Six In The Morning Saturday 18 June 2022

 

Putin lambasts the West and declares the end of 'the era of the unipolar world'

By Ivana Kottasová, Sugam Pokharel and Radina Gigova, CNN

Updated 1337 GMT (2137 HKT) June 18, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the end of "the era of the unipolar world" in a combative speech that lambasted Western countries at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

"When they won the Cold War, the US declared themselves God's own representatives on earth, people who have no responsibilities -- only interests. They have declared those interests sacred. Now it's one-way traffic, which makes the world unstable," Putin told the audience.

The much-hyped speech was delayed by more than 90 minutes because of a "massive" cyberattack. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists in an impromptu conference call that the speech was postponed due to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on the conference's systems.

At least 25 dead and millions stranded as floods devastate India and Bangladesh

Lightning kills 21 and millions of homes submerged while armed forces asked to help amid continuing storms

Associated Press in Dhaka

At least 25 people died as floods cut a swatch across north-eastern India and Bangladesh, leaving millions of homes underwater, authorities said on Saturday.

In India’s Assam state, at least nine people died in the floods and 2 million others saw their homes submerged in flood waters, according to the state disaster management agency.

Lightning strikes triggered by the storms had killed at least 21 people in Bangladesh since Friday afternoon, police officials said. Among them were three children aged 12 to 14 who were struck in the rural town of Nandail, local police chief Mizanur Rahman said.

Drug smugglers deliver £68 million worth of cocaine to supermarkets by mistake

Workers unpacking Colombian bananas shipments find rather unexpected surprise amid crates

Colin Drury

Cocaine worth almost £70m has been seized by police – after it was mistakenly delivered to supermarkets in banana shipments.

Workers in stores across the Czech Republic discovered the drug as they unpacked crates of the fruit, which are thought to have come from Colombia.

In total, some 2,200lb of the drug – with a street value of around £68m – was found moulded in cubes around the bananas, police in the central European country said.

South Korea: Why is Seoul's population declining?

Millions of people are moving out of the South Korean capital in search of a better  quality of life, while changes in the corporate world are seeing business districts fade in importance

South Koreans are moving out of Seoul, with factors including the high cost of housing and the draw of suburbs and smaller cities for families with children.

Statistics published by the South Korean government on Monday show that 9.49 million people lived in metropolitan Seoul as of May of this year, down from a peak of 10.97 million residents in 1992.

The capital's population already fell below the 10 million threshold in 2016, and the new report from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety predicts that the number of residents could even contract to just 7.2 million by 2050.

Climate change leading to earlier and earlier heatwaves, scientists say

As France grapples with a particularly intense heatwave this weekend, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, meteorologists say the increasingly early arrival of heatwaves is directly linked to global warming due to human activities.

Although heatwaves now happen regularly, this one came as a surprise – a clear indication that the consequences of global warming are being felt earlier and earlier.

Forecasters and meteorologists describe France’s current heatwave as “remarkably early”. Heatwaves in France usually take place in July or August. A heatwave in June is unprecedented and worrying, with meteorologists pointing the finger at man-made global warming.

‘How many more must die?’ Nigeria church attack anger seethes

Nigeria holds state funeral for those killed by gunmen at a church service on June 5 as victims call for accountability.

Nigeria held a state funeral for dozens of worshippers killed by gunmen at a church service earlier this month as authorities were pressed to take swift action to avoid future massacres.

Mourners paid their respects on Friday to 22 victims killed at the St Francis Catholic Church in southwestern Ondo state on June 5. Family members earlier held funerals for the other 18 victims.

The sight of their coffins, dotted with flowers and lined in front of a large crowd, drew anger and tears from church members, locals, officials and many Nigerians who followed the service on social media.