LOS ANGELES (AP) — Armed with some outdoor survival training, granola bars and pink rubber boots, 5- and 8-year-old sisters survived 44 hours in rugged Northern California wilderness before they were found dehydrated and cold but in good spirits on Sunday, authorities said.

A fire chief and firefighter from a local volunteer department found Leia and Caroline Carrico in a wooded area about 1½ miles (2.3 kilometers) from their home in the small community of Benbow, where they had last been seen Friday afternoon, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said.

Coimbatore, Mar 4 (PTI) The casualty figure in the air strike on the Balakot camp will be given out by the government, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa said on Monday while asserting that the Indian Air Force does not count the number of dead.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the death toll depends on the number of people present at the target.

BEIJING, March 4. /TASS/. China supports Russia’s initiative to act as a diplomatic intermediary between India and Pakistan to de-escalate the situation between the countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said at Monday’s briefing.

"We welcome any measures that will help support peace and stability in the region, as well as improve the situation," he said in response to the corresponding question.

New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday said the Modi government claims that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inviting India to attend its plenary was a diplomatic success has fallen flat with the 57-nations grouping adopting a resolution that "supported" Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

Lahore, Mar 3; PTI/GANASHAKTI: Flight operations resumed at Lahore airport on Sunday after being suspended for over 72 hours as Pakistan's airspace was closed in the wake of escalating tensions with India.

Pakistan on Wednesday closed its airspace for commercial flights and suspended flight operations across major airports, including in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, for an indefinite period.

04 Mar 2019; DW: Amid street protests, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika vowed not to serve a full term if re-elected for the 5th time. The so-called "living dead" leader is rarely seen in public. His pledge was made in a letter.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has promised to call for new elections within one year if re-elected in April, Algerian state television said on Sunday.

Panaji, Mar 3 (PTI) Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is suffering from an advanced-stage cancer, senior state cabinet minister Vijai Sardesai said here Sunday.

Sardesai, who heads BJP ally Goa Forward Party, is the second member of the cabinet after health minister Vishwajit Rane to talk about the exact nature of Parrikar's illness.

While it is known that the chief minister, who has been in and out of hospitals since February 2018, is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, his office has not provided any specific information about the illness so far.

ULAN BATOR, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's annual spring eagle festival kicked off near the capital city of Ulan Bator on Sunday, which is part of the country's efforts to attract tourists.

The event called "Spring Golden Eagle Festival" was co-organized by the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Mongolian Eagle Hunter's Association and others with the aim of boosting tourism by promoting the tradition of hunting with eagles.

Rome, Mar 4 (AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron has launched a call for reconciliation with Italy following a diplomatic spat between the neighbours that saw Paris briefly recall its ambassador.

Relations between the two countries have fractured due to repeated clashes between centrist Macron and Italy's populist coalition government.

In February, Paris recalled ambassador Christian Masset for a week in protest at "unfounded attacks and outlandish claims" by the Italian government.

SIMFEROPOL, March 4. /TASS/. A fire on the tanker Maestro in the Black Sea has stopped after about 1.5 months, the press service of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told TASS on Monday.

The Turkish tankers Maestro and Candy started to burn in the Kerch Strait area beyond Russia’s territorial waters on January 21. According to earlier reports, the fire on the Candy tanker stopped on February 28.

"The last spot [of fire] was out on Sunday at 18:50 Moscow time. The ship Spasatel Demidov is keeping the watch on the site," a press service official said.

Kolkata, Mar 3 (PTI) BJP workers clashed with the police at several places of West Bengal Sunday as the saffron party was prevented from holding its 'Vijay Sankalp' motorbike rally.

Police said they prevented the rallies as permission had not been granted to them because of the ongoing school board examinations.

The 'Vijay Sankalp' bike rally is part of the BJP's countrywide pre-poll exercise to establish contact with people.

Agartala, Mar 3 (PTI) Tripura government has decided to distribute laptops to 800 school teachers to assess the level of students development in different disciplines.

State Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath told reporters that the government has sanctioned Rs 28 crore for -Notun Disha (new direction) - a new one-month project to provide training to teachers.

Eight hundred teachers would be selected for the training, and selected NGOs, societies or educational institutions would provide them training.