Morning Brief: Russia conducts joint air drills with Belarus, China's population falls drastically, and more
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Russia and Belarus began their 'defensive' joint air drills, leaving Kyiv and the West concerned that it could lead to the launch of a new attack on Ukraine. In other news, for the first time in 60 years, China's population has taken a dramatic turn to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizens' numbers. Meanwhile, confirming earlier reports, the Burkina Faso government said on Monday that around 50 women searching for food were kidnapped by militants in the northern province of Soum on January 12 and 13. Finally, six people were shot dead by gunmen in a home in California early Monday in what the police have termed a "targeted" attack.
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One of the only nations that have unwaveringly backed Russia throughout the conflict, Belarus, permitted Moscow's military to begin their invasion from Belarusian soil in February. The air force drills, according to Belarus's defence ministry, will feature combined "tactical" flights from all of the country's airfields. Minska stated that the drills will aim at fortifying the defence.
The drop, believed to be the worst since China's great famine of 1961, means that its neighbour India will become the world's most populous nation this year.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics figures shows that by the end of 2022, the nation's population dropped to 1.41175 billion with a fall of roughly 850,000. The long-term prediction by UN experts says that in roughly three decades, or by 2050, the population will shrink by 109 million.
The mass kidnapping was the first such instance since the insurgency spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali in 2015. While Westerners and locals are occasionally captured, women had not previously been abducted in such numbers. The women were kidnapped by armed men from two locations near the town of Aribinda while they were picking fruit.
Six, including 6-month-old baby and teen mom, killed in apparent drug-related shooting in California
Six people were shot dead by gunmen in a home in California early Monday in what the police have termed a "targeted" attack. The victims included a six-month-old baby and its teen mother, police officials said. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux of the Tulare County Sheriff's Office told reporters that the grisly crime seems to be linked to a gang and drug violence.
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