LEGE-CAP FERRET, France (AP) — French authorities gave the go-ahead Thursday for 84,000 evacuees forced out by a monster wildfire to go back to their homes in southwest France, the strongest sign yet that firefighters are turning a corner in their battle against the flames that have burned an area four times the size of Paris.

The authorized returns announced Thursday covered nine localities that had been evacuated. In all, more than 220,000 people were forced to flee their homes since last week.

Higher humidity, cooler temperatures and slight rain raised hopes that Thursday could be a decisive step on the way to vanquishing the fire.

Local officials reported a “rather calm” night, with a fire that has not grown beyond the 42,000 hectares (about 162 sq. miles) already affected. Fire crews remained at “total mobilization” with 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft.

Rain fell early Thursday in the city of Bordeaux to the east.

Sophie Brocas, the prefect for the Gironde region, expressed some optimism that lower temperatures could help.

“If that’s confirmed, we could foresee a return to a more normal life for residents, but also for businesses that need to work,” she told reporters late Wednesday.

Humidity reached 80% overnight but was expected to drop by midday, authorities said. Some rainfall was expected along the coast that “could reach the fire zone,” Gironde officials said in a morning note.

Temperatures that peaked around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) a day earlier were set to drop Thursday, topping out at 27 C (80 F) along the coast. An “orange” heat wave alert — the second-highest level after “red” — was lifted shortly before dawn.

The fires in the Bordeaux wine-growing, forested and tourism-heavy region are among the blazes that have swept across pockets of southern Europe in recent weeks, including Spain and Greece.

On Thursday, firefighters were tackling multiple forest fires in four of Turkey’s western provinces, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Blazes in touristic Mugla and Antalya and elsewhere raged overnight as hot weather and strong winds gripped the region. Residents were evacuated as teams with firefighting planes and helicopters battled the fires.

A day earlier, authorities in neighboring Greece said three firefighters had died on the island on Crete, as the wildfire emergency stretched from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean.

At the peak of the evacuations, a third of a million people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its ongoing war against Russia.

The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the NATO summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot defense systems — a long-running request from Kyiv to counter Russian missile attacks.

In a post on social media after the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the “good meeting” and the Republican administration’s efforts to aid Kyiv in the long-running war, which began more than four years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine.

“The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help,” said Zelenskyy, who also noted that he offered condolences to Trump for the death of Graham, a close ally. “We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on the meeting.

Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House as the Ukrainian leader traveled to Washington to honor Graham, whose final act as a public official was visiting Kyiv and securing an agreement on a package of sanctions that seek to punish countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and other exports.

In a Fox News Channel interview on Tuesday, Trump recalled Graham’s hawkishness and said the Republican South Carolina senator’s support for Ukraine never wavered. Trump said Graham had suggested it was time to make a deal with Iran but had no similar suggestion for the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Ukraine, he’s very militant about,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” “I mean, Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you.”

The Trump administration’s embrace of Zelenskyy comes as a far-right activist with the U.S. president’s ear had a recent, widely publicized change of heart on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Laura Loomer, known primarily for her incendiary social media posts and her influence with Trump, has been traveling through Ukraine, witnessing Moscow’s barrage firsthand and interviewing Zelenskyy while admitting she was “bamboozled by Russian propaganda.”

Loomer said she spoke to Trump after she met with Zelenskyy in Ukraine last week and she expects to meet with the U.S. president once she returns from her trip.

“It’s looking good for Ukraine, right?” Loomer said during an interview with The Associated Press. “Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good.”

Ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy also warned that Russia has been aiding Iran as the war persists by capturing satellite imagery of U.S. bases in the Gulf region that later appear in Iran. The Ukrainian president also asserted that there was a “clear correlation” between Russia’s images and subsequent Iranian strikes.

“The purpose is clear,” Zelenskyy said earlier this month. “None of us in the world should turn a blind eye to one very simple fact: Evil always seeks ways to make things worse and spread further.”

But on Monday, Trump downplayed any impact of potential Russian assistance for Iran.

“I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Michigan. “And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.”

Still, he said he would raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy has a busy itinerary during his latest visit to Washington. Besides his White House meeting, Zelenskyy will head to the Capitol to meet with senators on Tuesday evening after Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Republican leadership is hoping to advance Graham’s sanctions legislation this week, although the Senate is juggling several other priorities before lawmakers leave Washington for their August recess.

The bill has dozens of backers from both major political parties and is seen as the main policy tribute to Graham, who died unexpectedly this month from a tear in his aorta. It imposes tariffs on goods from the world’s top five purchasers of Russia oil or natural gas, including China and India.

The legislation also includes sanctions against Putin; senior Russian political and military leaders; and Russian financial institutions and energy projects.

