South Africa, North Korea, Nigeria.

Today's three stories you should know.

South Africa

A horrific 259 people are now reported dead after flooding in South Africa’s coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. Mudslides have trapped people under buildings and more floods are expected, prompting local officials to warn the death toll could still rise considerably. President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the area and said the floods were a force of nature. Some, though, blamed badly-built homes and poor drainage.

More from South Africa’s Mail & Guardian here.

North Korea

Japanese and American warships are engaged in joint military exercises off the coast of the Koreas as speculation mounts that North Korea is planning more missiles tests - perhaps even a nuclear one - after a spate of launches in recent weeks. Pyongyang’s missile tests and US drills with South Korea and Japan tend to be tit-for-tat displays of muscle-flexing. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that the war games were “aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Japan and the United States, and is not keeping in mind a specific country.”

More from AP here.

Nigeria

Proximities last week highlighted an attack on a train in northern Nigeria after which 168 people were reported missing. Now, another terrifying incident. Some 154 people in the central Plateau state were killed during a rampage by gunmen on motorcycles who shot indiscriminately into homes and businesses. Criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, have stepped up their activities over the last year. The government today claimed they had begun working alongside the Boko Haram armed group.

More from Al Jazeera here.