World briefs

NEPAL Hundreds of people held a candlelight vigil in Nepal’s capital yesterday evening to mark one month since the earthquake that killed thousands of people and affected millions. About 200 people gathered at the Brikutimandap grounds in the heart of Kathmandu to remember the dead. They held a minute of silence, lit candles and signed messages in memory of those killed.

PAKISTAN The son of Pakistan’s president escapes unharmed from a roadside bomb attack that killed three people and wounded 15.

AFGHANISTAN A suicide truck bomb blast at the gate of a provincial council compound kills at least five people and wounds 62, authorities say.

JAPAN A magnitude-5.5 earthquake shakes buildings in Tokyo and temporarily stops trains but causes no apparent damage or injuries.

AUSTRALIA moves to increase cooperation between its security agencies against the threat of Islamic State group militants by appointing two new counterterrorism coordinators.

AUSTRALIA announces it will repatriate the remains of up to 25 Australian soldiers killed about 50 years ago during the Vietnam War.

INDONESIA’s anti-terrorism squad kills two suspects and arrests seven others in raids on a jihadist organization with possible links to the Islamic State group, police say.

TUNISIA A Tunisian soldier opens fire on fellow troops at a military barracks in an unusual attack in the capital, and the state news agency says the gunman and three others were killed.

YEMEN A United Nations-sponsored peace conference that was to take place at the end of the month is indefinitely postponed, senior Yemeni politicians say.

ISRAEL Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sentenced to eight months in prison for unlawfully accepting money from a U.S. supporter, capping the dramatic downfall of a man who hoped to bring about a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians.

FRANCE’s president says his country’s strong showing at this year’s Cannes film festival is no accident — suggesting it’s partly thanks to government subsidies. France has had long dry spells without prizes at Cannes. This year, unusually, five French films were selected for competition. The jury, led by American directors Joel and Ethan Coen, handed three prizes to French winners, including the top prize for Jacques Audiard’s migrant drama “Dheepan.”

POLAND Voters have sent a strong signal that they are unhappy with the country’s direction, unseating a president despite the country’s years of fast economic growth and unprecedented stability. Challenger Andrzej Duda, a right-wing member of the European Parliament, won the country’s presidential election Sunday with 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for the incumbent, Bronislaw Komorowski.

USA-IRAQ The Islamic State group’s takeover of the provincial capital Ramadi prompts criticism from Defense Secretary Ash Carter that raises new questions about the Obama administration’s strategy to defeat the extremist group.