British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to London on Thursday, a day before a critical U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska.

Zelensky's trip to the British capital comes a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said Trump had assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has mocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offer to help with Iran's water crisis.

Pezeshkian said Wednesday on X that Israel has denied Palestinians access to water and food, so can't be trusted.

President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that there will be "very severe consequences" if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war against Ukraine after the two leaders meet for a summit later this week in Alaska.

Trump made the comment in response to a question from a reporter after announcing this year's Kennedy Center Honors recipients in Washington. He did not say what the consequences might be.

Israel's targeted killing of an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza over the weekend was noteworthy even for a conflict remarkably blood-soaked for journalists, leaving some experts to marvel that any news at all emerges from the territory.

An Al Jazeera executive said Monday that it won't back down from covering what is going on there and called for news organizations to step up and recruit more journalists. A total of 184 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel in the Gaza war since its start in October 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. That compares to the 18 journalists and media workers killed so far in the Russia-Ukraine war, CPJ said.

Look what you made her do — Taylor Swift has announced her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl."

Swift announced the album on her website shortly after a countdown timer expired at 12:12 a.m. Tuesday. No release date was announced, but her site said vinyl editions of the album would ship before Oct. 13.

Beyoncé has an Emmy to go with her 35 Grammys.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, her legal name, was listed as one of a half dozen people on a team that won outstanding costumes for a variety, nonfiction or reality show for "Beyoncé Bowl," her Western-themed halftime show on Netflix's Christmas NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

Paris Saint-Germain get back on the hunt for trophies in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham on Wednesday.

It's the annual early-season match between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League — and PSG starts as the big favorite.

The Premier League is back after one of the most unpredictable seasons in recent memory saw Liverpool win a record-equaling 20th title, Manchester City go into meltdown and Manchester United hit new lows.

The new campaign kicks off on Friday and teams have spent big in an attempt to capitalize on what looks like being a wide open title race after City's dominance was ended.

Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and government offices as heavy rain threatened more damage to agriculture in the island's southeast. No major damage was reported.

The storm hit Taitung county on the east coast shortly after noon, moving across the south of the island at about 36 kilometers (22 miles) per hour. By 5:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) its center was just off Taiwan's west coast, churning out into the Taiwan Strait and China, according to the Central Weather Administration.

Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution are discussing a new draft of the text Wednesday that would not limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products.

The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. About 100 countries want to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling. Many have said it's essential to address toxic chemicals.