More than 170,000 properties across north Queensland have been plunged into darkness. When Yasi crossed the coast near Mission Beach south of Innisfail early this morning, it was a category 5 storm. It's now heading inland towards Charters Towers and Georgetown with winds of up to 100km/h expected there.

 

And the other major story this morning is of course the situation in Egypt. The centre of Cairo has exploded into violence. Hundreds of people have been injured as anti-government protesters clashed with supporters of President Hosni Mubarak. Stones, bottles and petrol bombs have rained down on Cairo's main square as both sides fight each other. Security forces have done nothing to stop the fighting. The White House has condemned the violence and is calling for restraint from all sides.

 

A huge storm has hit large parts of the United States. The wintry blast affected 30 states. The Midwest copped the brunt of the storm. Wild winds lashed Chicago and the city was blanketed in around 42 centimetres of snow. More than 300,000 people lost power and thousands of airline passengers were stranded.