Firefighters are working to keep open the only highway out of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, as wildfires approach. Canada currently has more than a thousand active fires.

Comments Pope Francis made during a private discussion on a recent trip to Portugal criticizing the US Catholic Church, home to several of his more staunch opponents, have been made public in Italy.

What if we could eat broccoli that's sweet? Or cherries without pits? How about apples that don't go brown? With gene editing, nearly everything is possible. In May, Canada announced it would loosen regulations around new farming techniques. An authorisation is no longer required to create new types of genetically modified seeds. They also don't need a label, unlike traditional GMOs.

With just over 1,400 Catholics, Mongolia is one of the smallest and newest Catholic communities in the world. Pope Francis makes the trip while also casting an eye toward China.

Pope Francis is on the first-ever papal visit to the country on China and Russia's doorstep, where he said governments shouldn't fear the Church's work.

After a mass in Mongolia attended by some groups of Chinese Catholics, the pope told them to be "good Christians and good citizens."

At the end of his historic trip to the Buddhist nation, Pope Francis said the Catholic church is driven by faith to help the needy, and not as a way of attracting new converts.

Negotiations between the Canadian Unifor union – representing 5,700 workers – and carmaker Ford have been extended for another 24 hours after a prior labour contract expired at midnight on Monday. A strike could be on the cards if a deal is not found by then. Meanwhile, the US's major auto industry union is picketing against Ford, GM and Stellantis. Also in this edition, the EU's digital chief raises concerns over Chinese data laws. Plus, olive oil prices reach record highs.

India urged its citizens to "exercise extreme caution" in Canada amid a diplomatic dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader. Canada suggested that Indian agents might be tied to the killing, angering Delhi.

The Pope is heading to Marseille in southern France. He's expected to deliver harsh comments on the living conditions of migrants.

Pope Francis heads Friday (September 22) to Marseille for a two-day visit focused on the Mediterranean and migration, and bringing a message of tolerance amid bitter debate over how Europe manages asylum seekers.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the US takes "very, very seriously" incidents of "transnational repression," adding that he wants to ensure "accountability."