Ex-Israeli PM Olmert sentenced to more jail time for corruption
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced on Monday to eight months in jail for accepting illegal payments from a U.S. businessman, having previously been given a six-year term in a separate corruption case.
Indonesian minister fears government sabotage in contaminated rice scare
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s home minister called for a police investigation into the suspected contamination of rice with plastic, saying it may be an attempt at sabotaging the government, media reported on Monday.
Second poll shows Turkish ruling party may lose majority in election
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s ruling AK Party is seen losing its parliamentary majority in a June 7 election and may have to form a coalition government, according to the results of a survey by pollster SONAR seen by Reuters on Monday.
U.N. urges Lebanon to pick president, end political vacuum
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A United Nations envoy urged Lebanon’s feuding political leaders to pick a new president, warning on Monday that the country’s year-long power vacuum had undermined its ability to deal with the impact of the Syrian crisis and a host …
Syrian air force targets captured Palmyra city – monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s air force carried out at least 15 strikes in and around the central city of Palmyra early on Monday, targeting buildings captured by Islamic State, a group monitoring the war said.
Only Iran is confronting Islamic State, paramilitary chief says
DUBAI (Reuters) – The general in charge of Iran’s paramilitary activities in the Middle East said the United States and other powers were failing to confront Islamic State, and only Iran was committed to the task, a news agency on Monday reported.
Sydney siege gunman too ‘weird’ for Australian motorcycle gang, inquest hears
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A self-styled sheikh who staged a siege at an Australian cafe last year suffered “grandiose delusions” and was once kicked out of a motorcycle gang because he was deemed so weird, an inquest into the deaths of three people heard on M…
Bangladesh arrests two suspected Islamic State activists
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladeshi police have arrested two suspected members of the Islamic State group who had planned to fight alongside militants in Syria, a police official said on Monday, adding to concerns about the rise of extremist groups in South …
Portugal, like Europe, loses hunger for reform
SINTRA, Portugal (Reuters) – Celebrated among Europe’s elite as a model of how to reform an economy after a debt binge, Portugal’s enthusiasm for change has waned as Europe loses its appetite for further belt-tightening.
Eastern Japan shaken by 5.6 magnitude quake, no tsunami warning
TOKYO (Reuters) – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 shook Tokyo and surrounding areas on Monday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
