2nd corruption trial
Reuters, New York
Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is expected to go to trial on federal corruption charges for the second time on Monday, seven months after an appeals court threw out his earlier conviction and 12-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors and Silver’s lawyers are scheduled to make their opening statements to jurors before U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan. Silver has pleaded not guilty to charges of honest services fraud, extortion and money laundering..
Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians
Xinhua, Jerusalem
Israel’s army said three Palestinians were shot dead on Sunday night after they crossed border fence from the Gaza Strip in three separate cases.
A military spokesperson said in a statement that around 21:30 (1830 GMT), two suspects were identifying trying to sabotage the fence that separates between Israel and the besieged Palestinian enclave. The two also tried to infiltrate into Israeli territory, the spokesperson said.
Chile sex victims meet Pope
AP, Vatican City
Men who were sexually abused by a priest in Chile described the private talks they’ve had so far with Pope Francis at the Vatican as very helpful and respectful Sunday.
James Hamilton, one of three clergy abuse survivors the pope invited to Italy after he discounted some of their assertions, tweeted that his more than two hours of conversation with Francis were “enormously constructive.”
7 killed in Taiwan factory fire
AFP, Taipei
Seven people-five of them firefighters-died in a fire that broke out late Saturday in an electronics factory in northern Taiwan, the local fire department said. The inferno raged through the eight-floor building of a circuit board maker, located in an industrial district in Taoyuan City.
Seven firefighters were trapped by large fallen objects as they tried to search for people inside the factory.
Kurds face losses in Iraq’s election
AFP, Arbil
As if the loss of oil-rich territory last year wasn’t painful enough, Iraq’s divided Kurds are bracing for a blow on the political front in the country’s May 12 elections.
Analysts estimate the Kurds’ loss of seats in Iraq’s parliament could reach double figures as their shrunken geographic footprint is compounded by a bitter feud between the two main political parties in semi-autonomous Kurdistan.
One Kashmiri protester killed
AP, Srinagar
Indian government forces fired at protesters in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday, killing a young man and wounding at least 14 others, officials said, as fighting continued between rebels and troops.
Indian troops cordoned off southern Drubgam village early Monday following a tip that rebels were hiding there, police said.