LONDON (AP) — Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart are in the running again for the prestigious fiction award, alongside Dublin gangs, dystopian science fiction and the New England characters of Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout.

Judges read 163 novels to come up with the 13 semifinalists announced Tuesday for the 50,000 pound ($66,000) Booker Prize, a list described by historian Mary Beard, head of the judging panel, as literary “dynamite.”

The list includes James’ “The Disappearers,” about a group of gay men in a hostile 1980s Jamaica; Stuart’s “ John of John,” a story of father-son secrets on a remote Scottish island; and Strout’s heartfelt small-town tale “The Things We Never Say.”

James won the Booker in 2015 for “A Brief History of Seven Killings” and Stuart won in 2020 for “Shuggie Bain.” Strout’s “Oh William!” was a finalist in 2022. She won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009 for “Olive Kitteridge.”

They sit alongside lesser-known names on a Booker longlist that includes authors with roots in Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Turkey and the United States.

Three of those on the list are debut authors: Turkish-American writer Kenan Orhan for family history story “The Renovation,” British author Rebecca Perry for Medieval-to-modern tale “May We Feed the King” and Ireland’s Djamel White for “All Them Dogs,” a thriller set in the Dublin underworld.

White, at 28, is the youngest author in the running. The oldest is 81-year-old M. John Harrison, whose postapocalyptic tale “The End of Everything” is a rare science fiction novel to make the Booker list.

The other contenders are “The Shadow of the Object” by Chloe Aridjis, “Black Bag” by Luke Kennard, “The Vivisectors” by Missouri Williams, “Switzy” by Emma Cline, “Helen of Nowhere” by Makenna Goodman and Gwendoline Riley’s “The Palm House.”

Beard said the five jurors, who include Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and American novelist Patricia Lockwood, tried to look beyond the idea of a typical Booker winner – “slightly serious, about to be classic.” Instead they chose novels that are “trying to expand the boundaries of how we can think about ourselves in completely different ways,”

“Sometimes they’re using humor, sometimes it’s pathos, sometimes there’s shock value,” Beard said. “They’re risk-takers. They are dynamite. They say ‘Come on, try seeing it a different way.’”

Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers and is open to novels from any country published in the U.K. and Ireland. Last year’s winner was “Flesh” by Hungarian-British writer David Szalay.

The judges will announce six finalists on Sept. 22, and the winner will be revealed Nov. 9 at a ceremony in London.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks that were expected to include the construction of a pipeline to Turkey aimed at reducing the exposure of Iraq’s oil exports to tensions in the Gulf region.

Al-Zaidi’s meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials will also focus on security, trade, energy, transportation and water management, Turkish officials said. The Iraqi prime minister’s office said they will discuss “joint infrastructure projects in a way that serves the interests of the two neighboring countries.”

Al-Zaidi, who emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections, is visiting Ankara on the heel of trips to Washington and Tehran.

Following al-Zaidi’s talks with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, U.S. companies signed roughly $60 billion in agreements and partnerships with the Iraqi government, including deals intended to create alternative routes for shipping oil out of the Persian Gulf.

One project under consideration is a pipeline that would connect southern Iraq’s Basra to western Iraq’s Haditha and from there to the Ceyhan port in Turkey and the port of Baniyas on Syria’s coast.

Turkey tries to end conflict with Iraq-based militant group

The visit comes as Turkey is engaged in talks to end a decades-long conflict with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, whose fighters are largely based in northern Iraq. Last year, the PKK announced it was laying down arms and disbanding as part of the efforts.

Turkey is scheduled to enact legislation to help advance the peace effort, which is expected to include a limited amnesty that could allow some militants’ return to Turkey.

The PKK has waged an armed insurgency since 1984, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. It’s designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Iraqi PM will visit Saudi Arabia next

Al-Zaidi is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, at a time of heightened tensions after the kingdom alleged that Iran-backed Iraqi militias launched drone attacks against it.

Al-Zaidi has pledged to disarm non-state armed groups in Iraq by the end of September, a deadline that is likely challenging to meet, particularly since some of the most powerful militias have said they will not lay down their weapons.

On Monday, al-Zaidi ordered security agencies to investigate the alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi military said in a statement, adding that Iraq is committed to “preventing Iraqi territory from being used as a route or launching point for any attack targeting brotherly or friendly countries.”

The militias have denied any role in the attack. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups, in a statement called the Saudi accusations “fabrications” and an “attempt to justify their inability to respond to the painful Yemeni strikes that have targeted the heart of their infrastructure,” implying that the attacks were carried out by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The militias added that “any foolish Saudi action will be met with a harsh response that will leave them biting their fingers in regret.”

