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BEIRUT (AP) — Syria is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country’s longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December.Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote. But in practice, the Assad-led Baath Party always dominated the parliament, and the votes were widely regarded as sham elections.Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before election day — with the internal primary system in the Baath Party, when…

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli has been imprisoned, but his reporting remains defiantly alive.From behind bars, the veteran journalist delivers news and sharp political commentary on his YouTube channel through letters relayed by his lawyers. The letters are read aloud by an assistant in an initiative Altayli’s peers have dubbed “prison journalism.”“Fatih Altayli has launched a new form of journalism: prison journalism,” fellow journalist Murat Yetkin, wrote on his news website, Yetkin Report. “Drawing on visits from legislators, letters, and his lawyers — he continues his journalism uninterrupted, conveying not only information from inside but also insights…

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president apologized Thursday for poorly managed foreign adoption programs that were rife with abuses and fraud, months after the country’s truth commission admitted state responsibilities for such practices for the first time.President Lee Jae Myung said in a Facebook post that he was offering “heartfelt apology and words of comfort” on behalf of the country to South Koreans adopted abroad and their adoptive and birth families.Findings by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and recent court rulings have confirmed some cases of human rights abuses in the course of international adoptions, Lee said, adding…

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — A monarchy at the heart of Europe is preparing for a generational change. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg will abdicate the throne on Friday after 25 years as head of state in favor of his eldest son, Guillaume. Henri has filled the largely ceremonial role of grand duke alongside his Cuban-born wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, as the government steered the country through troubles like the 2008 financial crisis, the greatest shock to Luxembourg’s economy since the 1970s.The tall and reserved 70-year-old Henri was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdom’s military academy Sandhurst. His…

HONG KONG (AP) — Tropical Storm Matmo edged closer to the Philippines on Thursday and was expected to intensify into a typhoon that could threaten southern China this weekend, just about a week after the region was battered by Ragasa, one of the strongest storms to hit Asia in years. Matmo, which had maximum sustained winds of 65 kph (40 mph), is forecast to move west-northwest to the vicinity of Luzon, the Philippines’ most populous region, at about 22 kph (13 mph), according to Hong Kong’s observatory on Thursday morning. The country’s central region was already grappling with the aftermath…

The second matchday of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League league phase is in the books and, while the table is only starting to take shape, there are plenty of talking points beginning to crop up.Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain won away at Barcelona, while Arsenal and Real Madrid ensured that their campaigns have begun with maximum points.Liverpool, however, slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray, while Julián Álvarez and Rasmus Højlund were amongst the goals in wins for Atlético Madrid and Napoli.Read on as ESPN experts Mark Ogden, Julien Laurens, Sam Tighe and Gab Marcotti offer their thoughts on Matchday 2.What’s…

Headquarters of Samsung in Mountain View, California, on October 28, 2018. Smith Collection/gado | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesShares of South Korean chip heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surged Thursday, a day after the two companies partnered with artificial-intelligence major OpenAI as part of the U.S. firm’s Stargate initiative.Samsung shares hit their highest since January 2021, rising over 4%, while SK Hynix stock surged more than 9% — highest since 2000.OpenAI said in a statement that this partnership will “focus on increasing the supply of advanced memory chips essential for next-generation AI and expanding data center capacity in Korea.”The…

Nashville SC beat Austin FC 2-1 in final of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night at Q2 Stadium to win the team’s first major trophy.The two recent MLS expansion sides — Nashville started play in 2020 and Austin in 2021 — weren’t separated by much over the course of the 90 minutes plus extra time, with Sam Surridge’s second-half penalty proving to be the difference.The U.S Open Cup, which dates back to 1914, is the oldest soccer competition in the United States. The win earns Nashville an automatic spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.Hany Mukhtar opened the scoring in the 17th minute…

The Seoul skyline.Mongkol Chuewong | Moment | Getty ImagesSouth Korea’s Kospi index jumped more than 3% Thursday to hit an all-time high, lifted by gains in heavyweight Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Shares in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which announced a partnership with OpenAI late Wednesday to supply memory chips, rose over 4% and 11%, respectively.Meanwhile, the Kosdaq rose 0.95%.South Korea’s consumer price index climbed 2.1% year on year in September, more than the 2% rise expected by economists in a Reuters poll. The latest reading compares with the 1.7% growth in August.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index advanced 0.6%, while…

MONACO — The debate about whether Manchester City “are back” is going to be a theme of their season.It’s perhaps only natural after a team which has been so dominant for so long suffers an unexpected and spectacular dip.Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva were both asked at their respective pre-match news conferences on Tuesday evening about the level of this City team. Neither player or manager seemed entirely sure of the answer. You can see why.On Wednesday, they were good in parts against AS Monaco and vulnerable in others. They should have won, but they didn’t. A late Eric Dier…