Egypt lobbies against Trump plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians

CAIRO (AP) — Israel says it has begun preparations for the departure of large numbers of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in line with President Donald Trump’s plan to empty the territory of its population. Officials meanwhile said Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes to try and head off the plan. The Palestinians and much of the international community have rejected Trump’s proposal, fearing Israel will never allow the refugees to return and that it would destabilize the region. Egypt warned that efforts to move Palestinians out of Gaza could undermine its historic peace treaty with Israel, while waging a behind-the-scenes campaign against the proposal.

Swedish police say mass shooter was connected to school where he opened fire

OREBRO, Sweden (AP) — The shooter who earlier this week killed 10 people in Sweden’s worst mass shooting was connected to the adult education center where he opened fire with at least one rifle-like weapon, law enforcement officials said Thursday. Authorities said the gunman, who has not yet been officially identified, may have attended school there before Tuesday’s violence on the school campus west of Stockholm. The shooter was later found dead with three guns, 10 empty magazines and a large amount of unused ammunition next to his body, officials told a news conference. It was not clear how he died but officials said officers did not return his gunfire.

Bank of England halves UK growth projection and cuts main interest rate to 4.50%

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England halved its growth projection for the British economy this year as it cut its main interest rate for the third time in six months. In a statement Thursday, the bank’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee lowered its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.50%, taking it to its lowest level since mid-2023. That decision was widely expected in financial markets. What wasn’t expected was the scale of the growth downgrade in the bank’s accompanying economic forecasts. The bank now predicts that the British economy will only grow by 0.75% this year, down from its previous forecast of 1.5% three months ago.

US service member, 3 contractors killed in surveillance mission plane crash

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says that one U.S. service member and three defense contractors were killed when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines. The command says the aircraft was conducting a routine mission providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of Philippine allies. It says the cause of Thursday’s crash was under investigation. A safety official said the bodies of the four people were retrieved from the wreckage. Nobody else was reported injured on or near the crash site, which was cordoned off by troops.