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

Lebanon's presidency said Friday that a meeting would be held with Israel in Washington next week to discuss a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war and the start of negotiations between the neighbours.

West Ham climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 4-0 win against Wolves on Friday that dumped Tottenham into the bottom three.

The luxury San Francisco home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman was hit by a Molotov cocktail on Friday, the company said, as police announced the arrest of a suspect.

Two-time defending champions Italy seized control of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Japan on Friday with Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto giving the hosts a 2-0 lead.

NASA's Artemis II mission sent four astronauts -- three Americans and one Canadian -- on the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy reeled off three birdies in a row to seize command in Friday's second round of the 90th Masters at Augusta National.

Tyrrell Hatton made a career-high seven birdies and reached every green in regulation to fire a six-under-par 66 and leap into contention after the second round of the Masters.

An African AIDS charity co-founded by Britain's Prince Harry said on Friday it had launched legal proceedings against him for "reputational harm", after a bitter dispute about its management.

Tyson Fury said he is relishing being the "hunter" as the British fighter returns to the ring after his latest retirement in a heavyweight showdown against Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday.

Lebanon's State Security agency said an Israeli strike on the southern city of Nabatiyeh on Friday killed 13 of its personnel, as Lebanon prepared to start ceasefire talks with Israel.

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tore the Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling to shreds on his way to equalling his own record for the fastest fifty of this season's IPL, powering unbeaten Rajasthan Royals to a fourth successive victory, by six wickets, on Friday.

United States star Folarin Balogun kept up his remarkable recent scoring record for Monaco but could not prevent his team sliding to a 4-1 defeat away to Paris FC on Friday that is a big blow to their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Cheered on by a crowd of childhood mates, Valentin Vacherot walked a third-set tightrope in his home-town tournament before beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, on Friday to gatecrash the semi-finals at the Monte Carlo Open.

Venezuela's opposition on Friday called for presidential elections, noting that the 90-day legal period for organizing a vote on replacing ousted leader Nicolas Maduro had elapsed.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted on Friday that NATO was "in America's interests", at the end of a three-day visit to the Gulf to discuss bolstering the "fragile" Middle East truce.

An African AIDS charity co-founded by Britain's Prince Harry said on Friday it had launched legal proceedings against him for "reputational harm", after a bitter dispute about its management.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy battled England's Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose for the lead in Friday's second round of the 90th Masters at firm and fast Augusta National.

Djibouti began counting votes Friday in a presidential election expected to hand a sixth term to 78-year-old Ismail Omar Guelleh, who faces just one little-known opponent in the small but highly strategic Horn of Africa nation.

The Artemis II astronauts were preparing Friday for a high-stakes re-entry and splashdown, the final and perhaps most risky step of their historic 10-day journey around the Moon.

As the Orion spacecraft hurtles home, friction caused by re-entry into Earth's atmosphere will drastically decrease its speed from a potential 25,000 miles per hour (40,000 kilometers per hour).

Thousands of Michael Jackson fans descended on Berlin on Friday for the premiere of a new biopic about the "King of Pop", undeterred by child sex abuse allegations that continue to haunt the star.

Iran demanded a truce in Lebanon and the release of its blocked assets on Friday as US Vice President JD Vance warned Tehran not to "play" Washington, casting doubt on planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan.

President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has "no cards" in upcoming talks with the United States -- apart from Tehran's effective stranglehold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping channel.

An Israeli strike, one of multiple on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on Friday, killed 13 State Security personnel, the agency said, as Lebanon prepared to start ceasefire talks with Israel.

Rising Irish star Conor Stone-Walsh warmed up for his first ride in the Grand National with victory over the fences on Friday, guiding home Will The Wise in the Topham Chase.

More than 100,000 Muslim worshippers performed Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem, the holy site's Islamic authority reported, after it reopened the previous day following a truce agreed between the United States and Iran.

Teenage French starlet Paul Seixas sprinted to stage five victory at the Tour of the Basque country on Friday, edging out Florian Lipowitz to extend his significant overall lead.

Even as Gulf tanker traffic slowly resumes, the road back to normal food production will be long and arduous, given the war's impact on fertiliser supplies, the UN has warned.

Roberto De Zerbi called on Tottenham to embrace their attacking "DNA" in their relegation battle as he prepares to take charge of the team for the first time against Sunderland on Sunday.

Inflation in the United States rose sharply in March, government data showed Wednesday, as higher energy prices due to the war in the Middle East hit Americans hard.

Soaring fuel prices are driving up costs for Thais travelling home for the holidays, but the chance to spend the new year with loved ones is a price worth paying, they say.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and England's Justin Rose scrambled not to lose ground on co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns early in Friday's second round of the Masters.