Challenges ahead for India as it is set to overtake China as world's most populous country - CNA

Meanwhile, some states in India have been trying to disincentivise people from having more than two children.

In Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, population control measures have been proposed, including cutting off people from certain government benefits if they have more than two children.

Population growth has already started slowing in India, as people are having fewer children.

But it will be several decades before the numbers actually start to decline, experts pointed out. 

Before then, there are projections that India will overtake Germany and Japan to become the world's third-largest economy, possibly by 2030.

The looming question for India is what lies ahead for its 1.4 billion people and if it can leverage its immense workforce so there will be better days for them, said observers.

CONTROLLING THE POPULATION

Dr Kalpana Apte, director-general of non-governmental organisation Family Planning Association of India, said: “The reason that you see the numbers is because earlier, a lot of people, the biggest cohort of young people in India, were in their reproductive years, and they had children.

“And that's why we are in a progressive movement known as population momentum.”

Her association, which was set up in 1949 to focus on birth control for the population, provides free vasectomies and the state government gives patients a US$13 incentive for the procedure. It also offers sterilisation for women and abortion services at its clinics.

Programmes are held in slum areas to raise awareness of the family planning options available.

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2023-01-03 05:25:09Z
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Rescuers race to save Vietnamese boy trapped in concrete pit for three days - The Straits Times

HANOI - Local authorities were still racing against time on Tuesday to rescue a 10-year-old boy trapped in a 35m-deep concrete pipe pit in the southern province of Dong Thap since Saturday afternoon.

Thai Ly Hao Nam and three other children went to the Roc Sen bridge construction site to collect scrap metal on Saturday, but fell into the concrete pillar with an opening of just 25cm in diameter. Local authorities said the prognosis of the boy’s health is poor.

Rescue work started at noon the same day. Hundreds of people including firefighters and police officers along with rescue equipment like excavators, cranes, and augers were mobilised.

Cylinders of oxygen have been brought to the scene to help the boy breathe. Water was also given to the boy but since Sunday morning, there was no sign of him using the water, according to Phu Loi Commune’s People’s Committee.

The rescue team had decided on Monday to save the boy by pulling up the pillar, which has a closed end at the bottom, by first softening the ground around it through drilling and pumping water.

Rescuers have drilled more than 30m down the soil next to the pillar, and was expected to complete the remaining 5m on Monday night.

Early on Tuesday, rescuers were planning to use cranes and specialised equipment to pull up the pillar, before cutting it to bring the boy out.

Mr Le Hoang Bao, director of Dong Thap’s Transport Department, said the team was determined to pull the pillar up by Tuesday morning.

A firefighting officer from Ho Chi Minh City, who has experience rescuing people from hundreds of metres underground, said the boy’s case is “very complicated” as he is stuck in a pillar that is too narrow for any rescuer to climb into.

“The only solution is to pull the pillar up,” he told VnExpress online newspaper.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday issued an official dispatch requesting involvement and cooperation among ministries to speed up the rescue.

He ordered Dong Thap’s people’s committee to work with the various agencies to mobilise all resources and equipment needed for the rescue work to ensure progress, speed and effectiveness of the rescue work.

He also ordered ministers of national defence, public security, transport, and construction to mobilise experts immediately and assign competent forces with experience to support the rescue work.

Mr Chinh gave orders to the relevant authorities to inspect the safety measures for the Roc Sen project and have strict punishment if there are violations.

The prime minister asked the construction ministry, transport ministry, and chairman of provinces and cities’ People’s Committees to strengthen inspection to ensure safety in construction projects to avoid similar incidents.

The Roc Sen bridge project was launched six months ago with concrete piles being planted into the ground but not covered. VIET NAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-01-03 02:17:22Z
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Russia says scores of soldiers killed in Ukrainian strike - CNA

KYIV: Russia on Monday (Jan 2) said more than 60 soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike on Russian-controlled territory in a New Year assault, the biggest loss of life reported by Moscow so far.

Kyiv took responsibility for the strike which it said took place in the occupied city of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine on New Year's Eve.

In an extremely rare announcement following criticism by Russian military correspondents, the defence ministry in Moscow said 63 Russian servicemen were killed "as a result of a strike by four missiles" in Makiivka.

