BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister Friday, continuing the legacy of the political dynasty that began with her father Thaksin Shinawatra, one of Thailand’s most popular but divisive political figures.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s health ministry said Friday it has identified a case of mpox, but sequencing is being done to determine whether it is a new variant, days after the World Health Organization declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of people marched through various Indian cities Friday to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government hospital, demanding justice and better security at medical campuses and hospitals.

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Christ Covenant church launched on Sept. 17, 2017, with 73 charter members. Since that time, the growth has been spectacular and on Nov. 6, 2022, the church celebrated the grand opening of a new facility with 1.750 in attendance.

NEW YORK (AP) — A reputed Peruvian gang leader suspected in nearly two dozen killings in his home country and who was initially allowed to enter the U.S. illegally was arrested Wednesday in New York by U.S. immigration authorities. Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of “Los Killers” who is wanted for 23 killings in Peru, was arrested in Endicott, New York, about 145 miles northwest of New York City, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday.

THOMSON, Ga. (AP) — The mayor of a small Georgia town has been indicted on charges that he illegally left a bottle of gin in a ditch for a state prison work crew. Thomson Mayor Benjamin “Benji” Cary Cranford was indicted on Wednesday and arrested by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents. He faces felony charges of furnishing prohibited items to inmates and attempt to commit a felony.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Logan Webb threw 7 2/3 shutout innings, Grant McCray had his first career hit and home run, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 6-0 on Thursday to avoid a sweep. The Giants snapped a four-game losing skid behind Webb’s performance.

How important is Collegiate Week to the International Mission Board? It’s important enough that 25 IMB personnel attended the most recent event, with half being overseas missionaries.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) – All are welcome to attend Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church. Be warned, though. You’re going to be able to hear the worship well before you enter the sanctuary.

PRINCETON, Ky. (KT) — It was more than a decade ago that Kyle Noffsinger began to have a “real heart for mission work,” and that passion led him last week to the dangerous, poverty-ridden country of Haiti to train pastors.

Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!  The lyrics of this old hymn were as familiar to me as the pulpit from which my pastor preached in my home church.

ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 3.4% last month, up from 3.3% in July, even as the state continued to set records in several jobs categories. The state’s labor force was up 13,947 to more than 5.4 million, an all-time high, while the number of jobs rose by 2,600 to nearly 5 million, also a record.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A prosecutor says five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor's assistant and two doctors.

ATLANTA – The University System of Georgia produced an economic impact of $21.9 billion during fiscal 2023, a 9% increase over the previous year, according to a study released Wednesday. The system’s institutions also generated 163,332 full- and part-time jobs across the state during that same period, the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business reported.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that the country's troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha in the Kursk region in their incursion into Russian territory.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto barreled toward Bermuda on Thursday after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water as sweltering heat enveloped the U.S. territory, raising concerns about people’s health.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — International mediators held a new round of talks Thursday aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict.

LIMA, Peru (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro's contested claim of victory in last month's election not only threw Venezuela into uncertainty but also spread anxiety from neighboring Colombia to faraway Chile as the region braced for a new migration surge.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — On a darkened road beside the Caspian Sea, Iranian police officers opened fire last month on a 31-year-old woman who had tried to speed away likely knowing they wanted to seize her vehicle. Police had been ordered to impound her car, activists say, because of an earlier violation of Iran's headscarf law for showing her hair in public while driving.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Michael Harris hit a grand slam in his first at-bat after missing nearly two months because of a hamstring injury, helping the Atlanta Braves rout the San Francisco Giants 13-2 on Wednesday night.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another," Proverbs 27:17. Dr. Gerry Samson was in our dental office last week. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it certainly was to us.

Churches with successful Sunday School and small-group ministries seem have a good understanding of the following six key areas. These churches are consistently working to evaluate and adjust in these areas to ensure success.

PHOENIX (AP) — An informational pamphlet for Arizona voters, who will decide in the fall whether to guarantee a constitutional right to an abortion, can refer to an embryo or fetus as an “unborn human being,” the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday.

The New England Patriots have traded four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round draft pick, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday after a brief, tumultuous tenure that saw the head of the prestigious New York university grapple with pro-Palestinian protests and criticism over how the school handled divisions related to the conflict.