GLOBAL SNAPSHOT

Jail for blasphemy

JAKARTA: An Indonesian court yesterday sentenced the minority Christian governor of Jakarta to two years in prison for blaspheming the Quran at a trial that undermined the country’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam. The five-judge panel said Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest.

Two quakes hit

TOKYO: Two earthquakes, 6.4 and 5 on the Richter scale, have hit southern Japan without triggering the tsunami alert. Both struck the same area at the same depth within 10 minutes. No casualties or injuries from either have been reported.

South Koreans vote

SEOUL: South Koreans have headed to voting stations to elect a new leader, looking to move on from a corruption scandal that brought down former President Park Geun- hye and shook the political and business elite to the core. Unless there is a major upset, liberal Moon Jae-in - who calls for a moderate approach on North Korea, will be elected president.

Funds for homeless

SAN FRANCISCO: A nonprofit has pledged to raise $100 million to reduce chronic homelessness in a city widely known for sidewalk tent encampments amid multi-million dollar homes. Tipping Point Community said the money will come from private donations and go toward affordable housing and homeless services provided by other nonprofit groups as well as government.

Officials removed

BEIJING: Authorities in southern China have removed six officials from their posts after a coal mine accident that killed 18 people. The official Xinhua News Agency said late Monday the officials removed include the deputy county chief. The news agency said those responsible for the accident had been detained by police, although it was unclear if those were the same local officials. Sunday’s accident in Youxian County in Hunan Province was caused by a gas leak.

Manhunt in Paris

PARIS: Gare du Nord train station is returning to normal service after armed police cordoned off and evacuated platforms to search for several wanted people. The Research and Intervention Brigade searched a train from Valenciennes, northern France, for “persons wanted by the police,” a source told BFMTV television network. Security has been stepped up across France after Sunday’s election.