NATION/WORLD

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warnings of excessive heat throughout southern California, with some areas expected to see highs of 10 to 15 degrees above normal into Saturday night and Sunday.

Palestinian killed after stabbing Israeli officer

Jerusalem — Israeli military officers and police shot two Palestinians, one fatally, after separate stabbing attacks on security forces in the West Bank on Saturday, authorities said.

A police spokeswoman said a Palestinian approached officers conducting a routine security check and stabbed one in the back with a knife, moderately wounding him. An officer nearby opened fire and killed the attacker.

Earlier, a Palestinian was shot by Israeli troops after asking soldiers at a West Bank border crossing for a glass of water, then stabbing the soldier who turned to get it, said the military. The soldier was treated at the scene and the Palestinian was taken to a hospital with a minor shoulder wound.

40 migrants die, 320 rescued off Italy

Rome — At least 40 migrants died Saturday in the hold of an overcrowded smuggling boat in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy, north of Libya, apparently killed by fuel fumes, and about 320 others aboard were saved by the Italian navy, the rescue ship’s commander said.

Migrants by the tens of thousands are braving the perilous journey across the Mediterranean this year, hoping to reach Europe and be granted asylum. They are fleeing war, persecution and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, migrants on a Turkish beach scuffled over places on one inflatable dinghy and frantically bailed out another to keep it from sinking during a dramatic night that highlighted their desperation to reach the Greek island of Kos and the safety of Europe.

Pakistan minister quits after making claims

Islamabad — Mushahidullah Khan, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, resigned Saturday from his cabinet post after claiming in an interview that the country’s former spy master, Gen. Zaheerul Islam, wanted to overthrow Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif through a series of violent rallies in Islamabad from August to December 2014.

It was not clear if Sharif would accept the resignation.

An army spokesman, Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa, had rejected Khan’s allegation, saying: “Such rumors are irresponsible and unprofessional.”