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Storm Bonnie leaves deadly trail in Central America

At least five people have been killed as Tropical Storm Bonnie swept through Central America.

Four died in Nicaragua and one in El Salvador, officials said.

Bonnie, which has since strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to move parallel to the coasts of southern Mexico in the coming days, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Meteorologists have warned of life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Bonnie made landfall late on Friday on the Caribbean coast in southern Nicaragua and swept north-west across the country to El Salvador's Pacific coast.

All four of those who died in Nicaragua were swept away by rivers which had been turned into raging torrents by the heavy rains.

One of victims, 43-year-old Juan Carlos Alemán Mendoza, had been rescuing passengers from a local bus which had been washed away by flooding, local media reported.

Tens of thousands of people across Nicaragua were left without power and more than 10,000 homes had no water.

In El Salvador, one young woman was confirmed dead while rescue workers are searching for at least one missing man.

Parts of the country remain under alert for further possible flooding. Schools will stay closed across El Salvador on Monday, President Nayib Bukele announced on Twitter.

In the capital, San Salvador, roads collapsed and cars were swept away.

Afghanistan - Flash floods

On 5 and 6 July, heavy and unseasonal rainfall occurred across the central and eastern regions of Afghanistan. The most affected provinces are Nangarhar and Nuristan in the eastern region, and Ghazni and Parwan in the central region. Afghanistan news report 16 casualties (including children). 20 people were injured and over 280 homes damaged. Critical infrastructure across nine provinces was damaged, including 4 bridges. As of 7 July, no displacement has been reported. For the next 24 hours, moderate to heavy rain is forecast over eastern Afghanistan. In the eastern region these are the second flash floods in less than a month. 19 people were killed and 131 injured in the flood event of 22-23 June.

Sydney floods: Tens of thousands told to evacuate

A man has died and thousands of people have been told to evacuate their homes amid torrential rain and major flooding in Australia's largest city, Sydney.

Roads have been cut off, with 18 evacuation orders in western Sydney alone and warnings of more to come.

"This is a life-threatening emergency situation," Stephanie Cooke, emergency services minister for the state of New South Wales, said.

Australia was hit by major flooding in March, killing 20 people, many in NSW.

"We are now facing dangers on multiple fronts - flash flooding, riverine flooding and coastal erosion," Ms Cooke told a media briefing.

Her warning came as the Bureau of Meteorology said up to 350mm of rain had hit certain areas, risking flooding along the Nepean river.

Sydney's main dam had also started to spill overnight - a further concern for the authorities.

Ms Cooke said this was a "rapidly evolving situation" and warned that people should be "prepared to evacuate at short notice".

Strong eruptive activity at Fuego volcano, large pyroclastic flows produced, Guatemala

Volcanic activity at Guatemala’s Fuego volcano intensified on July 2, 2022, with abundant degassing and new lava flow reaching at least 1 km (0.6 miles).

The activity further intensified on July 4, resulting in pyroclastic flows that reached about 6 km (3.7 miles) from the crater toward the Ceniza drainage. The resulting ash plume reached approximately 5 km (16 400 feet) above sea level. Fine volcanic ash was rained down on the nearby communities of Panimaché I and II, Morelia, Santa Sofia, Yucales, Palo Verde, El Porvenir, La Rochela, Guadalupe, and El Zapote.1

Weak gray fumaroles reached a height of 4.6 km (13 100 feet) a.s.l., drifting SW and W, on July 5.2

There were 5 to 8 weak, moderate and some strong explosions per hour today, generating a column of ash to 4.8 km (15 700 feet), spreading SW and W up to 12 km (7.4 miles).

An incandescent pulse was observed from 100 to 300 m (330 – 1 000 feet) above the crater, generating weak, moderate and strong avalanches in the crater and towards the Santa Teresa, Ceniza, Trinidad and Taniluyá ravines.

Weak and moderate sounds similar to a train locomotive were heard with a lapse of 1 to 2 minutes.

A fine ash fell in Panimaché I, Panimaché II, Morelia, Santa Sofía, El Porvenir, Finca Palo Verde, Yepocapa, etc.