Pope Leo XIV prayed Wednesday for the world to recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and "hear the cry of the poor," as he celebrated the first papal Mass using a new set of prayers and readings inspired by Pope Francis' environmental legacy.

The Mass, in the gardens of the Vatican's new ecological educational center at the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo, indicated a strong line of ecological continuity with Francis, who made environmental protection a hallmark of his pontificate.

U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting five West African leaders on Wednesday for a "multilateral lunch" at the White House as the region reels from the impact of U.S. aid cuts.

The leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau are expected to discuss key areas of cooperation, including economic development, security, infrastructure and democracy, according to a statement from the Liberian presidency. The White House has not provided further details.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented anti-corruption measures in response to the mounting corruption cases involving his Socialist Party, and again said he would not step down from office.

Speaking in parliament Wednesday at an extraordinary session about a corruption probe involving a former Socialist Party official, the Spanish leader took responsibility for his poor judgement but repeatedly said he would not step down, calling himself "an honest politician" with "the pride of leading an exemplary party."

World shares mostly climbed on Wednesday, following a choppy trading day on Wall Street as the Trump administration seeks to win more favorable trade deals with nations around the globe.

In early trading, major indexes in Europe were all higher. Germany's DAX added 0.7% to 24,373.05. Britain's FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher to 8,861.90. France's CAC 40 rose 0.8% to 7,829.04.

President Donald Trump and his advisers promised a lightning round of global trade negotiations with dozens of countries back in April.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro predicted "90 deals in 90 days.'' Administration officials declared that other countries were desperate to make concessions to avoid the massive import taxes – tariffs -- that Trump was threatening to plaster on their products starting July 9.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a … a purple and orange shape-shifting chemical compound?

Writer-director James Gunn's "Superman" was always going to be a strange chemistry of filmmaker and material. Gunn, the mind behind "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The Suicide Squad," has reliably drifted toward a B-movie superhero realm populated (usually over-populated) with the lesser-known freaks, oddities and grotesquerie of back-issue comics.

When President Donald Trump last rolled out tariffs this high, financial markets quaked, consumer confidence crashed and his popularity plunged.

Only three months later, he's betting this time is different.

More than 160 people are still believed to be missing in Texas days after flash floods killed over 100 people during the July Fourth weekend, the state's governor said Tuesday.

The huge jump in the number unaccounted for — roughly three times higher than previously said — came after authorities set up a hotline for families to call.

Hundreds of thousands of workers across India went on a nationwide strike on Wednesday in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to privatize state-run companies and other economic reforms, partially disrupting public services and manufacturing.

A coalition of 10 major trade unions that represent laborers and several other groups that speak for farmers and rural workers called for the one-day industrial action, dubbing it Bharat Bandh," Hindi for "Shut Down India."

Russia fired a record 728 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, as well as 13 cruise and ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said Wednesday, in the latest escalation after weeks of mounting Russian aerial and ground attacks in the more than three-year war.

The city of Lutsk, which lies in Ukraine's northwest along the border with Poland and Belarus, was the hardest hit, though 10 other regions were also struck, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.