Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists were arrested Friday in a dragnet that came as protesters planned to rally this weekend in defiance of a police ban.

The US state of Florida has declared a state of emergency as a major hurricane is expected to make landfall early next week.

The Libyan navy said on Thursday that more than 400 illegal immigrants were rescued in separate operations off the country's western coast.

A total of 23 anti-government militants including three armed insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group and 20 Taliban have given up fighting and handed over their weapons to police in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, a statement of provincial administration said here on Thursday.

The death toll from a bar fire attack in eastern Mexico has reached 26, with 11 people injured, the state prosecutor general's office said on Wednesday.

Evacuation orders have been issued for more than 670,000 people in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures in northern Kyushu.