The EU's climate monitor said that August was the hottest single month ever recorded globally, with ocean temperatures also reaching unprecedented highs as western Europe capped its warmest summer.
London's sold-out Bayeux Tapestry exhibition will open on Thursday to a British public gripped by "mania" as the medieval artwork depicting the Norman conquest of England goes on display outside France for the first time.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday promised $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans retain control of Congress in November, coupling the extraordinary claim with a plea for his supporters to "pretend" he was on the ballot.
Animated satire "South Park" said it was changing its name to "South America," in an apparent dig at US President Donald Trump's bid to rename swathes of the world.