Man kills 2 and wounds 4 in car ramming and stabbing at English synagogue

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — An assailant drove a car into people outside a synagogue in northern England and then began stabbing them, killing two and seriously wounding four in what police called a terrorist attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year. Officers shot and killed the suspect in Wednesday’s assault outside Manchester, though authorities took some time to confirm he was dead because he was wearing a vest that suggested he had an explosive. Police later said he did not have a bomb. The Metropolitan Police force in London, which leads the nation’s counter-terrorism policing operations, declared the rampage a terrorist attack. Two other suspects were arrested.

Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hospitals say that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 57 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Hamas was still considering its response on Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for ending the nearly two-year war. The plan requires Hamas to return all 48 hostages — about 20 of them thought by Israel to be alive — to give up power and disarm in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting. Palestinians long for the war to end but many believe the plan favors Israel, and a Hamas official has said some elements were unacceptable, without elaborating.

Rescuers turn to heavy machinery in Indonesia school collapse

SIDOARJO, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescue authorities have made the tough decision to start using heavy machinery to move large sections of a school that collapsed earlier this week, with no more signs of life from beneath the rubble. Nearly 60 teenage students are still unaccounted for, three days after the building caved in. Officials said on Thursday that the decision had been made in consultation with the families of those still missing. Five students were rescued on Wednesday but officials say with no more signs of life detected, the need to speed up the search was becoming critical.

Morocco pledges reforms as death toll rises to 3 in anti-government protests

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s government said Thursday it would address grievances fueling youth-led protests, a day after security forces killed three people during unrest. Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said he mourned the deaths, praised law enforcement for its efforts to maintain order and indicated that the government was prepared to respond favorably to the protesters demanding better public healthcare and education. Speaking before a council of government ministers, he did not detail reforms under discussion, but said he was “ready for dialogue and debate within institutions and public spaces.” “The approach based on dialogue is the only way to deal with the various problems faced by our country,” Akhannouch said.