6+ min ago (234+ words) Polls opened in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election amid the arrests of opposition figures and the closure of independent media outlets. It is expected to cement the grip of President Sadyr Zhaparov, who has sought to suppress dissent in what was once Central Asia's most democratic country. The vote is being held a year earlier than scheduled, a move that officials have justified by arguing that the parliamentary elections would otherwise fall too close to the 2027 presidential elections. There have also been sweeping changes to Kyrgyzstan's electoral system, with 30 constituencies electing three lawmakers each. According to the Central Election Commission, 467 candidates are vying for the 90 seats in Kyrgyzstan's one-chamber parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh. There's also a gender quota system that requires at least one female lawmaker from each district. Analysts say candidates…...

10+ min ago (291+ words) Toronto will try to keep its four-game road win streak alive when the Raptors take on New York Toronto Raptors (14-5, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (12-6, third in the Eastern Conference) New York; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Knicks -7.5; over/under is 232.5 BOTTOM LINE: Toronto hits the road against New York trying to continue its four-game road winning streak. The Knicks are 3-0 against the rest of their division. New York is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 32.1 defensive rebounds per game led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 9.0. The Raptors are 3-1 against the rest of their division. Toronto is fifth in the NBA scoring 54.0 points per game in the paint led by Scottie Barnes averaging 10.3. The Knicks are shooting 47.1% from the field this season, 1.3 percentage points higher than the 45.8% the Raptors allow to opponents. The Raptors average 118.8 points per…...

34+ min ago (337+ words) Authorities report that some residents of flood-hit Sumatra have resorted to looting, seeking food and water MEDAN, Indonesia -- Some residents of the flood-hit island of Sumatra resorted to looting, seeking food and water to survive, authorities said Sunday. The floods, which hit nearly a week ago, have killed 303 people " with the number expected to rise as more bodies are recovered " and displaced thousands. The deluges triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut off parts of the island, and downed communication lines. The challenging weather conditons and the lack of heavy equipment also hampered rescue efforts. Aid has been slow to reach the hardest-hit city of Sibolga and the district of Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra. Videos on social media showed looters scrambling past crumbling barricades, flooded roads and broken glass to get their hands on food, medicine and gas. Some even…...

34+ min ago (475+ words) Swiss voters are deciding whether women should be required to do national service like men GENEVA -- Swiss voters are casting ballots to decide whether women, like men, must do national service in the military, civil protection teams or in other forms. Supporters of the "citizen service initiative" in the referendum ending Sunday hope it will boost social cohesion by adding jobs in areas like environmental prevention, food security and elderly care. Parliament overwhelmingly opposes the idea, mainly for cost reasons and out of concern that it could crimp the economy by taking tens of thousands of young people out of the workforce. While initial polls suggested a tight contest, a more recent survey showed the initiative was on track to fail. The vote gives an indication of how a European populace views mandatory national duty, at a time when there…...

1+ hour, 17+ min ago (572+ words) MANILA, Philippines -- Thousands of demonstrators including from the Roman Catholic church clergy protested in the Philippines on Sunday, calling for the swift prosecution of top legislators and officials implicated in a corruption scandal that has buffeted the Asian democracy. Left-wing groups led a separate protest in Manila's main park with a blunt demand for all implicated government officials to immediately resign and face prosecution. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been scrambling to quell public outrage over the massive corruption blamed for substandard, defective or non-existent flood control projects across an archipelago long prone to deadly flooding and extreme weather in tropical Asia. More than 17,000 police officers were deployed in metropolitan Manila to secure the separate protests. The Malacanang presidential palace complex in Manila was in a security lockdown with key access roads and bridges blocked by anti-riot police forces, trucks…...

1+ hour, 22+ min ago (477+ words) BERKELEY, Calif. -- Kendrick Raphael ran in from 2 yards out with 43 seconds left and California beat No. 25 SMU, 38-35, on Saturday night to spoil its hopes of making the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for a second straight year. The Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) had clawed their way back into the game and took the lead when T.J. Harden scored from a yard out with 2:22 remaining. Cal (7-5, 4-4) responded immediately, though, as quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele marched the Bears 75 yards in seven plays, capped by Raphael's 12th rushing touchdown of the season. SMU had a chance to tie the game with eight seconds left, but Sam Keltner's 52-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right. "We really wanted to go back and compete for a championship again, but we're not going to," coach Rhett Lashlee said. "We expected to win today, and we didn't." The Bears were playing their first game…...

1+ hour, 22+ min ago (530+ words) The Afghan man accused of gunning down two National Guard members blocks from the White House last week had been unraveling for years West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were critically wounded in what officials described as an ambush attack on Wednesday afternoon, and Beckstrom died from her injuries the next day. Investigators are still working to establish a motive for the attack. Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder. In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as a Zero Unit. The units were backed by the CIA. He entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats. He resettled with his wife and their five…...

1+ hour, 38+ min ago (1139+ words) Pope Leo XIV plans to pray at an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Istanbul in a gesture supporting Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey Beyond its ecumenical symbolism, the visit also may signal quiet support of ongoing efforts to heal century-old wounds between Turkey and Armenia, long scarred by mass killings and decades of mistrust, observers note. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians died in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey. Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. It has lobbied to prevent countries from officially recognizing the massacres as genocide. Pope Francis did not visit any Armenian sites during his visit to Turkey in 2014, but on his way to the airport before departing he…...

1+ hour, 54+ min ago (481+ words) President Donald Trump's top officials are meeting with a team of Ukrainian negotiators WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Top Trump administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, were expected to sit down with a Ukrainian delegation to further hash out the details of a proposed peace framework " talks that come at a sensitive moment for Ukraine as it continues to push back against Russian forces that invaded the country in 2022. On Friday just before the Florida sit-down, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who…...

1+ hour, 58+ min ago (219+ words) Saint Francis (PA) will attempt to break its five-game road losing streak when the Red Flash visit Xavier Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash (1-6) at Xavier Musketeers (5-3) Cincinnati; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Saint Francis (PA) hits the road against Xavier looking to end its five-game road slide. The Musketeers have gone 4-1 in home games. Xavier ranks seventh in the Big East with 23.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Filip Borovicanin averaging 6.0. The Red Flash are 0-3 in road games. Saint Francis (PA) is ninth in the NEC allowing 83.9 points while holding opponents to 48.6% shooting. Xavier is shooting 40.9% from the field this season, 7.7 percentage points lower than the 48.6% Saint Francis (PA) allows to opponents. Saint Francis (PA) averages 6.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 5.1 per game Xavier gives up. TOP PERFORMERS: Jovan Milicevic averages 2.9 made 3-pointers…...