North Korea has denounced a joint US-South Korea military exercise scheduled for next week, saying, "The enemies will pay a horrible price."

The US and South Korean militaries announced on Thursday that their annual joint exercise Freedom Shield will be held for 11 days starting next Monday. The drill is based on simulated emergencies on the Korean Peninsula.

Russia has sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks that he is open to using France's nuclear deterrent to protect its European allies.

The French leader proposed the nuclear umbrella during a televised speech on Wednesday. He also mentioned the idea of deploying European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after a ceasefire is reached.

KYIV: A Russian missile strike on a hotel in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown overnight killed three people and injured 31 with about half of them in serious condition, authorities said on Thursday (Mar 6). 

In addition to the hotel, 14 apartment buildings, a post office, almost two dozen cars, a cultural institution and 12 shops were damaged, authorities said. 

The UN children's agency says it is opening makeshift learning spaces for children in the Gaza Strip. But it notes that the children are suffering from trauma and are worried about whether the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will continue.

The United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF, estimates that more than 90 percent of the schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, due to Israel's attacks. It says the few schools that have survived are still being used as shelters.