President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held their first talks as the White House seeks authorization to raise borrowing limits. The opposition is believed to be seeking promises to cut spending.

Several cities in the northeastern United States enacted emergency measures to protect the homeless population. The Arctic blast also caused "frostquakes" from sudden snaps in frozen soil.

Sarah McCoy is an American who honed her songwriting and singing skills touring the US and New Orleans in particular, before moving to France several years ago. Unlike Emily (of "Emily in Paris" fame), she speaks French and has charmed her way into the hearts of the locals. She has just released her second album "High Priestess", which she is about to tour extensively throughout France and other European countries.

The operation to gather pieces of the balloon comes as US officials reportedly said the device was part of a vast spy program. The incident has brought increased strain on US-China ties.

Robert Habeck and Bruno Le Maire are in the US for talks on the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act. The EU argues that some of the US' green subsidy plans are protectionist and could even risk a trade war.

This week, tensions between the US and China spiked further after an alleged spy balloon was shot down by Washington. Beijing later said it would firmly defend its interests after President Joe Biden vowed to protect the sovereignty of the United States. China continues to insist the balloon was for civilian purposes and had veered off course.

The FRANCE 24 Observers team have conducted an investigation since November 2022 and have spotted a variety of fake anti-Ukraine ads throughout the globe – a product of Russian disinformation and propaganda. Find out more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

The US State Department said the balloon that had flown over the US for days was part of a bigger surveillance program targeting 40 countries.

They’ve come to be known as the Hong Kong 47. A group of prominent activists, former lawmakers and student leaders went on trial this week, accused of trying to topple the pro-Beijing government. Most of them, including Benny Tai and Joshua Wong, have been detained since their arrests two years ago.

The former commanding US general in Europe, Ben Hodges, has told DW that the West should provide Kyiv with fighter jets. He said that providing Ukraine with the planes could lead to a victory for Kyiv within the year.

Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed that VOD, a news outlet, had slandered him and his son. He is one of the world's longest-serving dictators.

The object was downed over Lake Huron following two other such incidents in Alaska and Canada in recent days. Earlier, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said investigators were hunting for wreckage in north-west Canada.