The U.S. and South Korean militaries were wrapping up their annual drills six days earlier than initially scheduled on Friday in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, though the North said the step isn't enough to convince it to return to talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier abruptly ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises just before they began Monday. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea's refusal to support him over the war in Iran.

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, the South said, and Pyongyang mocked U.S. "servant" Seoul, after President Donald Trump suggested he would meet Kim Jong Un this year.

The intensifying use of drones against civilians and humanitarian workers is a dangerous obstacle for aid operations in Ukraine, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said on Wednesday.

Fletcher spoke to The Associated Press in an interview after a visit to the southern city of Kherson, where he witnessed how communities there are coping while living under the constant threat of Russian drones. Fletcher described the visit to Kherson, split by the Dnipro River, which acts as an active front line, as "quite chilling."

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged "economic warfare" against Iran and threatened any country that trades with it, prompting Iran to dismiss the plan on Thursday as a continuation of failed policies.

A Russian missile barrage overnight Thursday killed at least 12 people in Kyiv as explosions echoed across Ukraine's capital throughout the night, local authorities said.

At least 33 people were wounded, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service. The air raid alert remained active into the early morning hours Thursday.

The EU's top officials threw their support Wednesday behind International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane, after she was hit by U.S. sanctions.

In twin statements on X, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Antonio Costa said they "stand firmly" with the ICC's president and top officials, which "must be able to act independently and without external pressure."

A head-on collision between a bus and a truck killed at least 21 people on Wednesday in the municipality of Imbituva in southern Brazil, local officials said.

Images in the local press showed a bus with a sign for people with disabilities smashed to pieces next to a truck.

Waves of Ukrainian drones targeted the massive logistics center outside Moscow overnight. The next morning, it was still ablaze, dark smoke rising into the sky from what was one of Russia's largest retail warehouses.

Hundreds of miles away, Ukrainian drone crews had barely paused after the night's work before starting to prepare for another attack.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries have agreed to sharply scale back their drills at the U.S.'s request, South Korean officials said Wednesday, a move that likely reflected President Donald Trump's hopes to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but that could undermine a U.S.-South Korean defense readiness.

Trump had ordered his Pentagon chief to downsize the allies' summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just before they began Monday for an 11-day run. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with Kim and South Korea's refusal to support him over Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Tehran are under way or planned and insisted the blockade of Iran’s ports remains in force.