Israeli strikes and gunfire overnight and into Thursday killed at least 41 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to hospitals, as Hamas was still considering its response 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 — give up power and disarm in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting. However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sets no path to Palestinian statehood. Palestinians long for the war...

Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with with 462,890 in the...

 A 2-year-old girl chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess was carried by family members from their home in a Kathmandu alley to a temple palace Tuesday during the country’s longest and most significant Hindu festival. Aryatara Shakya, at 2 years and 8 months, was chosen as the new Kumari, or “virgin goddess,” replacing the incumbent, who is considered by tradition to become a mere mortal upon reaching puberty. Kumaris are chosen from the Shakya clans of the Newar community, indigenous to the Kathmandu valley, and revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in the predominantly Hindu nation. The girls are selected between the ages...

A woman who was inside a Michigan church when her father and three other people were killed says she and the gunman locked eyes during the chaos and she was able to look into his soul, seeing his pain and a feeling of being lost. She said she instantly forgave him “with my heart.” “He let me live,” Lisa Louis, 45, wrote. A photo of a handwritten statement that Louis wrote was posted on Facebook. She described how she encountered the shooter and she also made a plea to the public for peace. “Fear breeds anger, anger breeds hate, hate breeds suffering,” Louis...

 Two Vietnamese officials accused of sexually attacking two young female servers at a restaurant in New Zealand won’t return to face criminal charges after attempts to extradite them failed, New Zealand authorities said Thursday. New Zealand police would not disclose why efforts to return the men had stalled, but the two countries don’t have an extradition treaty so Hanoi would have had to turn over the alleged attackers voluntarily. “It’s disappointing that police requests for extradition have been unsuccessful,” a spokesperson for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement. “Clearly it is not the outcome we wanted.” One of the women...

The word “HERMAPHRODITE” has historically been used to describe individuals born with both male and female physical sex traits. However, this term is now considered outdated and offensive. The medically accurate and respectful term is intersex.      Intersex people are born with physical or genetic traits that don’t fit typical definitions of male or female. This is a natural biological variation, not a disease or disorder.   WHAT DOES INTERSEX MEAN? Being intersex can involve differences in: Genitalia (external sex organ).Gonads (ovaries or testes)Chromosomes (XX, XY, or combinations)Hormone levels.   Some intersex traits are noticed at birth, while others may...

An Idaho judge is blocking the release of some graphic photos taken by investigators after Bryan Kohberger killed four University of Idaho students in 2022. Second District Judge Megan Marshall made the ruling Wednesday, saying the dissemination of “incredibly disturbing” photos across the internet — where the victims’ families might inadvertently see them — is an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. She ordered the city of Moscow to black out portions of the images that show any portion of the victims’ bodies or the blood immediately surrounding them. But the judge said the public also has an interest in seeing investigation records, and so...

Pepsi has a new challenge: keeping products like Gatorade and Cheetos vivid and colorful without the artificial dyes that U.S. consumers are increasingly rejecting. PepsiCo, which also makes Doritos, Cap’n Crunch cereal, Funyuns and Mountain Dew, announced in April that it would accelerate a planned shift to using natural colors in its foods and beverages. Around 40% of its U.S. products now contain synthetic dyes, according to the company. But just as it took decades for artificial colors to seep into PepsiCo’s products, removing them is likely to be a multi-year process. The company said it’s still finding new ingredients, testing consumers’ responses and waiting for the U.S. Food and...