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Firefighters in Ecuador's capital were battling the remnants of major forest fires on Thursday that had sent massive plumes of smoke above Quito earlier this week, amid a record drought.

Stock markets climbed Thursday as China signalled more stimulus for the world's second-largest economy, while a strong outlook from US chip giant Micron gave a further boost to investor optimism.

Parts of Florida face "unsurvivable" conditions when Hurricane Helene hits later Thursday, the US weather service said, warning that howling wind will drive destructive waves and storm surge as high as 20 feet (six meters) onto the low-lying coast.

Australia will return to Lord's on Friday for the first time since last year's Ashes row, with captain Mitchell Marsh confident a controversial incident involving wicketkeeper Alex Carey is firmly in the past.

Claude Monet was enchanted by the mysterious light generated by London's famous "smog", and the city he loved is now hosting a new exhibition recognising his strange fascination with the industrial pollution.

Pakistan said Thursday it would have to go through "transitional pain" after the International Monetary Fund agreed to a new relief package of $7 billion to bolster its faltering economy.

New York's scandal-plagued mayor Eric Adams was federally charged Thursday with crimes including wire fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations and bribery conspiracy, a stunning indictment unsealed amid calls for him to resign.

A Vincent van Gogh painting displaying the artist's shift from dark realism to vibrant impressionism sold for US$32.2 million at a Hong Kong auction on Thursday, falling short of expectations that it would fetch a record-breaking price.

James Anderson may have retired from Test cricket but his influence within the England set-up remains strong, according to Matthew Potts.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called Thursday on the international community to stop sending weapons to Israel in order to halt bloodshed in the West Bank and Gaza, singling out the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron, fresh from his own political struggles back home, meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday in the wake of the Canadian leader's survival of a no-confidence vote.

Everton manager Sean Dyche believes a long-awaited takeover of the struggling Premier League club would bring "stability" after a turbulent few years.

Ecuador's capital Quito, already reeling from a spate of horrific gang violence, is now fighting fires with limited water amid the country's worst drought in six decades.

The Italian and British teams both scored a victory each as the Louis Vuitton Cup final began on Thursday off the coast of Barcelona.

Manuel Vazquez Arellano counts himself lucky to have survived the mass disappearance of 43 Mexican students a decade ago. Now a lawmaker, he says he is determined to uncover the truth about what happened.

The United States has accused Russia of discussing weapon transfers with Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels whose attacks on Red Sea shipping are holding hostage a vital commercial waterway.

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui jokingly ruled himself out of his side's next game after ending up on crutches following their heavy League Cup loss away to Liverpool.

Kenya will complete by January its full deployment of a stabilization force in violence-torn Haiti, President William Ruto said Thursday, as he appealed for greater funding to assist other contributing countries.

Stock markets surged Thursday as China signalled further stimulus for the world's second-largest economy, while a strong outlook from US chip giant Micron gave a further boost to investor optimism.

France back-rower Oscar Jegou has returned to training with La Rochelle despite being accused of aggravated rape in Argentina, the rugby club's assistant coach Sebastien Boboul said on Thursday.

Former US first lady Melania Trump recalled learning that her husband had been bloodied by a would-be assassin's bullet, describing his near-miss as "a miracle" in a rare interview aired Thursday.

The family of jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah urged the UK government on Thursday to act to ensure his release in three days' time, when he will have served a full five years in custody.

A Mallorca fan who racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and former Villarreal player Samuel Chukwueze was sentenced to a year in prison and issued a three-year stadium ban on Thursday.

Far-right lawmakers have proposed Elon Musk for the EU's top rights prize for the second year in a row as a champion of "free speech", the European Parliament said on Thursday.

Lebanese businessman Anis Rubeiz has lived through conflict and crisis in his country but now sees no hope as all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah appears closer than ever.

South Korea made the biggest jump among the world's 10 most innovative economies in the UN's annual rankings published Thursday, alongside a gloomy global outlook for innovation investment.

Designer Chemena Kamali -- who dressed Kamala Harris for the Democratic Convention in August -- turned heads at Paris Fashion Week Thursday with a line of lacy transparent looks the US presidential hopeful may be a little more shy about trying.

World number one Jannik Sinner fought back to launch the defence of his China Open title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over 28th-ranked Chilean Nicolas Jarry on Thursday.

Hurricane Helene was set to slam into the Florida coast as a "catastrophic" Category 4 storm Thursday, the US weather service said, threatening up to 20 feet (six meters) of deadly ocean surge and pummeling winds as residents rushed to get out of harm's way.

Harrods' managing director on Thursday said his former boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, who is accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, presided over a "toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct".

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi says his side targeting the Ligue 1 title would "not be serious", despite a fast start that has kept them level on points with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco at the top of the table.

Its winding allies, ancient mosque and ochre earthen houses helped bestow on Agadez its UNESCO World Heritage status, but the town in Niger is now under threat from flooding.