World News Update, What you need to know

Firefighters are battling devastating wildfires in the US that have reduced hundreds of homes to smouldering ruins and threatened California's renowned wine region.

ELSEWHERE:

NEW YORK - Soul legend Aretha Franklin, the daughter of a preacher, will sing for Pope Francis during his highly anticipated visit to the United States this month.

NEW YORK - Thousands of New Yorkers will get to test a smart device installed in their vehicles to warn them of impending dangers and congestion.

JACKSON, Mississippi - A professor has been killed in his office at Delta State University in Mississippi and the campus remains in lockdown with the shooter still believed to be on the loose.

PARIS - France's honorary consul in Turkey has resigned after she was found to be selling rubber dinghies and life jackets to migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

MOSCOW - Russia's antitrust authority has found US internet giant Google guilty of unfairly keeping rival services off mobile devices in a probe demanded by local search engine provider Yandex.

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple says pre-orders for its new iPhones set for release this month are on a pace to top last year's record for new handsets.