- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
Scramble for relief for South Africa's flood victims
Victims of South Africa's deadliest storm on record scrambled to get help on Thursday as the death toll from floods and landslips that struck the country's southeast surged beyond 300.
At least 306 people have been killed since the heaviest rainfall in six decades swept away homes and destroyed infrastructure in the city of Durban and KwaZulu-Natal province.
The government has declared a state of disaster in the region and pledged relief to those affected.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a visit to the area on Wednesday, described the floods as a "calamity... a catastrophe of enormous proportions."
Thousands of people have been made homeless, roads and bridges swept away and at least 248 schools have been damaged.
A mortuary worker at the Durban township of Phoenix said more than 100 corpses had been brought to the morgue, which has a capacity of 500 bodies.
"Last night there was queue of people bringing bodies. It's too much," the worker said, asking not to be named as he did not have permission to speak to the media.
The government of KwaZulu-Natal has put out a public call for aid, urging people to donate non-perishable food, bottled water, clothes and blankets.
The authorities are assessing "all affected families" for their needs, it said in a statement.
- Appeal for shelter -
But many survivors said they had been left to fend for themselves.
In Amaoti, a township north of Durban, residents balanced precariously on the edge of a broken road, trying to fetch clean water from a broken pipe underneath.
Volunteers said they were desperate to find food, clothes and other essentials.
In a pitch-dark hall in Durban's Glebelands hostel district, volunteers used the torches from their cellphones to register scores of displaced people overnight.
"We are just helping the people because we care," said Mabheki Sokhela, 51, who helped organise temporary shelter at a community hall.
"These are our brothers and sisters"
He urged fellow residents to provide a roof for the victims.
"We are trying to accommodate these people. There is not enough space," he said.
Many victims slept on chairs or on cardboard on the floors of the hall.
- Brutal storm -
Weather experts say apocalyptic levels of rain were dumped over the region over several days, in South Africa's biggest storm on record.
Some areas received more than 450 millimetres (18 inches) in 48 hours, amounting to nearly half of Durban's annual rainfall of 1,009 mm, the national weather service said.
The storm caught South African authorities unprepared.
Africa's most industrialised country has been largely shielded from tropical storms that form over the Indian Ocean and typically batter Mozambique when they make landfall.
The latest rains were caused by a weather system called a "cut-off low" that brought rain and cold weather to much of the country.
The South African Weather Service has issued an Easter weekend warning of thunderstorms and localised flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring Free State and Eastern Cape provinces.
The country is still struggling to recover from the two-year-old Covid pandemic and deadly riots last year that killed more than 350 people.
L.Mason--AMWN