At least nine people have been reported killed by Typhoon Jebi, the worst storm to hit Japan in 25 years.
Jebi has left a trail of destruction across the west of the country, hitting major cities like Kyoto and Osaka.
Flights, trains and ferries were cancelled but thousands of passengers stranded at Osaka’s international airport have since been evacuated.
The winds are slowing down and moving north, but people are being urged to stay alert for landslides and floods.
As of Wednesday morning, evacuation advisories had been issued for more than 1.2 million people.
More than 30,000 people were given stronger but still not mandatory evacuation orders, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
Footage on social media showed the 100-metre (328-foot) tall ferris wheel in Osaka spinning rapidly in the storm despite being switched off.
More than two million households experienced blackouts during the storm and schools and companies in the affected area remained shut.
Nearly 800 flights were cancelled, including international flights at Nagoya and Osaka.
On Wednesday, travellers stranded at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport were being ferried by boat to another local airport.
As many as 3,000 people had been stranded at the airport, which is built on an artificial island, after a tanker crashed into the bridge connecting it with the mainland.
The airport had seen its runways and basements flooded and will remain closed all Wednesday.
Emergency on US Gulf Coast as Storm Gordon strikes
A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana and Mississippi as Tropical Storm Gordon batters the US Gulf Coast.
Gordon made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, with sustained winds of up to 70mph (110km/h).
Thousands of people were reported to be without power.
The NHC warned there could be “life-threatening” storm surges.
Gordon strengthened as it neared the coast on Tuesday, but did not reach hurricane status.
“Rapid weakening is forecast after Gordon moves inland, and is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday,” the NHC said in an advisory.
At 03:00 GMT the centre of the storm was reported to be 30 miles east of Biloxi, Mississippi, moving at a speed of 14mph in a north-westerly direction.
More than 27,000 customers were hit by power cuts, the Associated Press news agency reported, mostly in coastal Alabama and south-eastern Mississippi.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans gave tips to city residents how to prepare for the arrival of the storm.
Meanwhile, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell warned: “The city’s absolute number one priority is to ensure the safety of our residents.”
New Orleans was devastated by deadly Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Judy Garland’s stolen ruby slippers found after 13 years
A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz has been found 13 years after being stolen, according to US authorities.
They were taken from a Minnesota museum in 2005, when someone broke in through a window late at night.
Three other pairs of ruby slippers worn by Garland in the 1939 film are known to exist.
An anonymous donor once offered a $1m (£775,000) reward for the stolen pair’s whereabouts and the thief’s name.
However, the reward expired on the tenth anniversary of the robbery.
It is unknown if the shoes’ recovery is related to any tip-offs.
In press conference on Tuesday afternoon, no specific details were given about where they were found or how.
FBI special agent Joan Sanborn indicated that the investigation was still ongoing.
“We’ve gathered lots of information on this case. We believe there are lots more to give,” she said.
The slippers are often said to be among the most valued props in movie history.
This pair was insured for $1m but experts have said they could be worth two times that now.
The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Garland’s birthplace, had been loaned the slippers from a collector named Michael Shaw.
The theft was described as a simple smash-and-grab, with the glass display case destroyed and the slipper snatched.
Almost no clues were left behind, neither footprints nor fingerprints, and the surveillance camera was not working that night.
“I literally felt like I was hit in the stomach when I got the call,” Mr Shaw told Newsweek in 2015. “My knees buckled, and I went right down on the floor. I had taken care of those shoes for 35 years!”
Jon Miner, the museum’s co-founder, told the magazine he was also devastated. “I cried,” he said. “I couldn’t believe this happened to us because it was the stupidest thing.”
The museum has kept the podium – labelled “Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers” – empty since they disappeared.
A documentary about the theft – Who Stole The Ruby Slippers? – was released in 2015.
Indian police seek last Nizam’s stolen gold lunchbox
Police in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad are investigating the theft of a gold, diamond-studded lunchbox that belonged to a former royal family.
The thieves also stole a ruby and gold teacup, saucer and teaspoon. Weighing 3kg, the items are valued at about $7m.
They belonged to Mir Osman Ali Khan – the last Nizam (king ) of Hyderabad – and once the richest man in the world.
The theft was discovered on Monday morning.
Police suspect it occurred the previous night.
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The valuables were removed from their display vaults in the Nizam’s palace, which is now a museum.
A sword belonging to the same royal family was stolen from another museum in the city 10 years ago.
Police told BBC Telugu that they suspect two people were involved in the latest theft.
According to the Hindustan Times, police told local reporters the thieves tampered with CCTV cameras so there would be no recording of the raid.
They added that the glass door to the cabinet that contained the items was unscrewed to avoid damage.
The items were in the Nizam Museum, which opened to the public in 2000.
Its collection comprises expensive gifts given to Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1937.
Khan ruled what was then India’s largest princely state.
He died in 1967.
His fabled wealth included the world-famous Jacob’s Diamond – which was the size of an egg – in addition to many other pieces of exquisite jewellery.
Uber to block low-rating riders in Australia and New Zealand
Uber is to block customers in Australia and New Zealand from its ride service if they have a low passenger rating.
Riders rated four-out-of-five stars or lower will be banned for six months.
Ratings are based on feedback left by drivers after each journey.
The move is aimed at improving passenger behaviour, the company said.
Uber told the BBC that Australia and New Zealand had been identified as a place to bring in the rule after feedback from drivers.
The same policy was introduced in Brazil earlier this year, Uber said, but it’s the first time the control has been rolled out in an English-speaking market.
An Uber spokeswoman declined to be drawn on exactly how many of its 2.8 million users in Australia and New Zealand currently had ratings of below 4.0 – but conceded it was only “a few thousand.”
The “vast majority” – believed to be more than 90% – had ratings of at least 4.5, the company said.
The policy will kick in on 19 September and passengers will receive several warnings before they are banned.
Susan Anderson, general director of Uber in Australia and New Zealand, said riders with a 4.0 rating or below would have received a number of one-star reviews from drivers.
“These are the small percentage of riders who are persistently not treating drivers with respect,” she told Channel Seven’s Sunrise programme on Wednesday.
She said drivers expected basic courtesy from riders.
Poor behaviour included users not being at their pick-up spot, or organising pick-ups in unsafe areas on the road.
“Be polite and considerate. Take your rubbish with you and don’t make a mess in the car,” Ms. Anderson said.
The company sent out a number of tips to users last month aimed at improving customer scores.