Briefly

UNITED STATES

2 dead in shooting at university residence

Two women were killed and a child was wounded in a shooting on Monday morning at a university dormitory in Texas. University police Chief Bryan Vaughn said officers responding to a call at 10:17 am found two dead women in a room at Pride Rock residence hall on the campus in Commerce, about 105 kilometers northeast of Dallas. He said a boy about 2 years old was also in the room and was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition. Vaughn did not say if the women were students. The university canceled classes after the shooting and later said classes will not resume until Thursday.

FRANCE

Airbus bribery scandal triggers new probes

Fallout from the Airbus bribery scandal reverberated around the world on Monday as the head of one of its top buyers temporarily stood down and investigations were launched in countries aggrieved at being dragged into the increasingly political row. Airbus agreed on Friday to pay a record $4 billion in fines after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors in the United Kingdom, France and the United States over alleged bribery and corruption stretching back at least 15 years. Now, it is bracing for a rocky period with airlines and foreign governments, some of which have complained they were not forewarned about the charges and claimed little knowledge of the sums of money swirling around their fleet purchases.

AUSTRALIA

Deputy PM survives leadership challenge

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack on Tuesday survived a challenge to his leadership as he was reelected to lead the National Party, defeating former leader Barnaby Joyce. McCormack said it was a great honor to lead the National Party, which traditionally represents rural voters. "Never before has there been such an important time for the National Party to continue the representation we've done for 100 years. It's the challenge that is there. With the fires, with the ongoing drought," McCormack said. Together with the Liberal Party, the National Party forms the Coalition.

SWITZERLAND

UN-brokered Libya military talks kick off

Military officers from rival factions in Libya's conflict began UN-led talks in Geneva on Monday aimed at securing a cease-fire after 10 months of fighting on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli. The military talks were taking place two weeks after an international summit in Berlin that was focused on charting a path toward a political solution and enforcing a UN arms embargo that has been routinely violated. The United Nations says weapons and fighters have continued to enter Libya since the Berlin meeting. The Geneva talks are aimed at trust building and working out a monitoring mechanism for a cease-fire, diplomats said.

INDIA

Delhi casts doubt on citizenship registry

India's ruling Hindu nationalist-led government said on Tuesday it was still weighing whether to roll out a nationwide citizenship registry, an exercise it says would weed out illegal foreign nationals. The announcement comes amid protests against a citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some religious minorities from three neighboring countries but not Muslims. The official statement, made by lawmaker Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in Parliament, is a departure from comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's senior party leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah.

Agencies - Xinhua