thens and prompting evacuations on the island of Evia that was ravaged by summer wildfires.

Rescuers were also preparing to use helicopters to lift stranded people off rooftops in flooded and remote areas on the northwestern island of Corfu, Civil Protection and Climate Change Minister Christos Stylianides said.

Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness.

The attack on the Imam Barga mosque came a week after a bombing claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate killed 46 people at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan.

A key Southern California highway closed for days because of a wildfire was reopened, but authorities warned that flames still posed a threat to remote properties in a coastal mountain range.

More than 1,300 firefighters aided by aircraft dumping water and fire retardant worked to box in the blaze that has chewed through more than 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) of chaparral and grass in the Santa Ynez Mountains west of Santa Barbara. Containment of the Alisal Fire was increased to 11% on Thursday evening.

For the second straight year, the world heads into a new La Nina weather event. This would tend to dry out parts of an already parched and fiery American West and boost an already busy Atlantic hurricane season.

Just five months after the end of a La Nina that started in September 2020, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a new cooling of the Pacific is underway.

Female football players have been evacuated from Afghanistan on a flight to Doha, the Qatari government said.

"Around 100 footballers & their families including female players are on board," tweeted Lolwah Al Khater, Qatar's assistant foreign minister.

Manchester City forward Ferran Torres has broken a bone in his right foot, the English club said Thursday, potentially ruling him out of Spain's crucial World Cup qualifiers next month.

City said the injury was a "small fracture" and happened while Torres was on international duty. He played for Spain in the Nations League last week, first in the 2-1 win over Italy — when Torres scored twice — and then the 2-1 loss to France in the final on Sunday.

Neymar started the week facing criticism after a poor performance in a World Cup qualifying match and his suggestion that the next tournament in Qatar might be his last.

But the striker helped erase many of those thoughts by providing key elements in all of the Brazil goals in Thursday's 4-1 win against Uruguay.

Nippon Steel Corp. is suing Toyota Motor Corp. over a patent for a technology used in electric motors in a rare case of legal wrangling between Japan's top steelmaker and top automaker over intellectual property.

Tokyo-based Nippon Steel filed the lawsuit Thursday in Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation for damages totaling 20 billion yen ($177 million). Also named in the lawsuit is Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., or Baosteel, a Chinese steelmaker that produces and supplies the steel that allegedly violates the patent.

Shares were mostly higher in Europe and Asia on Friday after technology companies powered the biggest rally on Wall Street since March.

Investors have been encouraged by strong earnings reports, as every S&P 500 company that has reported earnings this week has beaten forecasts.

Hong Kong and mainland authorities have seized about $540,000 worth of smuggled Australian lobsters believed to be bound for the mainland, after China restricted imports of the crustacean amid escalating tensions with Australia.

Hong Kong authorities said at a news conference Friday that its customs and Chinese law enforcement agencies confiscated about 5,300 kilograms (11,650 pounds) of lobsters and arrested 13 people.