Morning brief: China accuses US of flying balloons over Xinjiang, Tibet; Cyclone Gabrielle updates & more

Diplomatic relations between the United States and China further worsened on Wednesday (February 15) after Beijing accused Washington of flowing high-altitude balloons over the Xinjiang and Tibet regions. In New Zealand, the death toll in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle climbed to five on Thursday and there are fears that the number of deaths could climb further. And in the US, a shooting was reported in a mall in El Paso Texas which left one person dead and three others injured.

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diplomatic friction between China and the United States worsened after Beijing charged the latter with flowing high-altitude balloons over the Xinjiang and Tibet regions and threatened to take measures against the US entities which have undermined the sovereignty of China.

The death toll in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand has climbed to five and there are fears that the number of deaths could climb further. A total of 10,500 people have so far been displaced with 9,000 made homeless in New Zealand's eastern regions alone.

The El Paso mall shooting was reported on Wednesday at around 5 pm. The police has arrested one suspect but not revealed any details about him. The scene of the shooting is believed to be clear now.

The court sentenced gunman Payton Gendron, who killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, to life imprisonment as family members expressed their agony at the loss.

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