CAIRO (AP) — Hamas said Saturday that it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a planned Israeli ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Nebraska.

Longtime International Mission Board leader Clyde D. Meador died Friday, April 26. He was 79. Clyde Meador worked closely with four IMB presidents as a top advisor and executive vice president, and as the mission organization’s interim president from August 2010 to March 2011 and again briefly in 2018 before the election of current President Paul Chitwood.

NEW YORK (AP) — Months before they pitched their tents on Columbia University's main lawn, inspiring a wave of protest encampments at college campuses nationwide, a small group of pro-Palestinian student activists met privately to sketch out the logistical details of a round-the-clock occupation.

Samnas Alemu thought he was saying goodbye to his family for one week. In 2013, persecution forced him to flee his home country of Ethiopia to seek asylum in the United States, and he was hoping to reunite with his family soon. But a week turned into months, and months into years, as Samnas waited for a hearing before a judge for his asylum case.

Most people who walk into Freedom Church in Neosho, Missouri, start with a worship service. It’s an on-ramp to the church’s discipleship pathway, a natural starting point on the journey from being a first-time visitor to a growing, serving follower of Christ.

Every Sunday, 8-year-old Micah Singerman heard his parents, International Mission Board missionaries Kevin and Victoria Singerman, tell chronological Bible stories in Kampala, Uganda. He then watched the Ugandan believers go out and share the same story with people in their community.  

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce Friday that it will provide about $6 billion in long-term military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said, adding that it will include much sought-after munitions for Patriot air defense systems.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt sent a high-level delegation to Israel on Friday with the hope of brokering a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, two officials said. At the same time, it warned that a possible Israeli offensive focused on Gaza's city of Rafah — on the border with Egypt — could have catastrophic consequences for regional stability.

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of “responsibly managing” the differences between the United States and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons provided the first major surprise of the NFL draft by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. of Washington with the No. 8 overall pick on Thursday night.

Quarterback Jaden Rashada has committed to Georgia after leaving Arizona State in the transfer portal. Rashada's agent, Henry Danger of Disruptive Sports, told The Associated Press in an email on Thursday that the one-time Florida quarterback commit has transferred to the Gators’ Southeastern Conference rival in Georgia.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan prosecutors raided the offices of the charity Save the Children on Thursday, citing a complaint alleging the violation of migrant children’s rights. Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche said in a video to media that the complaint filed by an unidentified foreigner had raised serious concerns because it involved allegations of abuse of children.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Georgia's Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick Thursday, the second year in a row they have taken a tight end high in the NFL draft. Las Vegas traded up last year to take Notre Dame's Michael Mayer in the second round with the 35th overall pick. Mayer caught 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns last season.

DETROIT (AP) — Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades. Five other teams selected quarterbacks among the top 12 picks, setting a record with five in the top 10 and tying a record for the most in the first round.

The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony and dozens more college students were arrested at other campuses nationwide Thursday as pro-Palestinian demonstrations continued to spread.

FORSYTH, Ga. — Last Saturday, April 20, some 250 Georgia college student leaders gathered at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth for Equip, a day of equipping leaders to be on mission on their campus, in their community and around the world.

FORSYTH, Ga. — Last Saturday, April 20, some 250 Georgia college student leaders gathered at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth for Equip, a day of equipping leaders to be on mission on their campus, in their community and around the world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was charged with failing to protect private video footage from outside access.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Ariel Henry resigned Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, leaving the way clear for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, which has been wracked by gang violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people from January to March.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago. The Balsa 94, a bulk carrier sailing under a Panama flag, passed through the new 35-foot channel headed for St. John, Canada.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — Mark Fox gave Kentucky coach Mark Pope his first coaching opportunity at Georgia. Pope returned the favor on Wednesday. Fox, who has spent 18 seasons as a head coach at Nevada, Georgia and most recently California, joined Pope’s staff as his associate coach.

I once read a story about a man who tore down an old building that stood on his property for many years. After clearing away the debris, he broke up and smoothed over the ground. Soon, spring rains fell and sunshine flooded the area.

It’s rare that Gene Mitchell drives anywhere in his truck listening to Christian music without getting teary-eyed, some 18 months after his wife died of cancer.  “Songs now have a different meaning, things I’ve never heard in a song before,” Mitchell told The Alabama Baptist.