WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, making him the second U.S. president to get the virus and underscoring the extent to which the virus has infiltrated American society. The 79-year-old Biden is fully vaccinated after getting two initial doses of the coronavirus vaccine and two boosters since.

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling pounded a densely populated area in the country's second-largest city. Local authorities in Kharkiv said at least two people were killed and at least 21 injured during a barrage that struck a mosque, a medical facility, a bus stop, a shopping area, and other civilian sites.

MADRID (AP) — Europe’s spate of fierce wildfires is abating somewhat amid cooler temperatures but a fire in Slovenia on the border with Italy has kicked up strongly, forcing the evacuation of three villages. French firefighters were starting to get the upper hand Thursday over two major blazes while Spain tamed a fire that killed two people last weekend.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week rose to its highest level in more than eight months, a sign the labor market may be showing some weakness. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 16 rose by 7,000 to 251,000, up from the previous week’s 244,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

FORT GORDON, Ga. (AP) — A lightning strike at an Army post in Georgia left one soldier dead and nine others injured Wednesday as a thunderstorm moved through the area, authorities said. The extent of the injuries to the survivors wasn't immediately known.

ATLANTA (AP) — Life at the top of the Southeastern Conference can be difficult, especially when anything short of a national championship in football is considered unsatisfactory. Alabama’s 2021 season has been described as a disappointment even though the Crimson Tide won the SEC title and played in the national championship game.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Monarch butterflies are now listed as endangered because of fast dwindling populations in North America. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature announced the designation on Thursday for the orange-and-black butterflies. The group estimates that populations have declined between 22% and 72% over a decade.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president to take charge of a nation bitterly angry he was chosen amid an unprecedented economic crisis. Wickremesinghe took his oath at a ceremony Thursday in Parliament. The six-time prime minister was chosen by a secret ballot of lawmakers Wednesday to finish the term of the former president who was toppled by protests and fled the country.

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi has resigned after his ruling coalition fell apart. That deals a destabilizing blow to the country and Europe at a time of severe economic uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Draghi tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella during a morning meeting on Thursday.

SUMMERVILLE, Ga. (BP) – The videos cover a lot of ground. In one, Sean Wegener goes over the basics of reading the Bible. In another, he explains the background of the Cooperative Program. In yet one more, he’s running alongside Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the lava planet Mustafar in a heated lightsaber duel.

Two men have been indicted in the case of a tractor-trailer rig found with 53 dead or dying migrants inside in San Antonio. A statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Antonio says 46-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr. and 28-year-old Christian Martinez, both of Pasadena, Texas, were indicted Wednesday on counts of transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in death; and transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally resulting in serious injury.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana man who ran into a burning home and saved five people, including a 6-year-old girl he carried as he jumped out of a second-floor window, says he’s no hero and the serious injuries he suffered in the dramatic rescue were “all worth it.” Twenty-five-year-old Nick Bostic of Lafayette was driving on July 11 in the northwestern Indiana city when he saw a house in flames, stopped, and ran inside to alert its residents.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Leaders of Indiana’s Senate have proposed banning abortion with limited exceptions. The proposal announced Wednesday will be taken up during a special legislative session that is scheduled to begin Monday, making Indiana one of the first states to debate tighter abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade.

NEW YORK (AP) — High diesel prices are driving up the cost of everything, from groceries to Amazon orders and furniture. That's because nearly everything that’s delivered, whether by truck, rail, or ship, uses diesel fuel. Truckers are turning down hauling jobs in the states with the most expensive diesel.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When “Top Gun: Maverick” roared into theaters in late May, the Air Force was ready. Recruiters struggling to meet enlistment goals took boxes of free mugs and lanyards and fanned out to theaters for the premiere. They were determined to capitalize on the jet-fueled excitement surrounding a military-themed movie that came out at a time when service recruiters are having problems finding young people who want to join and can meet the physical, mental and moral requirements.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump, all his children, and an array of relatives and friends have paid respects to Ivana Trump at her funeral Mass. It was held Wednesday in New York City. The 1980s style icon and businesswoman died last week at her Manhattan home, at age 73.

ATLANTA  – Pro-life advocates celebrated a federal appeals court decision Wednesday that allows a Georgia law to take effect banning nearly all abortions in the state. “This is an exciting day, a day when Georgians in the womb are finally going to enjoy the same right to life as Georgians outside the womb,” said Suzanne Guy, a member of Woodstock’s First Baptist Church and one of the state’s most ardent abortion opponents.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Conservative Party has chosen Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss as the two finalists in an election to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The pair came first and second in a vote of Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed for the fifth consecutive month in June as higher mortgage rates and rising prices kept many home hunters on the sidelines. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that existing home sales fell 5.4% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.12 million.

ATLANTA – The Japanese manufacturer of a type of copper foil used in printed electronics will build its North American headquarters in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday. Denkai …

Henrik Stenson is out as Ryder Cup captain for Europe. The European tour says decisions for his personal life go against the contract he signed to be captain four months ago. In the middle of it all is the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A project that aims to increase access for disabled people to Jerusalem's Western Wall has turned into an extensive archaeological excavation into the city's history. Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say that among the finds is an ornate first-century villa with its own attached ritual bath footsteps from where the biblical Temple stood, Ottoman pipes built into a 2,000-year-old aqueduct that supplied the city with water; early Islamic oil lamps; and bricks stamped with the name of a late Roman legion.

NARVA, Estonia (AP) — Nearly 2 million Ukrainians refugees have ended up in Russia. Their journey starts not with a gun to the head, but with a poisoned choice: Die in Ukraine or live in Russia. Those who choose to live in Russia are then taken through a series of what are known as filtration points, where treatment ranges from interrogation and strip searches to being yanked aside and never seen again. Ukraine portrays these transfers as forced deportations, which is considered a war crime. Russia calls them humanitarian evacuations.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta blew two tires Tuesday while landing at Los Angeles International Airport. Nobody on board was hurt, although two runways at the busy airport were closed for several hours. Authorities say Delta Flight 515 landed safely shortly after 1 p.m.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a man wanted in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend in Georgia was shot and killed by police after a standoff in suburban Denver. The police chief in Aurora, Colorado says 27-year-old Fabien Perry emerged from home there holding a rifle around 2 a.m. Tuesday and two officers fired at him.