Reuters, Washington
A Chinese fighter plane has been spotted on a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea, the first such sighting in a year and the first since U.S. President Trump took office, a U.S. think tank reported on Thursday.
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the J-11 fighter was visible in a satellite image taken on March 29 of Woody Island in the Paracel island chain.
Avalanche kills 3 Indian soldiers
AP, Srinagar
The Indian army on Friday recovered the bodies of three soldiers whose mountainous post was buried in an avalanche in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a military spokesman said.
Two soldiers were rescued immediately after the avalanche hit the Batalik sector in Ladakh region on Thursday, Col. Rajesh Kali said. The bodies of three others were recovered Friday close to the cease-fire line dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan, Kali said.
Iraqi helicopter downed in Mosul
AFP, Arbil
The Islamic State group shot down an Iraqi helicopter operating over Mosul Thursday, as security forces announced they recaptured another neighbourhood in their nearly six-month-old offensive against the jihadist stronghold. The operation to retake west Mosul-which the helicopter was supporting when it was downed-has become a slow, grinding battle that has taken a heavy toll on civilians and pushed more than 200,000 to flee.
Nationwide protests against Zuma
AP, Johannesburg
