News brief: Big stories of the day

US President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is close to reaching a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The outer bands of Hurricane Florence drenched the Carolinas on Thursday, flooding roads, gorging rivers and knocking out power in an ominous glimpse of the damage the storm could inflict when it makes landfall on Friday with millions of people in its path.

SpaceX on Thursday announced a new plan to send a tourist around the Moon on its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), a massive launch vehicle that is being designed to carry people to deep space.

The CBI said on Thursday the change in a 2015 Look Out Circular against liquor baron Vijay Mallya from "detain" to merely informing about his movements was an "error" in judgement because he was cooperating in the probe and there was no warrant against him.

In a bid to empower women, Riyadh-based carrier Flynas will be recruiting Saudi women as co-pilots and flight attendants for the first time.