Manchester synagogue attack confirmed as terrorist incident

Police confirmed Thursday afternoon that the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, Manchester, has been declared a terrorist incident.

At a news briefing, Counter-terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said three people, including the suspect who was shot dead by police, had been killed, while three others remain in serious condition.

Taylor added that police believe they know the attacker's identity but cannot confirm it at this stage due to safety concerns at the scene. He also confirmed that two further arrests had been made.

Israel completes Gaza-bound aid flotilla takeover

The Israeli Navy has completed taking over the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement.

All the aid vessels have been stopped in the Mediterranean Sea, except for one that "remains at a distance" from Gaza, it said, adding that none of the vessels has succeeded in entering an active combat zone or breaching Israel's "lawful" naval blockade.

The foreign ministry warned of taking further action against the last vessel if it approaches.

3 killed in Morocco protests as officials voice willingness for dialogue

Three people were killed during youth-led protests near Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Agadir, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said Thursday.

A group of protesters attempted to seize weapons and ammunition from a Royal Gendarmerie station in the town of Leqliaa, south of Agadir, on Wednesday night, ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said. He noted that officers were forced to defend themselves, resulting in the fatalities.

Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch expressed "regret" over the deaths and announced that the government would respond positively to the demands voiced by young people.

Iran condemns G7's support for reinstating UN sanctions on Tehran

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Thursday condemned the Group of Seven (G7) for backing the reinstatement of UN sanctions on Tehran.

On Wednesday, a communique issued by the G7 foreign ministers expressed support for the activation of the "snapback" mechanism by France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran. The G7 accused the Iranian government of having continuously failed to meet its obligations under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Israeli army kills Palestinian at West Bank checkpoint

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man on Thursday during an "attempted car-ramming and shooting" at a military checkpoint in the West Bank, the army said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two Palestinians drove up to the Bell checkpoint near Ramallah and Beitunia and tried to run over soldiers stationed there. One of them, armed with a gun, attempted to open fire, the IDF said. Troops returned fire, killing him, while the second suspect was arrested at the scene. No Israeli soldiers were injured.

The Palestinian Health Ministry later identified the dead man as 37-year-old Mohammad Ali Shtayyeh. It said Israeli forces shot him near the village of Beit Ur al-Fawqa, west of Ramallah, and took his body.

Russia to have "very firm response" to any EU actions against its assets

Moscow will have a "very firm response" if the European Union (EU) takes any actions targeting Russian assets, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

"Guided by the principle of reciprocity, any EU attempt to encroach on our property will be met with a very firm response, and they are well aware of this. Russia has a sufficient arsenal of countermeasures and the capacity to mount an appropriate reciprocal political and economic response," Zakharova said in a briefing.

She said that European countries must strictly fulfill their international obligations -- confiscating, freezing, or otherwise using sovereign assets without the owners' consent constitutes a gross violation of the principle of sovereign equality among states.