World briefs

CHINA-INDIA Xi Jinping’s trip to India this week highlights subtle shifts in the regional power dynamic that are bringing warmer ties between the two Asian giants, challenging China’s traditional relationship with Pakistan, and opening a new chapter in Beijing’s ongoing competition for influence with arch-rival Japan. More on p10

THAILAND Police on the scenic resort island of Koh Tao in southern Thailand are conducting a sweep of hotels and workers’ residences searching for clues into the slayings of two British tourists whose nearly naked, battered bodies were found on a beach a day earlier. More than 70 police officers were deployed to Koh Tao, a popular diving destination in the Gulf of Thailand, as the country’s leaders called for a swift investigation into a pair of brutal killings that marked a new blow to Thailand’s tourism industry. More on p13

FIJI For the first time since a military coup eight years ago, Fijians will go to the polls. The international community is embracing this as the moment to welcome back Fiji into the fray, and observers have seen no signs of fraud. But there remain plenty of questions about how military leader Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama has tilted things in his favor, in an election is favored to win.

UK London is the only city with the highest number of top-rated universities across the world, according to the QS World University Rankings released yesterday. According to the new rankings, Britain has four of the world’s top six universities and five of the world’s top 100 universities. The five universities in London include Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), King’s College London, London School of Economics and Queen Mary University of London. Their rankings are second, fifth, 16th, 71st and 98th respectively. It said London is the only city in the world with so many universities in the top 100 world’s universities, following by Boston and Hong Kong with three universities in top 100.

FRANCE Air France, one of Europe’s largest flag carriers, said it would cancel 60 percent of scheduled flights yesterday as pilots continued to strike over a cost-cutting scheme. On Monday, pilots started a one-week protest move forcing the company to cancel six out of 10 flights. Their union (Spaf) said strikes would continue if negotiations failed to bridge differences over pilots pay and transferring workers to the group’ s low-cost Transavia unit.

FRANCE’s prime minister faces a confidence vote in a parliament increasingly frustrated with unpopular President Francois Hollande’s handling of the economy — including dissidents within his Socialist Party. The Socialists have a solid majority in parliament. But they are split between leftists who think restraining government spending will hurt the economy and Hollande allies, who believe that a country where government spending makes up 57 percent of annual gross domestic product needs reform.

DENMARK A gunman opened fire yesterday at a court building in Copenhagen, killing one man and seriously wounding another, authorities said. Danish police said they arrested a suspect nearby and seized a shotgun. The motive of the shooting wasn’t immediately clear but a court spokesman called it a possible “family showdown.” Police said the shooting appeared related to a court case.

SOUTH AFRICA Several legal groups in South Africa express concern about threats and harsh criticism of the judge who found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide, but not guilty of the more serious charge of murder. Some South Africans say they are surprised and even shocked when Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled last week that the Paralympic champion was negligent but did not intend to kill when he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a closed toilet door.

USA President Barack Obama’s strategy to combat Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria is scrutinized in Congress, where the expanded military campaign has broad support but skepticism rooted in more than a decade of war. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the first in a series of high-profile Capitol Hill hearings that will measure the president’s ability to rally congressional support.