LONDON (AP) — Firefighters remain on alert due to Britain’s record-breaking heat wave even as cloudy skies and showers have brought relief from the scorching temperatures of recent days.

PALINI, Greece (AP) — Nearly 500 firefighters are struggling to contain a large wildfire that threatens hillside suburbs outside Athens for a second day after hundreds of residents were evacuated overnight. Greek officials said winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) are making air support difficult for fire crews.

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi is weighing whether to rescind his resignation offer following spontaneous displays of support for his government that he says are “unprecedented and impossible to ignore.” Draghi challenged the partner parties in his governing coalition to come back together after a key party withheld its support. He suggested on Wednesday he would continue to lead if the coalition members recommitted to their pact of unity from a year ago.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan lawmakers have elected the country's unpopular prime minister as their new president. Wednesday's choice risks reigniting turmoil in the South Asian nation reeling from economic collapse. The crisis has already forced one Sri Lankan leader out, and a few hundred protesters quickly gathered after the vote to express their outrage that Ranil Wickremesinghe would stay in power.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s head is proposed that member states cut their gas use by 15% over the coming months to make sure that any Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies to the bloc will not fundamentally disrupt industries and send an additional chill through homes next winter.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces have struck and seriously damaged a bridge that is key for supplying Russian troops in southern Ukraine. A regional official in the Russia-controlled southern Kherson region said the Ukrainian military struck the bridge across the Dnieper River with missiles Wednesday, scoring 11 hits. He said the bridge sustained serious damage but wasn’t closed for traffic.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game. It was the AL's ninth straight victory in the Midsummer Classic.

DULUTH, Ga. – Squeezed by high inflation and declining Cooperative Program receipts, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board has been forced to make mid-year budget adjustments that include staff reductions. Economic trends, coupled with discontent among some churches because of the Southern Baptist Convention’s handling of sexual abuse complaints and other hot-button issues, have led to a significant decline in financial receipts this year.

CHICAGO (AP) — NASCAR has added its first street course to the Cup schedule with a planned 2023 race through downtown Chicago. The Cup Series will race against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Grant Park next July 2 in the debut race of a three-year deal with the city of Chicago.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin won staunch support from Iran for his country’s military campaign in Ukraine, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying the West opposes an “independent and strong” Russia. Khamenei said that if Russia hadn’t sent troops into Ukraine, it would have faced an attack from NATO later, a statement that echoed Putin’s own rhetoric and reflected increasingly close ties between Moscow and Tehran as they both face crippling Western sanctions.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi abortion clinic that was at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade has ended a lawsuit in which it was seeking to block the state from enforcing a law banning most abortions. Jackson Women’s Health Organization dropped its litigation a day after clinic owner Diane Derzis told The Associated Press that she sold the facility and had no intention to reopen it, even if a state court allowed her to do so.

SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — Individual health insurance rates are going up across the country. The coronavirus pandemic caused lots of people to put off routine health care. But now many people are returning to doctor's offices. Health insurers in individual marketplaces across 13 states and Washington D.C. will raise rates an average of 10% next year.

BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — A transformer exploded at Hoover Dam, producing a cloud of thick, black smoke and flames that were quickly extinguished. Authorities said no one was hurt Tuesday and electricity continued to flow from one of the nation’s largest hydroelectric facilities.

SWAINSBORO, Ga. – Churches in largely rural Emanuel County are making sure no children go hungry this summer. Billy Brinson, mission strategist in the Emanuel Baptist Association, said churches have donated more than $27,000 to buy enough food to keep children fed until August, when the local school district restarts its lunch program. “God is doing so much through the churches of Emanuel County,” Brinson said. “I feel wonderful about this.”

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — In their first rollouts of electric vehicles, America’s automakers targeted people who value short-range economy cars. Then came EVs for luxury buyers and drivers of pickups and delivery vans. Now, the companies are zeroing in on the heart of the market: The compact SUV.

GRAFORD, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a wildfire has burned at least five homes and resulted in about 300 homes being evacuated around a lake in north Texas amid sweltering temperatures and dry conditions. Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner says the fire at Possum Kingdom Lake about 95 miles west of Dallas has burned about 500 acres and was 10% contained Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will start for the National League on Tuesday night in the first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980, and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan will be on the mound for the American League. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will lead off for the AL as the designated hitter.

An epic legal fight between Elon Musk and Twitter began in earnest in a Delaware court on Tuesday as lawyers for both sides fought over when to start the trial. Twitter is trying to force the billionaire to make good on his April promise to buy the social media giant for $44 billion — and the company wants it to happen quickly because it says the ongoing dispute is harming its business.

BUENA VISTA, Ga. (AP) — A 37-year-old Georgia man is accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend and the girlfriend’s grandmother and great uncle. Jamie Leon Harris was arrested Monday and is charged with three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count of feticide.

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A woman demonstration pilot is among the newest members of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels. Women have served with the iconic flight squadron in other capacities for more than 55 years, but never before as a pilot. The Navy announced Monday that Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minnesota will be at the controls of an F/A-18 Super Hornet.

ATLANTA (AP) — Groups challenging Georgia's 2021 voting law are asking a federal judge to block a ban on giving water and food to voters standing in line. The state is defending the ban. It says that it prevents concerns about illegal campaigning or vote buying while preserving order around polling places.

ATLANTA (AP) — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey says the league “is stronger now than at any other time in our history.” But he adds that the conference can’t rest on its success — which includes the last three national championships in football.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says plans by Democrats to curb drug prices would place socialist price controls between Americans and the treatments they need. No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Dick Durbin says his party's push is about inflation and public health.

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says coronavirus cases have tripled across Europe in the past six weeks, accounting for nearly half of all infections globally. Hospitalization rates have also doubled, although intensive care admissions have remained low.

BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in southern China have apologized for breaking into the homes of people who had been taken to a quarantine hotel. It's the latest example of heavy-handed virus-prevention measures that have sparked a rare public backlash. State media said that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou city had been opened in an effort to find any “close contacts” hiding inside and to disinfect the premises.