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A cycling-enthusiast governor rode into an unexpected political storm in Turkey when he found himself sacked after photos showing him in snug cycling shorts went viral. He has since also become the center of a campaign pressing for his return to office amid an outpouring of affection.

Mehmet Fatih Cicekli, the governor of Ardahan province in eastern Turkey, was removed from his post on July 17 by a presidential decree signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While no reason was given for his dismissal, it came after some Turkish politicians criticized him for wearing cycling tights during a public event promoting the sport and for posting the photos on social media.

Inan Akgun Alp, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, accused Cicekli of allegedly prioritizing social media over official duties, adding the tight attire was inappropriate for a governor.

“He goes around in tights, spends all day cycling, with bodyguards in front of him, cycling in tights until the evening,” the T-24 news website quoted Alp as saying during a parliamentary debate last week. “A governor cannot wander around the city center like this.”

Samil Tayyar, a former legislator from Erdogan’s ruling party, which has roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement, said the attire was contrary to cultural norms, especially in a conservative, traditional province like Ardahan. He argued that other politicians wore sweatpants while cycling.

“People can wear whatever they want in their private lives, but a governor cannot visit the public in tights while on duty; it does not align with the seriousness of the state. In a traditional social setting like Ardahan, it is completely unacceptable,” Tayyar wrote on X.

Cicek, who was appointed governor in January by Erdogan, defended himself by arguing that what he wore was normal cycling attire.

“(We will) keep pedaling. I am an athlete who practices sailing, rowing and cycling. The clothes I’m wearing are sportswear,” T-24 quoted him as saying.

A petition campaign to try and get him reinstated has gathered more than 10,000 signatures, with supporters arguing that the governor was engaged in important work in Ardahan, promoting sports, youth activities and bicycle tourism, the opposition-leaning Halk TV reported.

In an emotional farewell to his supporters in Ardahan on Wednesday, Cicek said: “I believe that I have not let down those who vouched for me and stood by me throughout my journey until now. I believe that this is the greatest honor of all.”

As he left Ardahan, a province that borders both Armenia and Georgia, local cyclists accompanied his vehicle to send him off as a show of support, Halk TV reported.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, a member of the European Parliament from Spain who serves as the rapporteur on Turkey, expressed support for Cicekli and suggested Alp was promoting the ruling party’s “Islamist conservative agenda.”

Germany has deported a Uyghur man to China where there are concerns he could be detained as a member of an ethnic group that has been targeted by the Chinese government, his mother told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Arafat Adil, 21, a dual Chinese-Turkish national who has lived in Turkey with his family since they moved there from China in 2017 and who was seeking asylum in Germany, was deported from the Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday, said his mother, Guzelay Adil.

Arafat Adil landed Wednesday morning in Beijing where he was taken into custody and interrogated, Guzelay Adil said. She said she was hoping her son would be allowed to board a flight to Istanbul around midnight on Thursday. “I don’t know what would happen if my son doesn’t return to Turkey,” Guzelay Adil said from Istanbul in an interview. “I hope to see my child again.”

Authorities in Germany and China did not immediately confirm Arafat Adil’s deportation.

Word of the deportation raised concerns among Uyghur rights activists due to China’s yearslong campaign of assimilation in Xinjiang, its far western region that is home to over 11 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. In 2017, Beijing began a campaign of mass detention and alleged forced labor in the region, which was the site of sporadic episodes of unrest over the past few decades.

“It’s heartbreaking to learn of another Uyghur being deported to China,” said Abduweli Ayup, founder of the Norway-based nonprofit Uyghur Hjelp. He added that the “bad example” set by Germany as a leading member of the European Union is causing Uyghurs to lose hope “inside and outside of China.”

The Interior Ministry of the State of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, did not immediately reply to an email from the AP requesting details about the deportation.

The German Interior Ministry said that in general there’s no suspension of deportations for Uyghurs to China but added that “however, the current guiding principle of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees provides that, as a rule, protection should be granted to Uyghurs in cases involving China as the country of origin.”

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to questions about the case.

Arafat Adil’s family moved to Turkey in 2017, where he later obtained a Turkish passport in 2024, his mother said. She expressed confusion as to Germany’s decision to deport Arafat Adil to China instead of Turkey, as she said he held passports from both countries.

It was unclear on what grounds Arafat Adil was claiming asylum in Germany, which considers Turkey a safe country of origin.

Last November, Germany deported a Uyghur woman to China instead of Turkey after what government sources described to Der Spiegel magazine as a bureaucratic mix-up. The woman, Reziwanguli Baikeli, was only in Beijing for a short time before leaving for Turkey.

China has been pressuring other countries to deport Uyghurs who fled the country amid the detention campaign. In one of the most high-profile deportations to date, Thailand in February 2025 deported at least 40 Uyghurs to China.

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AP writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.