World News Roundup: North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea says; Macron says France needs pension changes, will enact by year-end and more

Sunak has sought to end years of wrangling over Brexit by revisiting one of the trickiest parts of the negotiations - to ensure smooth trade to Northern Ireland without creating a so-called hard border with Britain or the European Union. South Korea, US to hold largest live-fire drills amid North Korea tension South Korean and U.S. forces will hold their largest-ever live-fire exercises in June in a show of force to North Korea, which has ratcheted up tension with numerous missile launches, South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, South Korea says

North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday as its rivals South Korea and the United States held joint military exercises, the South Korean military said. The missiles were fired at around 10:15 a.m. (0115 GMT) from its South Hamgyong province, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Macron says France needs pension changes, will enact by year-end

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said a deeply unpopular new law that raises the retirement age was necessary and would enter into force by the end of the year. "Do you think I enjoy doing this reform? No," Macron said in a rare TV interview. "But there are not a hundred ways to balance the accounts ... this reform is necessary."

Greece restarts suspended train services after deadly crash

Greece reopened some train routes on Wednesday, three weeks after a deadly train crash forced authorities to suspend all rail service across the country over safety concerns. All passenger and freight services have been halted since a passenger and a cargo train carrying more than 350 people collided head-on on Feb. 28 on the same track near the city of Larissa, killing 57.

Zelenskiy visits troops near frontline city of Bakhmut

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukrainian troops on Wednesday near the frontline city of Bakhmut, and handed out medals to soldiers he said were heroically defending their country's sovereignty. Ukrainian forces have held out for about eight months in Bakhmut, despite taking heavy casualties in one of the bloodiest battles since Russia's full-scale invasion 13 months ago.

Russia boosts defences near Japan, accuses US of expanding Asia-Pacific presence

Russia said on Wednesday that a division of its Bastion coastal defence missile systems had been deployed to Paramushir, one of the Kuril islands in the north Pacific, some of which Japan claims as its territory. The move is part of a wider strengthening of Russian defences in its vast far eastern regions, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, partly in response to what he called U.S. efforts to "contain" Russia and China.

As Cuba election day nears, some voters ask, 'why bother?'

Like a growing number of Cubans, 77-year-old Havana resident Humberto Avila says he will likely sit out Sunday's legislative elections. The retired university professor says he's done the math - 470 candidates, 470 open seats - and sees no point in voting.

At what cost? UK PM Sunak to win post-Brexit trade vote in parliament

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to win parliamentary approval on Wednesday for a key element of a post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, a victory tainted by a lack of support from the province's biggest unionist party and some of his lawmakers. Sunak has sought to end years of wrangling over Brexit by revisiting one of the trickiest parts of the negotiations - to ensure smooth trade to Northern Ireland without creating a so-called hard border with Britain or the European Union.

South Korea, US to hold largest live-fire drills amid North Korea tension

South Korean and U.S. forces will hold their largest-ever live-fire exercises in June in a show of force to North Korea, which has ratcheted up tension with numerous missile launches, South Korea's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The exercises are part of a series of events marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the two countries this year.

Trapped and jobless, Gaza youths look for a way out

Sabreen Abu Jazar was only hours from completing the perilous journey from Gaza to meet her husband in Europe last month when her migrant boat flipped and sank 100 metres from the Greek coast. Her body was finally returned home this week. "She phoned me just before travelling and asked me to pray for her," said her mother, sat in a mourning tent in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Russian drones swarm Kyiv in display of force as Xi leaves Moscow

Russia launched a swarm of drones into Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people near Kyiv in a display of force as China's President Xi Jinping left Moscow with promises of friendship but little public mention of the war. Sirens blared across the capital and swathes of northern Ukraine and the military said it had shot down 16 of 21 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Two accommodation blocks and an educational facility in the riverside town of Rzhyshchiv south of the capital had been partially destroyed, the State Emergency Service said on the Telegram messaging app.