PINGTUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has warned that Chinese military drills aren’t just a rehearsal for an invasion of the self-governing island but also reflect ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific. The warning came as Taipei conducted its own exercises Tuesday to underscore it’s ready to defend itself.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyans are voting in an unusual presidential election. A longtime opposition leader who is backed by the outgoing president faces the deputy president who styles himself as the outsider. East Africa’s economic hub could see a presidential runoff for the first time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said in a lengthy statement Monday that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and asserted that agents had broken open a safe. The circumstances of the search were not immediately clear, though the Justice Department has been actively investigating the discovery of classified information in boxes of records that were taken to Trump's Florida residence after he left the White House.

NEW YORK (AP) — Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” has died. She was 73.

Sumo wrestling might be considered an unusual sport for an American, but for Andrew “Stonewall” Roden, whose Alabama roots go back to the Revolutionary War, it was literally taking a different traveling route that led him to the sport. “God led me here — this is what God wants,” he says confidently.

CHICAGO (BP) – The freedom of churches and other religious organizations to make employment decisions based on their beliefs has again gained support in the federal court system. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago dismissed July 28 a former guidance counselor’s lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and a Catholic high school.

JEFF, Ky. (BP) – A Knott Central High School football player is being remembered for his kindness to others and love for Jesus after a tragic turn. Aaron “Mick” Crawford was helping victims of the southeastern Kentucky flooding for three days last week when he became ill. He passed away Friday at UK Hospital, four days after becoming sick, according to his mother, Ronda Crawford.

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — The remains of a man killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor have been identified as a Navy sailor from Southern California. Shipfitter 2nd class Claude Ralph Garcia was 25 years old on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese forces bombed the military installation in Hawaii.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has announced another $1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine. Monday's pledge promises what will be the biggest yet delivery of rockets, ammunition, and other arms straight from Department of Defense stocks for Ukrainian forces.

HAVANA (AP) — A deadly fire that began at a large oil storage facility in western Cuba has spread after flames enveloped a third tank that firefighters had tried to cool as they struggle to fight the massive blaze. At least one person has died and 125 are injured, with dozens of firefighters reported missing ever since lighting struck one of the facility’s eight tanks on Friday night.

Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason USA Today coaches’ poll, with Ohio State second and defending national champion Georgia third. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 will be released on Aug. 15.

The PGA Tour is asking a federal judge not to allow three suspended players from LIV Golf to take part in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, and Hudson Swafford have filed a request for a temporary restraining order in federal court in California. A hearing is set for Tuesday. The first FedEx Cup playoff event starts Thursday in Tennessee.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The white man who initiated the neighborhood chase that ended with the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was sentenced Monday to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime. A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Greg McMichael, 66, in the Georgia city of Brunswick. Given that he was previously sentenced to life without parole in a state court for Arbery’s murder, the hate crime penalty is largely symbolic.

NEW YORK (AP) — David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge to Presidents John Adams and Harry Truman made him among the most popular and influential historians of his time, has died. He was 89.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority has begun the new fiscal year with no letup in momentum.  The Port of Savannah handled 530,800 twenty-foot equivalent units of containerized cargo last month, an increase of 18% over last July, marking the fastest start of a fiscal year ever.

As war continues in their home country, many Ukrainians are traveling to distant places for refuge. One of the countries that has opened its borders to refugees is Brazil.  Church planters Vitalii and Iryna Arshulik are Ukrainians living in Brazil and ministering in an area where 80% of the population is of Ukrainian descent.

NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber has announced the members and leaders of those making up the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force. Messengers to the annual meeting in Anaheim tasked Barber with the responsibility as part of the approved recommendations from the Sexual Abuse Task Force.

FLEMING-NEON, Ky. – In the aftermath of flash flooding that killed 37 people in the Kentucky mountains, residents here are turning to Christ. Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter said it’s not unusual for people to seek God amid tragic circumstances. That why, he said, teams of Disaster Relief volunteers realize their role isn’t simply to help with the clean up, but to offer spiritual guidance to survivors.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — Ending his most recent COVID-19 isolation, President Joe Biden left the White House for the first time since becoming infected last month. He's settling in for a reunion with first lady Jill Biden in their home state of Delaware. The president tested negative Saturday and Sunday, according to his doctor, clearing the way for him to emerge from isolation that lasted longer than expected because of a rebound case of the virus.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary has accused Ryanair of consumer protection violations after it raised ticket prices to cope with a tax on what the government calls “extra profits.” Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote Monday on Facebook that an investigation found “unfair trade practices,” leading to a $777,058 fine. It's the first tied to the new tax, which led Ryanair and others to increase prices.

Pfizer is buying sickle cell drug maker Global Blood Therapeutics in an approximately $5.4 billion deal as it looks to accelerate growth after its revenue soared during the pandemic. Pfizer will pay $68.50 per share in cash for each GBT share. GBT is the developer of Oxbryta tablets, which directly target the root cause of sickle cell disease.

DERINCE, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish-flagged ship that was among several vessels to leave Ukraine under a deal to unblock grain supplies and stave off a potential global food crisis has been the first to arrive at its destination in Turkey. The Turkey-flagged Polarnet docked at Derince port in the Gulf of Izmit on Monday after setting off from Chornomorsk on Aug. 5 laden with 12,000 tons of corn.

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — A lack of running water in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk means that residents must fill bottles by hand at public pumps throughout the city. The city's remaining population has adapted to this new way of life. But local officials warn that the coming of winter could set the stage for a humanitarian crisis. Most of the eastern Donetsk region is without gas for heating and public wells and municipal water pipes are likely to freeze in winter.

BEIJING (AP) — The capital of China’s Hainan province has locked down its residents for 13 hours as a COVID-19 outbreak grows on the tropical island during the summer school holidays. More than 470 new cases were recorded in the province on Sunday. The temporary lockdown of Haikou city from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. follows an ongoing and indefinite lockdown of the beach resort of Sanya since Saturday.

BEIJING (AP) — China says it is extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict. Military leaders say the exercises would include anti-submarine drills, apparently targeting U.S. support for Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion.