BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) — Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been acquitted on charges of defrauding FIFA by a Swiss criminal court. The pair were among soccer’s most powerful figures before being embroiled in corruption investigations. The case was centered around a $2 million payment from FIFA to French soccer great Platini with Blatter’s approval in 2011.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers shrugged off high inflation and weakening growth to add 372,000 jobs in June, a surprisingly strong gain that will likely spur the Federal Reserve to keep sharply raising interest rates to cool the economy and slow price increases.

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Deeply divided top diplomats from the world's richest and largest developing nations have failed to find common ground over Russia's war in Ukraine and its global impacts. Talks Friday were knocked off balance by two unrelated and unexpected political developments far from the Indonesian resort of Bali where they were meeting. The meeting opened only hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned and had just started when former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot. Both men are well known to the G-20 family.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Friday’s shocking assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in one of the world’s safest countries stunned leaders and drew condemnation. Iran called the shooting an “act of terrorism” and European leaders slammed the “despicable" attack. Abe was shot in Nara, Japan, and airlifted to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police have arrested a suspected gunman at the scene.

MICHMORET, Israel (AP) — Over a dozen endangered sea turtles that were rescued after suffering major injuries in the Mediterranean scuttled their way over a beach in Israel after months of medical care. The 15 loggerhead sea turtles and two green sea turtles were released back into the wild Friday after months of rehabilitation at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center in central Israel.

NARA, Japan (AP) — Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one of Japan's most powerful politicians, has died after being shot during a campaign speech. Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara in western Japan. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

BOSSIER CITY, Louisiana — On a cold January morning in Northwest Louisiana, pastor Terry Young couldn’t distribute Bibles to his congregation fast enough. Young had just challenged his church, Airline Baptist Church, to read the Bible in a year—something he does every January. This year, however, was different.

NASHVILLE (BP) – A survey of Americans and their view of Scripture reflects a trend of disassociation from religion. One’s exposure to Scripture, however, can also factor in those results. The number of Americans accepting the Bible as the literal Word of God has reached its lowest point since Gallup began the study in 1976, according to its most recent findings.

Stocks rallied again on Wall Street Thursday, and the S&P 500 is closing out a fourth straight gain. The 1.5% rise marks the longest winning streak for the index since March. Most of the market climbed, and energy-producing companies led the way after oil prices recovered a chunk of their sharp losses from earlier in the week. The bond market is still showing signs of worry about a possible recession, though.

NEW YORK (AP) — After going on a frenzied hiring spree for a year and a half to meet surging shopper demand, America’s retailers are starting to temper their recruiting. The changing mindset comes as companies confront a pullback in consumer spending, the prospect of an economic downturn and surging labor costs. Some analysts suggest that merchants have also learned to do more with fewer workers.

James Caan, the curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as the hotheaded Sonny Corleone of “The Godfather” and to television audiences as the dying football player in the classic weeper “Brian’s Song” and the casino boss in “Las Vegas,” has died. He was 82.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon a day before he was supposed to play in the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle. Nadal announced that he was pulling out of the Grand Slam tournament at a news conference Thursday. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios for a berth in the final on Friday. Kyrgios advanced to his first final at a major tournament.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Baker Mayfield’s rocky run with the Cleveland Browns has officially ended. The Browns have traded the divisive quarterback and former No. 1 overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for a future draft pick. Mayfield was pushed out of his starting job by the Browns’ pursuit of Deshaun Watson and is going to Carolina for a conditional draft pick in 2024 or 2025.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says experts disagree strongly about whether ivory-billed woodpeckers are extinct, and it's putting off a final decision on the question to review information. The bird with a 30-inch wingspan and a high, nasal call was among 23 animals the agency said last year it was planning to declare extinct. On Wednesday, it announced a six-month delay for a decision on the ivory-billed woodpecker.

ATLANTA – Five-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers Taylor – a champion bobsledder – is bringing her considerable talents to the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities council. Taylor, who was recently named a council member, attended George Washington University on a softball scholarship and even played softball professionally.  

ATLANTA – Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Thursday announced a $40 million plan to upgrade Concourse D at the world’s busiest airport. The project, being funded through the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure spending bill Congress passed last fall, will widen and modernize the terminal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, and while layoffs remain low, it’s the fifth straight week claims have topped the 230,000 mark. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 2 rose to 235,000, up 4,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally track with the number of layoffs.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian news agencies say jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling charges during her trial in Moscow. The reports quoted Griner as pleading guilty to the charges at Thursday’s court hearing. They said that speaking through an interpreter, Griner said she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Foreign analysts say Russia may be temporarily easing its offensive in Ukraine as it attempts to reconstitute its forces for a renewed assault. A Washington-based think tank said Russian forces made no territorial gains in Ukraine “for the first time in 133 days of war.” The Institute for the Study of War suggested Moscow might be taking an “operational pause” that does not entail “the complete cessation of active hostilities.”

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — The first running of the bulls at Pamplona’s San Fermín festival in three years has taken place after previous events were canceled due to the pandemic. No one was gored but several runners took knocks and hard falls on Thursday. Six bulls guided by six tame oxen charged through Pamplona’s streets for around two minutes and 35 seconds without provoking too much carnage among the thousands of observers and participants cramming the course.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, giving in to irresistible pressure as a three-year-term that began with a bold vow to “get Brexit done” and a huge election win ended in scandal and division, much of it of his own making.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario hit back-to-back homers, Max Fried threw six strong innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 3-0. Fried and the Cardinals' Miles Mikolas each threw four scoreless innings before Ozuna led off the fifth with his 17th homer deep into the left-field seats. Rosario followed with his first homer.

FRESNO (BP) – A recently-enacted California state law that requires additional levels of abuse prevention training and implementation complements Southern Baptists’ resolve to care for children, one state convention leader said. And, it provides a window into the future for other states.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Rafael Nadal extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 19 matches with a 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) victory over 11th-seeded Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Nadal is seeking a third Wimbledon championship and 23rd major title overall. He is perfect at the four most important tournaments in 2022.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A new report on the Uvalde elementary school massacre in Texas says a police officer had a chance to open fire on the gunman but missed it while waiting for permission to shoot. The report also says some of the 21 victims at Robb Elementary School likely “could have been saved” on May 24 had they received medical attention sooner.