It was the biggest loss of life reported by the Russian defence ministry so far in a conflict that has dragged on since President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade on Feb 24 last year.

The Russian ministry said US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems had been used and the target was a temporary deployment point.

Late on Monday, the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement that its forces were behind the strikes on Makiivka.

"Up to 10 units of enemy military equipment of various types were destroyed and damaged," the general staff said.

Earlier in the day the strategic communications department of Ukraine's armed forces said nearly 400 Russian troops were killed in Makiivka.

The general staff, which usually communicates on such incidents, did not confirm the figure and said the human "losses" were still being established.

Russian war correspondents, who have gained influence in recent months, said hundreds could have been killed in the strike on a vocational school in Makiivka and accused Russia's top commanders of not learning from past mistakes.

Former Russian separatist leader Igor Strelkov said the troops, largely consisting of mobilised Russians, were stationed in an unprotected building that was "almost completely" destroyed because ammunition stored on the premises detonated in the strike.

He said "hundreds" have been killed and wounded.

"Ten months into the war it is dangerous and criminal to consider the enemy a fool who does not see anything," said Andrei Medvedev, deputy speaker of the Moscow city legislature.

The Samara governor, Dmitry Azarov, said that among the victims were residents of his region, adding that a hotline was set up for their relatives.

On social media, some accused the Russian authorities of downplaying the death toll.

"Dear God, who will believe in the figure of 63? The building has been completely destroyed," one Russian, Nina Vernykh, wrote on the country's largest social network, VKontakte.

An announcement on the social network urged Russians to collect clothes, medicines and equipment for those who survived the strike.

"Everything that the mobilised had on them remains under the rubble," said the announcement.

Another announcement said that residents in four of the region's cities - Samara, Tolyatti, Syzran and Novokuibyshevsk - will gather on Tuesday to mourn the troops.

EXPLOSION IN KYIV

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's forces shot down more than 80 drones since the start of 2023.

"In the near future, this number may increase," he said.

He also said it was paramount to increase "the cost of a new mobilisation and the war on the whole for the terrorist state".

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2023-01-02 21:00:00Z
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Japan says it scrambled jets to monitor Chinese aircraft carrier operations - CNA

TOKYO: Japan said on Monday (Jan 2) it scrambled jet fighters and dispatched aircraft and warships over the past two weeks to keep tabs on China's Liaoning aircraft carrier and five warships that conducted naval manoeuvres and flight operations in the Pacific.

Japan monitored the operations after the Chinese naval group, which included missile destroyers, sailed between the main Okinawa island and Miyakojima island into the Western Pacific from the East China Sea on Dec 16, Japan's Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

Before returning the same way on Sunday, the Chinese carrier conducted more than 300 take-offs and landings of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, added the ministry, which did not report any incursions into Japanese territorial waters or skies.

While China has conducted similar operations in the past, including one in May, the latest large-scale military drills close to Japanese islands come after Japan announced it would double defence spending over the next five years in a bid to deter China from using its military to push territorial claims in the region, including against neighbouring Taiwan.

Japan also reported that it had detected a flight by a Chinese WZ-7 drone on Sunday close to Miyakojima, the first time it has spotted the high-altitude drone in the area.

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2023-01-02 09:31:11Z
CBMidWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9qYXBhbi1zYXlzLWl0LXNjcmFtYmxlZC1qZXRzLW1vbml0b3ItY2hpbmVzZS1haXJjcmFmdC1jYXJyaWVyLW9wZXJhdGlvbnMtMzE3ODY2NtIBAA

Russian drones attack critical infrastructure in and around Kyiv: Officials - CNA

NEW YEAR IN THE TRENCHES

On Twitter, the US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said, "Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the New Year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron."

Troops toasted the New Year on the front line in Ukraine's eastern province of Donetsk. One soldier, Pavlo Pryzhehodskiy, 27, played a song he had written on a guitar after 12 of his comrades were killed in a single night.

"It is sad that instead of meeting friends, celebrating and giving gifts to one another, people were forced to seek shelter, some were killed," he told Reuters.

"It is a huge tragedy that cannot ever be forgiven. That is why the New Year is sad."

