Three dead as severe storms hit New South Wales in Australia

Three people have died in New South Wales as powerful storms batter the Australian state.

The two men and a woman were found dead in Dungog north of Sydney, one of the worst affected areas, where homes have been washed away by flooding.

Some 215,000 homes are without power in Sydney and across New South Wales.

People have been urged to head home, as Australia's weather agency warned more severe weather would hit parts of the state on Tuesday night.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a severe weather warning for the Sydney area, Hunter and Illawarra forecasting "damaging and locally destructive winds, damaging winds, heavy rainfall and damaging surf".

Winds of up to 135km/h (85 mph) were recorded in some areas, with up to 200mm of rainfall forecast for Tuesday.

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Solar storm delivers spectacular aurora displays and pictures

A severe solar storm reached the Earth on Tuesday, contributing to a display of the aurora with the potential to stretch as far south as Oregon in the US, as well as being visible across unexpected reaches of the southern hemisphere.

Two blasts of magnetic plasma left the sun on Sunday, eventually combining and arriving on Earth on Tuesday about 15 hours earlier and much stronger than expected, said Thomas Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Centre in Boulder, Colorado.

Authorities warned of possible disruption to power grids, GPS tracking and communication systems, but Berger said that in this case there were none of the bursts of radiation that can affect satellite operations.

The storm ranked a 4, called severe, on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s scale of 1-5 scale for geomagnetic effects. It is the strongest solar storm to reach Earth since the fall of 2013. It’s been nearly a decade since a level 5 storm, termed extreme, has hit Earth.

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Tropical Cyclone Nathan hits Australia's Queensland coast - BBC

A tropical cyclone has hit north Queensland in Australia, bringing with it hurricane-force winds and a powerful storm tide.

Cyclone Nathan crossed the coast near Cooktown as a category four storm, the second most severe rating.

Winds of 170km/ph (105mph) were recorded on Friday morning, the Bureau of Meteorology told the BBC.

The cyclone is expected to dissipate over land before intensifying again over the Gulf of Carpenteria.

About 50 people took cover in Cooktown's cyclone shelter as the storm passed over, according to the Australian Associated Press.

The strongest winds recorded on Friday were 170km/ph but there was the potential for winds of up to 230km/ph closer to the centre of the system, The Bureau of Meteorology's Jess Carey said.

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South African firefighters battle blaze on Cape Town mountains -BBC News

More than 100 South African firefighters are battling wildfires on the mountains around Cape Town.

Thousands of hectares of vegetation have been reduced to ashes on Chapman's Peak, while several homes and a holiday lodge have been destroyed.

More than 50 people - residents of a retirement home - have been treated for smoke inhalation, officials say.

The fire started on Sunday and was fanned by strong winds, causing it to spread rapidly.

Roads in the area have been closed because of poor visibility.

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