive if the Iran war drags on for much longer, Chinese factory owners and traders warn, as the world's manufacturing hub reels from "crazy" costs.

Oil prices extended losses and stocks rallied Wednesday on fresh hopes for an end to the Iran war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Samsung blasted past the $1 trillion valuation mark as the AI tech boom continued apace.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football's global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value.

Cade Cunningham scored 23 points as the Detroit Pistons held off a second-half rally to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-101 and take a 1-0 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference semi-final playoff series on Tuesday.

It was the perfect split-screen for the race to succeed Donald Trump -- so long as your name is Marco Rubio and not JD Vance.

A teenager shot dead two staff members and injured two other people, including an 11-year-old girl, on Tuesday in the latest school shooting to rock Brazil.

The US will pause escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz barely a day after it began doing so, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, citing a desire to reach a peace deal with Iran.

Hours after the UAE's top oil executive said the country had "emerged stronger" from war and as thousands attended an Abu Dhabi summit to boost the local economy, phones across the country were alerting that missiles were incoming.

Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to use the "energy and belief" generated by reaching the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years as fuel to complete an historic double.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war.

San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was accused Tuesday by the Minnesota Timberwolves of repeated illegal goaltending violations during their first NBA playoff clash.

OpenAI President Greg Brockman told a California jury Tuesday that Elon Musk physically threatened him during a 2017 confrontation, testifying that the billionaire stormed out after he was refused absolute control of the artificial intelligence company.

Former New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs was acquitted Tuesday of charges that he assaulted his live-in personal chef.

Two-time major champion Jon Rahm revealed he has several years remaining on his LIV Golf contract and doesn't "see many ways out" after agreeing to a new deal that allows him to play on the DP World Tour.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday against any "destabilizing" actions on Taiwan before a trip to China by President Donald Trump and called on Beijing also to raise pressure on Iran.

The United States has completed its offensive operations against Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday, even as Washington warned it was ready to unleash a "devastating" response to any new attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.