HAVANA (AP) — Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico's southwest coast on Sunday as it unleashed landslides, knocked the power grid out and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around.

CLAYTON, Ga. – Surrounded by scenic mountains, Camp Pinnacle is a place of breathtaking natural beauty, but those who have spent time here over the years say it’s a spiritual element that truly sets the Appalachian getaway apart. “It’s a place that we regard as holy because of our personal experiences with the living God on this hallowed ground,” said Barbara Curnutt, former executive director of the Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Georgia.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – One of the top elected leaders of the Georgia Baptist Convention has challenged pastors to set the standard for their congregations when it comes to leading people to Christ. “If we’re going to see Georgia won for Christ, it’s going to begin in the pulpits,” said Brian Parker, pastor at First Baptist Church of Kingsland on Georgia’s southeast coast and fourth vice president of the state convention. “We have got to be the examples.”

PLANT CITY, Fla. (BP) – For families who don’t know, it’s tough to comprehend the stress of being a police officer. Dan Middlebrooks understands, and founded Chaplaincy Care, which focuses on first responder agencies in Hillsborough County, Fla.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Stetson Bennett went 16 for 23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 1 Georgia to a 48-7 victory over South Carolina. The Bulldogs' defense nearly had its second shutout of the season before South Carolina scored a touchdown against the backups with 53 seconds to go. The Georgia offense scored on eight of its first nine drives, gaining 551 yards and averaging nearly 10 yards a play.

BUREIJ, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip has discovered a rare mosaic on his property. The man says he stumbled upon it while planting an olive tree last spring and quietly excavated it over several months with his son. Experts say the discovery of the mosaic — which includes 17 well-preserved images of animals and birds — is one of Gaza's greatest archaeological treasures.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the state said it would defy the order. District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state on Thursday over the rule. He said it circumvented his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates.

IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have begun unearthing bodies from a mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces. A prosecutor said Friday that some said bore signs of torture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the site was an example of “what the Russian occupation has led to.”

CANTIANO, Italy (AP) — Flash floods triggered by heavy rain have swept through towns in hilly central Italy. Italy's leader said there were 10 confirmed deaths and four people missing. One child was swept from his mother's arms by the floods. Firefighters rescued dozens of survivors from rooftops and trees, using rubber dinghies and helicopters. After downpours drenched the area Thursday, rivers of water, mud and debris swept down the hillsides overnight.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving one step closer to developing a central bank digital currency, known as the digital dollar. Administration officials say it'd help reinforce the U.S. role as a leader in the world financial system.

Officials say weeks of floodwaters are now receding in Pakistan’s worst-hit southern Sindh province after a deadly summer in which monsoons killed hundreds of thousands of people. Friday's latest development is a potentially bright sign in the ongoing crisis. Irrigation officials say the water level in the previous 48 hours receded as much as three feet in some areas, including the Khairpur and Johi towns.

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government says it is temporarily stopping people from joining the line to file past the queen’s coffin as the wait for those at the back hit 14 hours. A live tracker of the queue said it was “at capacity” and entry was being “paused” for six hours. King Charles III, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a service of prayer and reflection in honor of his late mother.

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his Central Asian neighbors against allowing outsiders to destabilize them with “color revolutions.” It is a reference to protests that toppled regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. Xi’s comments at a security summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from Central Asia, India and Iran reflect official Chinese anxiety that Western support for pro-democracy and human rights activists is a plot to undermine authoritarian governments.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana judge has turned down a request to block enforcement of the state’s abortion ban just hours after it took effect. The ruling came Thursday in a lawsuit filed by abortion clinic operators who argue that the state constitution protects access to the procedure.

The federal government has approved plans from 34 states, Georgia among them, and Puerto Rico that detail how those locations will roll out their part of an ambitious national electric vehicle charging network.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is focused on the field, not on Georgia’s No. 1 ranking. He might be the only one heading into Saturday’s game. Beamer told his staff no “shock the worlds” or other rah-rah platitudes around the team this week. Then his family sent him several texts saying just that.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Atlanta United forward Thiago Almada has been included in Argentina’s 28-man squad for two World Cup warm-up matches to be played in the United States this month. The team will face Honduras on Sept. 23 in Miami and Jamaica four days later in New Jersey. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni dropped four players from his earlier list: goalkeeper Juan Musso, defender Lucas Martínez, midfielder Exequiel Palacios and striker Nicolás González — the latter two are injured.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons running back Damien Williams was held out of practice for the second consecutive day with a rib injury. Williams' status is uncertain for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams. Williams had been expected to share carries with Falcons starter Cordarrelle Patterson. Instead, Williams had only two carries for 2 yards before suffering the injury on Atlanta’s second possession of last week’s 27-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Raheem Morris was at home last Sunday, still smarting from his Los Angeles Rams' season-opening blowout loss, when he heard Nebraska had fired coach Scott …

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — After nearly two months of being forced to boil their water before drinking it or using it to brush teeth, people Mississippi’s largest city were told Thursday that water from the tap is safe to consume — but Jackson’s water system still needs big repairs that the mayor says the cash-strapped city cannot afford on its own.

ATLANTA (AP) — Three weeks into the season, No. 20 Ole Miss is still sorting things out at quarterback. Maybe Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech will provide some clarity. Luke Altmyer started last week against Central Arkansas but went down with an upper-body injury. He appears fully recovered and should be able to go against the Yellow Jackets.

ATLANTA – The state will funnel $130 million in federal COVID relief funds to Grady Memorial Hospital to help offset the impact of the looming closure of Wellstar’s Atlanta Medical Center, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – Fayetteville pastor Josh Saefkow, a champion of the Cooperative Program and current chairman of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee, will be nominated to serve as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention at an annual meeting set for Nov. 13-15 in Augusta. Buford First Baptist Church Lead Pastor Stephen Fountain said he intends to nominate Saefkow, who has been pastor of Flat Creek Baptist Church since 2016.

My beloved gifted me with The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream.  I’ve been digging into the lives and stories of 16 Bible girls, applying their wisdom to life today. When I began the chapter on Esther, I wondered what new things God would show me. 

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Georgia Baptists face great challenges in reaching in the state with the gospel, and that’s why it’s imperative that they work together, Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr. told a group of the state’s top leaders this week. “Our business is to fulfill the mandates that have been given to us by our Lord to do His work,” he told members of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee on Tuesday.