AP, San Francisco
California further eased some water cutbacks Thursday as a rainy March lessens the state’s five-year drought. The state Department of Water Resources announced it would be able to give its client water agencies 45 percent of their water allocations this year. That’s up from as low as 5 percent in 2014, in the middle of California’s driest four-year stretch on record.
Indian army kills two in Kashmir
AFP, Srinagar
Indian soldiers killed two suspected rebels early Friday in a gun battle in restive Kashmir near the de-facto border with Pakistan, an army spokesman said.
Soldiers and police launched an overnight operation in Peethawada area, 70 kilometres (around 45 miles) northwest of the main city of Srinagar after receiving a tip-off that armed militants were hiding out in a local village.
7 Filipino militants killed in clash
AP, Manila
Philippine troops battled about 100 Muslim militants Friday in fierce fighting that killed seven gunmen and a soldier and wounded a top militant commander long wanted by both the Philippines and its U.S. ally, a Filipino general said.
Another 16 soldiers and five militants were hurt in the clash that erupted when troops approached rebels from the Abu Sayyaf group in a jungle off Patikul town in predominantly Muslim Sulu province, said Brig. Gen. Allan Arrojado.
Syrian oppon wants quick transition
Reuters, Geneva
The Syrian opposition said on Thursday that it is keen to move ahead quickly with a six-month U.N. plan for a political transition in Syria, now in its sixth year of war, and hinted that it was running out of patience with Damascus.
Basma Kodmani, speaking after talks between the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, said it had presented a memo “on our vision of a transitional period and formation of a transitional governing body”.