In a nearby trench, soldier Oleh Zahrodskiy, 49, said he had volunteered after his son was called up as a reservist. Now, his son is in hospital, fighting for his life with a brain injury, while his father mans the front.

"It is very tough now," he said, holding back tears.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR"

Kyiv's police chief, Andrii Nebytov, posted a photo on the Telegram app, showing what was described as a piece of a drone used in an attack on the capital, with a handwritten sign on it in Russian reading "Happy New Year".

"This wreckage is not at the front, where fierce battles are taking place, this is here, on a sports grounds, where children play," Nebytov said.

Russia has flattened Ukrainian cities and killed thousands of civilians since Putin ordered his invasion in February, saying Ukraine was an artificial state whose pro-Western outlook threatened Russia's security.

Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has since claimed to have annexed about a fifth of Ukraine.

Ukraine has fought back with Western military support, driving Russian forces from more than half the territory they seized. In recent weeks, the front lines have been largely static, with thousands of soldiers dying in intense warfare.

Russia says its aerial strikes aim to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight; Kyiv says they have no military purpose and are intended to hurt civilians, a war crime.

"The main thing is the fate of Russia," Putin said in a New Year's Eve speech to a group dressed in military uniform, instead of the event's normal backdrop of the Kremlin walls.

"Defence of the fatherland is our sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants. Moral, historical righteousness is on our side."

A Ukrainian drone attack damaged a power facility in Russia's Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, its governor said on Monday, adding that there were no casualties.

Russia said last week that it shot down a Ukrainian drone close to one of long-range bomber bases deep inside its territory and that three air force personnel had been killed.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report. 

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2023-01-02 05:37:42Z
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Philippines main airport scrambles to restore normalcy after power cut - CNA

There were 361 flights either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports on Sunday, affecting about 65,000 passengers, while numerous other flights were forced to re-route to avoid Philippine airspace.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines said it was arranging recovery flights out of the United States, Singapore and Malaysia and diverting some flights to domestic airports. Budget carrier Cebu Pacific cancelled 54 domestic flights on Monday.

Chiong said the airport had introduced its own power system in 2018 but on Sunday, both the main and backup systems failed.

When they connected directly to the regular commercial electricity, they experienced over-voltage and power surge, he added, forcing equipment to fail including radar, communications, radio and internet.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport has previously been ranked among the world's worst international gateways, with flight delays a regular occurrence, and a history of upgrades being delayed or abandoned due to disputes between the airport and contractors.

The Philippines hopes to take pressure off by building multi-billion dollar airports in Manila's surrounding provinces, including Cavite and also in Bulacan, which is due to start operations in 2027.

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2023-01-02 02:50:05Z
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Defiant Ukrainians cheer New Year as drones blasted from skies - CNA

Russia has flattened Ukrainian cities and killed thousands of civilians since Putin ordered his invasion in February, claiming Ukraine was an artificial state whose pro-Western outlook threatened Russia's security. Moscow has since claimed to have annexed around a fifth of Ukraine.

Ukraine has fought back with Western military support, driving Russian forces from more than half the territory they seized. In recent weeks, the front lines have been largely static, with thousands of soldiers dying in intense trench warfare.

Since October, Russia has launched mass missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, casting cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. Moscow says the strikes aim to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight; Kyiv says they have no military purpose and are intended to hurt civilians, a war crime.

"The main thing is the fate of Russia," Putin said in a New Year's Eve address in front of a group of people dressed in military uniform instead of the normal backdrop of the Kremlin walls. "Defence of the fatherland is our sacred duty to our ancestors and descendants. Moral, historical righteousness is on our side."

Zelenskyy delivered his own address on Saturday in near darkness, in front of a fluttering Ukrainian flag. He described the year past as a national awakening.

"We were told: you have no other option but to surrender. We say: we have no other option than to win," he said.

"This year has struck our hearts. We've cried out all the tears. We've shouted all the prayers," Zelenskyy said. "We fight and will continue to fight. For the sake of the key word: 'victory'."

The latest air strikes damaged infrastructure in Sumy, in the northeast, Khmelnytskyi in the west as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the southeast and south, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.

In Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia region, shelling killed one person and wounded three, regional governor Oleksandr Starukh said on Telegram.

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2023-01-01 16:12:00Z
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