World

Thousands of residents who evacuated Jasper, a beloved tourist town in western Canada partly destroyed by a massive wildfire, were able to return Friday, authorities said.

Approximately 25,000 residents and tourists were forced to flee the area three weeks ago as the fire suddenly swelled, outpacing firefighters' capabilities.

The surprise capture on US soil of Mexican drug lord Ismael "Mayo" Zambada has all the suspense of a Netflix nailbiter -- and all the mystery, too.

Wild claims of cross-border kidnapping, murder and political intrigue swirl around his arrest. But there are many gaps in the story, and few official details -- fueling mistrust, analysts say, between US and Mexican authorities.

Hurricane Ernesto lashed Bermuda with heavy rains and strong winds early Saturday, leaving much of the British Atlantic Ocean territory without power as it made landfall, with meteorologists warning of a dangerous storm surge and floods.

The cyclone, which hit Puerto Rico earlier this week, was over the archipelago after making landfall at 0830 GMT packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles (137 kilometers) per hour, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

As monsoon rains were about to break over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money, a decision their parents made to help the family survive the threat of floods.

"I was happy to hear I was getting married... I thought my life would become easier," Shamila told AFP after her wedding to a man twice her age in hope of a more prosperous life.

A "very strong" typhoon buffeted Japan's Pacific coast with fierce winds and heavy rain on Friday, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and trains in the Tokyo area and leaving over 2,000 homes without power.

Located about 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Tokyo, Typhoon Ampil was packing gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour as it headed northeast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

New Zealand-based tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom lashed out at the US government Friday, as his decade-long effort to avoid extradition on fraud and money laundering charges appeared to have failed.

Local media reported Thursday that New Zealand's justice minister had signed an order to extradite Dotcom, the founder of the Megaupload file-sharing system.

Thailand’s parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as the country’s new prime minister on Friday, just two days after her predecessor and ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed by the country's Constitutional Court.

Thai lawmakers on Friday elected the 37-year-old daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister, elevating a third member of the influential but divisive clan to the nation's top job.

As a marine commando, Michael Chandler knew all about daunting missions, but in his new role of Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, legend would have it that the survival of the United Kingdom now rests in his hands.

King Charles II, who reigned from 1660 to 1685, is thought to have been the first to insist on the protection of the ravens at the legendary 900-year-old Tower.

Former top Justice Department prosecutor Andrew Weissmann observed that Donald Trump has broken the law again, but noted it is a rarely enforced law.

Trump spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, two U.S. sources who were briefed on the call told Axios on Wednesday One source claimed Trump's call was an attempt to encourage Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire deal being offered.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in Colombia Thursday to participate in a series of events against discrimination and cyber-harassment at the invitation of Vice President Francia Marquez.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will meet women and young people as part of a program seeking to "make visible and address a problem that today concerns all of humanity: cyber-bullying, violence in digital environments and discrimination," Marquez said at a press conference.

A Russian court on Thursday jailed U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina for 12 years after she was found guilty of "high treason" for giving about $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity in a case slammed as "vindictive cruelty" by the US presidency.

The 32-year-old ballet dancer and spa worker from Los Angeles was detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in January while visiting family.

Hundreds of Japanese flights and trains were cancelled Thursday in the middle of a major holiday week as another typhoon roared towards the archipelago.

Days after Tropical Storm Maria dumped record rains, Typhoon Ampil was set late Thursday to skirt the Tokyo region -- home to almost 40 million people -- and then churn up the Pacific coast on Friday and Saturday.