Seoul, Aug 20 (IANS) Seoul shares traded more than 6 per cent higher on late Thursday morning as investors snapped up major chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, amid expectations for stronger shareholder returns from chip giants.After opening 3.23 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) extended its gains, rising 401.44 points, or 6.2 percent, to 6,872.61 as of 11:20 am, reports Yonhap news agency.Programme trading for the KOSPI-listed shares wa…

Washington, Aug 20 (IANS) US Senator Mark Warner has demanded answers from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over paid advertisements containing alleged child sexual abuse material, citing an earlier investigation that found similar advertisements running on Instagram in India.Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said Meta had allowed advertisements featuring child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, and non-consensual intimate images to appear across its platforms. He also questioned whether the company profited fr…

Washington, Aug 20 (IANS) As many as 583 companies have gone public in the United States since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, raising $208 billion as the administration moves to ease regulations governing public listings and cryptocurrency fundraising, the country’s top securities regulator has said. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins described the figures as evidence of a sharp revival in the American market for initial public offerings.”Since Inauguration Day, 583 …

Helsinki, Aug 20 (IANS) Finland plans to fence off parts of the African swine fever (ASF) restriction zone in its southeastern region, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah said, as confirmed infections among wild boars rose to 19. The exact area to be fenced has yet to be determined, Essayah said on Wednesday (local time), adding that the work would be carried out in the coming months as part of efforts to contain the outbreak.The Finnish Food Authority has established a restriction…

Seoul, Aug 20 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said he respects US President Donald Trump’s efforts to create the conditions for dialogue with North Korea by going as far as scaling back South Korea-US military exercises. Lee made the remark in a post on his X account late Wednesday, hours after the allies announced their decision to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at Trump’s orders.Trump wrote in a social media post Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to “subst…

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) The Congress leaders on Thursday asserted that the party was resolute in its stand to “follow the path shown by freedom fighters” regarding rendition of only the first two stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram.This comes a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolved to continue following a tradition established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are recited at Congress events. The decision assumes signi…

Thanjavur, Aug 20 (IANS) Private seed dealers in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district have been instructed to sell only paddy varieties suitable for the Samba cultivation season and to comply strictly with seed certification and record-keeping requirements. Deputy Director of Seed Inspection Sujatha said farmers across the district were preparing for Samba cultivation and must be supplied with quality seeds appropriate for the season.In a press release, the official said certified seed packets offere…

Bhubaneswar, Aug 20 (IANS) The Odisha Transport Department has initiated action to cancel or suspend the permits of around 400 auto-rickshaws allegedly used to block roads during an ongoing protest by app-based cab drivers and bike riders at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar, said an official on Thursday.The road blockade and alleged vandalism by unruly protesters disrupted normal traffic in the area for some time in the master canteen square area on Wednesday.Several government properties, i…

Singapore, Aug 20 (IANS) Top Indian ministers on Thursday met Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, here and discussed the progress made in implementing the roadmap for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Jitin Prasada, Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, represented the Indian delegation during the high-leve…

Mumbai, Aug 20 (IANS) National Award-winning fashion designer Neeta Lulla takes a trip down memory lane, recalling how Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor’s iconic look for the song ‘Tan Tana Tan’ from the 1997 blockbuster “Judwaa” was made, with a velvet bodysuit and a striking metal bolero bringing the quintessential 90s glam look to life. Lulla took to Instagram a video on Instagram, where she talked about bringing Karisma’s look as Mala in the song to life. She said: “This particular…