BEIRUT (AP) — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Wednesday, Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for the assassination that risks escalating the conflict even as the U.S. and other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. Iran's supreme leader vowed revenge against Israel.

PARIS (AP) — Olympic triathletes dove into the Seine River on Wednesday after organizers declared the water in Paris safe for swimming following days of concerns about elevated bacteria levels caused by heavy rains last week.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker College proudly announces that 100% of the inaugural class from its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program has successfully passed the National Council Licensure Examination on their first attempt. This outstanding success underscores the college's unwavering commitment to excellence in nursing education and its dedication to preparing future healthcare professionals.

Boeing named a longtime aerospace industry veteran as its next chief executive, who will take over a company that has been rocked by legal, regulatory and production problems. Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, 64, a former CEO at aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins, will succeed David Calhoun, 67, as CEO effective Aug. 8, the company said on Wednesday.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jarred Kelenic broke out of a month-long slump by hitting a homer and double in the Atlanta Braves’ 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Austin Riley went 4 for 5 as the Braves won despite leaving 11 men on base.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel on Tuesday carried out a rare strike on Beirut, which it said killed a top Hezbollah commander who was allegedly behind a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Golan Heights. The strike in the Lebanese capital killed at least one woman and two children and wounded dozens of people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service's acting director told lawmakers Tuesday that he considered it indefensible that the roof used by the gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was unsecured and said it was regrettable that local law enforcement had not alerted his agency before the shooting that an armed subject had been spotted on a nearby roof.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan government leaders ratcheted up their attacks on their opponents Tuesday, with some suggesting the opposition's most influential leader and a presidential candidate be arrested, as foreign countries including key ally Brazil and the U.S. decried a lack of transparency over the disputed presidential election.

ATLANTA (AP) — An Atlanta man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to threatening U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in phone calls to the Georgia Republican's Washington office.

​The Friendship Baptist Association in rural southwest Georgia, like many other rural associations, is confronting a crisis. It is experiencing a shortage of pastors, youth and children's workers, and musicians. The association, spread over nine counties, has 47 churches and missions. Currently, eight of those churches are without a pastor, in an association where 65 percent of the churches are served by bi-vocational pastors.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing 15-year-old, Lauren Joseph. According to police, Lauren left her home in Jonesboro, Georgia at approximately 9:00 am on July 18, 2024. Lauren is described as 5'2", weighs 117 lbs., and has brown eyes with brown hair.

ATLANTA – The Port of Brunswick had a better year than the Port of Savannah, the Georgia Ports Authority reported Tuesday. Brunswick handled a record 876,000 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, including autos and heavy machinery, during fiscal 2024, which ended June 30. That represented a 21% increase over the previous fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern railroad has been causing chronic delays for Amtrak between New York and New Orleans by forcing the passenger trains to wait while its massive freight trains pass, the federal government said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Imagine that you are in France for the Olympics and see someone handing out free water bottles. It’s hot, and you’re thirsty, so you take one, but don’t stop to talk. On the bottle, you notice a QR code. Later, when you get home, out of curiosity, you scan the QR code on your phone, and it takes you to a website that says, “Who Am I?”  

ATLANTA – The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has launched a new web portal to allow voters to cancel their registration online. The site – cancelmyregistration.sos.ga.gov – lets voters who are moving or opting out of voter registration to notify their county registrar that they want their registration canceled.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate lawmakers are expected Tuesday to grill the acting director of the Secret Service about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in the latest in a series of congressional hearings dedicated to the shooting.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of rescue workers searched through mud and debris Wednesday from multiple landslides that have killed at least 151 people in southern India, police said.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Washington’s top diplomat and defense chief announced $500 million in new military funding Tuesday to boost the Philippines' external defense and progress on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact as both allies renewed their concerns over China’s continuing aggressive actions in the region.

PARIS (AP) — After days of delays and uncertainty over water quality in the Seine River, the women's and men's Olympic triathlon races will go forward Wednesday with a swim in the famed Paris waterway.

ATLANTA (AP) — National League wild-card leader Atlanta is reuniting with 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, a reliever for that championship team.

On Sunday, July 28, Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director Todd Fisher was involved in a serious automobile accident while traveling in Oklahoma to speak at a ministry event. Dr. Fisher has sustained multiple injuries that are not life-threatening, and he is in stable condition.

How many sermons, messages or talks can you remember? I have no way of knowing the exact number of sermons I have shared, but it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000. For the life of me, I cannot name four of them. Still, pastors like me study, prepare, write and deliver messages to the local church with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle Paul undoubtedly had more influence upon the Church than any other believer. While the Roman Catholic Church highlights the primacy of Peter, Peter never served in a hierarchical position in the New Testament.

COHASSET, Calif. (AP) — In the small forest community of Cohasset, Ron Ward watched as flames hundreds of feet high from California’s deadly Park Fire approached his family ranch.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo González on Monday announced that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country's disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to President Nicolás Maduro.