We're pausing our live coverage of the intriguing US flying objects. Thank you for joining us.

This page was written by Adam Durbin, Andre Rhoden-Paul, Jennifer McKiernan and Krystyna Gajda.

It was edited by Marianna Brady, Jeremy Gahagan and Jamie Whitehead.

Read more about this unfolding story here.

After a surreal weekend of scrambled fighter jets, allegations of high-altitude surveillance operations and rumours of extra terrestrial visitations, we know a bit more about why the US chose to shoot down three airborne objects since Friday.

There remain many outstanding questions about what these objects were for and who owned them. So before we end our coverage for the day, here's a quick summary of what we've learned so far:

• There is no evidence three objects taken out in as many days were related to aliens, the White House felt the need to emphasise
• National security spokesman John Kirby said they were not necessarily designed for spying, like the initial object shot down nearly two weeks ago - which he maintained was being used by China to monitor military sites
• China has previously denied this and said the balloon was designed to monitor weather patterns and became blown off course
• The latest three objects were much smaller, flying at a lower altitude and were not being actively controlled like the initial balloon
• Kirby defended the decision to destroy them, despite knowing very little about them, as their low-flying altitude posed a threat to commercial planes
• The harsh (or underwater) conditions of the areas where the objects were shot down has hampered recovery efforts to find debris for expert analysis
• Meanwhile, Beijing has accused the US of flying its own balloons over China - which the White House denies

The former head of MI6 in the UK says suspected Chinese spy balloons in Western airspace were "not a good look" but added that the cyber threat from Beijing was greater.

Sir Alex Younger, who led the UK's foreign intelligence service for just under six years, talking on China's apparent use of balloons told Times Radio: "It's not a good look. They're presenting themselves to the non-aligned world as guardians of the sovereignty of developing nations, and this just is a very different message."

He drew attention to cyber threat that has been "underestimated", but because balloons were visible they "seem to attract a completely different reaction".

Image source, .

As John Kirby outlined during his White House briefing, part of the reason we know so little about the UFOs shot down in recent days, as well as the initial alleged Chinese spy balloon from earlier this month, is the isolated places and harsh conditions in which they were shot to earth by US fighter jets.

The first balloon was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina, much of it then sunk to a depth of around 47ft (14m) under the waves.

Work to recover what's left of it is ongoing and lots of evidence has already reportedly been gathered for analysis. But rough sea conditions and the depth of the remains have delayed the process.

The second object was shot down inside the Arctic Circle in Alaska on Friday, where the harsh winter conditions and sea ice in the far north have been hampering the recovery efforts since.

Meanwhile, the third and fourth UFOs haven't been found yet.

The former was shot down in the far-northern province of Yukon in Canada, where investigators are currently searching for its remains about 100 miles (160 km) from the border with Alaska.

Meanwhile, the latest UFO was taken out over the Lake Huron in Michigan - one of the enormous Great Lakes - yesterday and is also yet to be located.

The isolated nature of the places these UFOs were shot makes sense, given authorities are generally reluctant to take out aerial objects over populated areas due to the possible risks of harm to people or buildings from falling debris.

Aiden Johnson
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Reuters

For nearly 45 minutes, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby faced question after question about the unknown aircraft that once hovered over North America, but have now been shot to the ground.

His answers largely aligned with what the Biden Administration has said already: it believes the first object was, in fact, a Chinese spy balloon – but that it’s not so sure what objects two, three and four were being used for, or who owned them.

Kirby repeatedly told reporters here in the White House briefing room that more would be known once more debris was recovered.

But he stressed that, while the US government has no reason to believe that the more recent three were being used for spying, they also couldn’t rule it out.

Away from events in the US, the UK is currently deciding how it designates China, in its updated Integrated Review of Security, Defence and Foreign Policy.

After the Chinese balloon went into US airspace, the UK's Transport Minister Richard Holden described China as a "hostile state."

A spokesperson for the prime minister added "as we've said on a number of occasions, China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests. It is a challenge that grows more acute as it moves to even greater authoritarianism."

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wants to reassure the US population there is no evidence of extra terrestrial activity.

