Six In The Morning Wednesday 9 October 2024

 

'Prepare for catastrophic impact,' officials warn as Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida

'There is still time to make decisions to protect your family' - DeSantis

On specific preparedness plans, the Florida governor says that extra personnel has been made available from the National Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Hundreds of search and rescue personnel are also on hand to begin "immediate" operations as soon as Hurricane Milton passes, DeSantis adds.

Summary

• Hurricane Milton is going to be "deadly and catastrophic", officials are warning, as millions leave Florida ahead of the storm's arrival

• Milton - a category four storm - is expected to hit the Tampa area tonight, packing ferocious winds of up to 165mph (270km/h)

• US President Joe Biden warned that leaving was a matter of "life and death", as the state undertakes its largest evacuation effort in years

Ursula von der Leyen attacks Viktor Orbán over pro-Russia stance

Pointed speech by EC president in Strasbourg rebukes Hungarian leader for economic and political policies

Jennifer Rankin in Brussels

Wed 9 Oct 2024 13.46 BST

Ursula von der Leyen has accused Viktor Orbán of a historic failure to support Ukraine, economic mismanagement and making his country a “back door for foreign interference” in her sharpest public rebuke yet to Hungary’s strongman leader.

Standing a few metres away from Orbán in the European parliament in Strasbourg, the European Commission president pointedly criticised Orbán’s stance on Ukraine by contrasting his record with that of Hungarian freedom fighters of 1956, who rose against Soviet oppression but were ultimately defeated by the Red Army.

Greta Thunberg says Germany silencing pro-Palestinian cause

German police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest camp after hearing Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was due to visit. Thunberg later accused German officials of seeking to silence those wanting peace.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday accused German police of overly heavy-handed tactics in breaking up a pro-Palestinian camp ahead of her planned visit.

Police dismantled the site in the western German city of Dortmund a day earlier after an announcement from Thunberg that she planned to go to the protest camp.

'Monkey house': South Korea's US 'comfort women' legacy to be demolished

A graffiti-covered building slated for demolition close to the inter-Korean border was once a "monkey house", a clinic for sex workers hired by US soldiers protecting Seoul from North Korea. Activists, including women who were forced into gruesome treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, say the site should be preserved for its historical significance, but the bulldozers will move in this month to clear it for a tourist development.

Ishiba dissolves lower house ahead of Oct 27 election

By Mari Yamaguchi

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved Japan's lower house of parliament Wednesday to set up an Oct 27 early election and seek the voters’ mandate for his 9-day-old government.

Ishiba took office last week as Fumio Kishida resigned after three years leading the governing Liberal Democratic Party as it was dogged by corruption scandals.

With the early election, Ishiba is seeking to secure his governing party’s a house majority while he is still fresh and before the congratulatory mood fades.

Ukraine claims drone hit on North Korean weapons cache in Russia’s Bryansk

Army says arms depot attack aimed at creating logistical difficulties for Russian forces and reducing their offensive capabilities.

The Ukrainian army says it has struck a weapons arsenal in western Russia that was storing missiles and munitions, including some supplied by North Korea.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ukrainian General Staff said the previous night’s drone attack in the Bryansk border region was aimed at creating logistical difficulties for the Russian army and reducing its offensive capabilities.