Tropical Storm Idalia lashed western Cuba and was expected to strengthen into a major hurricane as it crawled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, where officials ordered evacuations and urged residents to prepare for an expected Wednesday landfall.

Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to push farther south in their two-month-old counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.

The French government’s decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools drew applause on Monday from the right, but also criticism.

Pope Francis has lamented what he called a “reactionary” Catholic Church in the United States, where he said political ideology has replaced faith in some cases.

North Korea has announced it will allow its citizens living abroad to return home in an easing of its coronavirus-era border controls.

Texas’ electric grid operator asked residents and businesses to conserve energy on Sunday as its reserves were expected to decrease during a scorching heat wave that has caused demand to surge.

Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to advance further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Three U.S. Marines died in an aircraft crash off the coast of northern Australia on Sunday while transporting troops during a routine military exercise, officials said.

Tropical Storm Idalia has formed in the Caribbean and could strengthen into a hurricane, bringing high winds and storm surges to Cuba and Florida later this week.

The white gunman who shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, was a 21-year-old who bought his guns legally and had no criminal history, local law enforcement said.

Three US Marines have been killed and several others seriously wounded after an Osprey aircraft crashed during military exercises in Australia.

Russia’s military cooperation with Iran will not succumb to geopolitical pressure, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, following a report that Washington has asked Teheran to stop selling drones to Moscow.