Image source, Reuters

The press briefing has now concluded, so here's a quick summary of what we've learned about recent spate of UFOs being downed by the US military:

• First (and foremost for Area 51 enthusiasts) there is no evidence of alien or extra-terrestrial life being involved
• The three objects taken out over the weekend were not necessarily spy balloons, like the surveillance balloon shot down nearly two weeks ago, National Security Council member John Kirby said

• They were not being controlled when they were taken down and did not have propulsion systems - unlike the first balloon, which Kirby said was likely being used by Beijing to monitor US military sites
• He defended the decision to shoot down the three most recent objects despite the government not knowing what they were, because they potentially posed a threat to civilian air traffic as they were flying at a similar altitude to many planes
• The isolated and harsh conditions in the places they were shot down is hampering efforts to find debris to analyse, with the most recent of them likely in deep water in Lake Huron
• One reason the US government could be finding more of these objects because they are now looking more closely for them, Kirby also told reporters
• He claimed the Chinese government has a high-altitude balloon programme, but denied Beijing's own allegations the US has been operating its own aircraft in Chinese airspace for some time
• The events of recent weeks have "helped us move forward in the way we would want it to move" in terms of improving the tense state of US-China relations, Kirby also said

Moving on from UFO questions now and Kirby is asked about an alleged Russian plot to overthrow the government of Moldova.

He say the reports are "deeply concerning" and "not outside the bounds of Russian behaviour".

"We absolutely stand with the Moldovan government and Moldovan people," he adds.

The president of Moldova has accused Russia of planning to use foreign saboteurs to remover her pro-EU government from power.

Image source, EPA

Kirby says they are still working to get all of the Chinese spy balloon out of the water.

Some, not all of the payload that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic has been recovered.

He says it's in about 45ft of water and weather conditions are "pretty tough" off America's east coast, and divers have not been able to go in today.

He goes on to say a full recovery could take a long time because of the weather and safety considerations.

Image source, Getty Images

It's important to make a distinction between the spy balloon allegedly operated by China taken down nearly two weeks ago and the three objects destroyed over the weekend, John Kirby says.

He says the US government knows what the balloon was was doing, where it was going and emphasises how much larger it was - capable of carrying three school buses and flying at a much-higher altitude.

Kirby adds the Chinese balloon was at more than 60,000ft (18,000m), well above commercial aviation altitude - but the three others were at a height much more dangerous to normal commercial planes flying of between 20,000 and 40,0000ft.

He says the Chinese balloon was clearly being controlled and manoeuvred, while the other three objects did not have propulsion systems and were moving with the wind in a less predictable way.

Kirby also claims the first balloon was likely being used to monitoring sensitive military sites.

Asked if it was strange no one had claimed the three objects, Kirby says: "We're sort of in in uncharted territory here, no pun intended, we don't know."

The object shot down over Lake Huron yesterday is likely lying in very deep water, Kirby says.

He tells reporters that the objects in Canada are similarly in "pretty remote terrain" and are therefore very hard to recover, given the harsh winter conditions in Alaska and northern Canada.

Kirby says outside of these recovery operations, the US government is still actively monitoring its skies and consulting with allies and share intelligence.

Kirby denies these interceptions were due to political pressure following the incursion by the Chinese spy balloon.

He says it was done because it was in the "best interests" of the American people - leaving open the door to speculation they were surveillance balloons.

Image source, Getty Images

A reporter asks John Kirby if the US is flying surveillance craft over China.

He answers: "We are not flying surveillance balloons over China. I'm not aware of any other craft we're flying into Chinese airspace."

Earlier China said the US has been flying balloons in its airspace over the last year.

Image source, Reuters

Kirby is now taking questions. He is asked if the UFOs don't pose a military threat, then why are they being shot down?

He responds by saying there was a "very real" potential risk to civilian air traffic, adding they were unmanned and uncontrolled.

He says it could not be ruled out the objects were not watching military sites, and therefore President Joe Biden directed the military "out of an abundance of caution" to take them down.

Admiral John Kirby says the US and Canada have been scrutinising airspace more closely since the incursion into US airspace by China.

He says because the US has not been able to definitely say what the objects are, they acted out of an ''abundance of caution'' to protect the country's interests, flight safety and security.

In Saturday's case, he says the US acted in consultation with the Canadian government, and the President Biden has spoken personally with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada.

Image source, White House

John Kirby, from the White House National Security Council, now takes to the podium.

The Co-ordinator for Strategic Communications says they cannot "publicly go into many details" but says he was able to determine China has a high-altitude balloon programme for intelligence collection connected to China's army.

He said Donald Trump's administration did not detect it, but President Joe Biden's did.

In a slightly amused conclusion to her initial statement, Karine Jean-Pierre has clarified there is no evidence of aliens or extra terrestrial activity in the recent taking down of UFOs over North America.

With a smile on her face (and to the laughter of many assembled journalists) she says she loved the movie ET, but wanted to reassure the US population there was no indication of life from other planets coming to Earth.

The White House briefing has begun, with Karine Jean-Pierre saying President Biden has pledged the US will prepare "any and all types of aid" to Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake in the two countries.

Image source, White House

The White House press briefing has begun, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joined by National Security Council member John Kirby to answer the assembled journalists questions.

Stick with us and we'll bring you any information they share about the recent spate of UFOs being shot down by the US military.