Madras Times - Stay Informed with Madras Times: Round-the-clock Coverage of Chennai, India, and Global Affairs in Six Languages

Inside one of South Korea's oldest semiconductor research institutes, the cleanrooms and workshops are calm and immaculate, but outside the Seoul National University campus, a chip storm is brewing.

Starbucks in South Korea has banned customers from using the names of the country's presidential candidates -- or the disgraced ex-president -- for their orders, the coffee giant told AFP on Wednesday.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Antalya from Wednesday will look to forge a compromise deal on ramping up defence spending as allies scramble to satisfy US President Donald Trump's demand to agree to five percent of GDP at a summit next month.

The Eurovision Song Contest's groundbreaking stage, built in a race against time, is a hi-tech playground for artists performing at the world's biggest live music TV event, its producer told AFP.

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" powers into the Cannes film festival for its premiere on Wednesday on a steamroller of hype.

Explosive Wallabies back Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is in a race to be fit to face the British and Irish Lions after his club said Wednesday that he needs surgery on a fractured jaw.

The Indiana Pacers came from behind to send the Cleveland Cavaliers crashing out of the NBA playoffs on Tuesday as the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a dazzling Nikola Jokic display to push the Denver Nuggets to the brink of elimination.

Japan's Sony on Wednesday reported a record annual net profit but issued a cautious forecast, saying it hopes to "manage the impact" of US trade tariffs on its business.

The United States and China slashed sweeping tariffs on each others' goods for 90 days on Wednesday, after a temporary ceasefire in a brutal trade war that roiled global markets and international supply chains.

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said abuses were being committed on giant construction sites in Saudi Arabia and warned of the risks to migrant workers building stadiums for the 2034 World Cup.

Japanese entertainment and electronics giant Sony on Wednesday reported an 18 percent jump in annual net profit but issued a cautious forecast for the current financial year.

The United States and China will lift sweeping tariffs on each others' goods for 90 days on Wednesday, after a temporary ceasefire in a brutal trade war that roiled global markets and international supply chains.

Asian stocks fluctuated Wednesday, with investors struggling to track a strong day on Wall Street as euphoria over the China-US trade detente petered out.

It is barely visible, and needs no irrigation or fertilisers: lying off the coast of Australia is a vast seaweed crop destined to curb livestock's climate-altering flatulence and belches.

A top court is to rule Wednesday on whether the EU failed the transparency test by declining to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer as the bloc tried to secure Covid vaccines.

Donald Trump was set to meet the leader of Syria and the heads of the Gulf states Wednesday in Riyadh before travelling to Qatar where controversy is swirling over the gifting of a luxury aircraft.

From doctored photos of sex-fueled parties to a racy AI-generated song, a flood of misinformation surrounding music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs threatens to distort public perception of his closely watched New York trial.

President Donald Trump's rollercoaster tariff row with Beijing has wreaked havoc on US companies that rely on Chinese manufacturing, with a temporary de-escalation only expected to partially calm the storm, analysts and business owners say.

Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent more than three decades behind bars for the grisly shotgun murders of their parents in the family's luxury Beverly Hills home, could soon walk free after a judge on Tuesday reduced their life sentences.

Casandra Ventura says she was coerced into sex with male escorts while Sean Combs watched and masturbated.

Tributes poured in from across Latin America on Tuesday following the death of Uruguay's former president Jose "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy will play in the Australian Open for the next two years, the world number two said Wednesday, ending a long absence from the tournament.

Sean "Diddy" Combs's former partner Casandra Ventura told jurors at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial Tuesday how he subjected her to "disgusting" and "humiliating" drug-fueled, marathon group sex sessions.

Lightning-fast greens are predicted at rain-soaked Quail Hollow when the 107th PGA Championship tees off Thursday with the world's top-ranked trio in a mouth-watering feature group sure to dominate attention.

Uruguay's former president Jose "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter and hero of the Latin American left, has died at the age of 89, the government said Tuesday.

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday with a semi-final filled with pyrotechnics, colour and a dramatic sweep of music, from Portuguese guitar ballads to Estonian comedy.

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in an induced coma to help his recovery from urgent abdominal surgery, according to reports on Tuesday.

Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning writer and director of "Kramer vs Kramer," has died in his US home, his representative said Tuesday. He was 92.

Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the Boston Celtics' playoff defeat to the New York Knicks, the NBA champions confirmed on Tuesday, leaving the basketball superstar facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Wall Street stocks mostly rose Tuesday while oil prices advanced, extending a rally as the improved state of US-China trade boosts the economic outlook.

Spaniard Jose Riveiro received a fitting farewell on Tuesday as coach of Orlando Pirates, who kept their slim South African Premiership title hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Golden Arrows.

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday with a first semi-final filled with pyrotechnics, colour and a dazzling sweep of music, from Portuguese guitar ballads to Belgian techno.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council to take action "to prevent genocide" in Gaza, delivering a scathing account of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory.

Late baseball pariahs Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson were removed from the sport's permanently ineligible list on Tuesday in a historic move that paves the way for the duo and other deceased players to be admitted into the hall of fame.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is thrilled to be playing the first two rounds of the PGA Championship with defending champion Xander Schauffele and reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, expecting a memorable time.

Sean "Diddy" Combs's former partner Casandra Ventura told jurors at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial Tuesday how he subjected her to "disgusting" marathon group sex sessions.

Uruguay's former president Jose "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter and hero of the Latin American left, has died at the age of 89, the government said Tuesday.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council to take action "to prevent genocide" in Gaza, delivering a scathing account of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territory.

Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning writer and director of "Kramer vs Kramer," has died in his US home, The New York Times reported Tuesday. He was 92.