Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India`s first private military aircraft plant Monday, boosting New Delhi`s ambitions of growing local manufacturing in its defense and aerospace industries. Sanchez was welcomed to the country with a roadshow in Gujarat state`s Vadodara city where hundreds of people cheered and waved banners.

Three well-armed militias launched a surprise joint offensive in northeastern Myanmar a year ago, breaking a strategic stalemate with the regime`s military with rapid gains of huge swaths of territory and inspiring others to attack around the country. The military`s control had seemed firmly ensconced with vast superiority in troops and firepower, plus material support from Russia and China.

Fighters from the notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces ran riot in east-central Sudan in a multi-day attack that killed more than 120 people in one town, a doctors group and the United Nations said. It was the group`s latest attack against the Sudanese military after suffering a series of setbacks, losing ground to the military in the area.

Oil prices tumbled in early Asian trading Monday with dealers relieved that Israeli strikes carried out Saturday against military targets in Iran had spared the country`s oil installations. The price of North Sea Brent for delivery in December fell by 4.05 percent to $72.97, while West Texas Intermediate plunged by 4.19 percent to $68.77.