In an interview with FRANCE 24 in New York, former US counterterrorism czar Richard Alan Clarke described the main threats facing the United States in cyberspace and warned that Russia's cyber weapons could potentially "do a lot of damage" in the US.

Republicans in control of the Tennessee House of Representatives have expelled two Democratic representatives over a gun control demonstration.

US and Asian allies urge support for North Korea worker ban

A Texas court has suspended approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, while a Washington judge ruled in a separate case that access to the drug must be preserved.

US officials are reviewing how a recent leak of highly classified documents could affect national security.

The French president called for the EU to implement its stated policy of "strategic autonomy" and argued the bloc could become a "third pole" alongside China and the US.

A Ukrainian commander said Russia was pounding Ukrainian positions with airstrikes and artillery barrages. Meanwhile, the UK said Moscow was gaining little by pouring resources into the Donetsk region.

The Shiveluch volcano in Russia's Far East has blown an ash column about 10 kilometers high, threatening aviation. Shiveluch last had a major eruption in 2007.

The joint military drills are part of the US effort to strengthen its alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's aggressive actions in the region.

Tennessee Representative Justin Jones has been reinstated to the state congress on an interim basis. Jones and another Democrat, both Black, were ousted last week over a gun control protest in the state capital.

This year's joint "Balikatan" military exercises are the largest to date. They come as Manila seeks a stronger response to China's increased military activity and deeper strategic cooperation with the US.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken reiterated Washington's support to his Ukrainian counterpart. The US will "turn over every rock" to find the source of the recent leak, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said.