10 things you need to know today: November 18, 2014

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner))

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1. Four killed in attack at Israel synagogue
2. Ebola-stricken doctor dies after being flown from West Africa to Nebraska
3. Missouri's governor declares a state of emergency ahead of grand jury decision
4. Europeans spotted among ISIS killers
5. Pope confirms plans for a U.S. visit in 2015
6. Court orders path cleared at main Hong Kong protest camp
7. Terrorism deaths spiked in 2013, study says
8. Charles Manson gets a marriage license
9. Stanford breaks UConn's 47-game winning streak
10. Marlins keep Stanton with a record $325-million contract

last updated 13 January 2015

1. Four killed in attack at Israel synagogue

Two Palestinian armed with knives and axes killed four Israelis and wounded six others in a synagogue on Tuesday. Police shot and killed the attackers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would "respond with a heavy hand to the brutal murder of Jews who came to pray and were met by reprehensible murderers." Hamas did not claim responsibility, but a spokesman for the Islamist Palestinian faction said the attack was in response to the recent death of a Palestinian bus driver.

Dr. Martin Salia died of Ebola on Monday about 36 hours after being flow from Sierra Leone to Omaha for treatment at the Nebraska Medical Center's specialized biomedical unit. Salia tested negative on Nov. 7, several days after he began showing symptoms ("false negative" results can occur when the virus first strikes). He didn't test positive for the virus until Nov. 10. Hospital officials said Salia was "extremely critical" when he arrived, and despite "every possible treatment," they couldn't save him.

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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency on Monday, activating the National Guard to back up police in case of unrest after a grand jury decides whether to indict the white police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9. The decision is expected this month. The governor's order also put St. Louis County police — not the Ferguson department — in charge of the police response.

A Frenchman and possibly two British citizens have been tentatively identified as being among the Islamic State militants who appear in a video in which they behead Syrian soldiers, and display the severed head of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig. France's interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said an analysis by the country's security service suggested that one of the militants herding prisoners to the execution site was Maxime Hauchard, 22, a Frenchman who went to Syria in 2013.

Pope Francis confirmed Monday that he would be making his first papal visit to the U.S. next September. Francis plans to start the trip by attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, followed by stops in New York and Washington. In 20 months as head of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis has already been to the Middle East, Albania, South Korea, and Brazil. The trip comes as the U.S. church is losing members — some joining Protestant denominations, others turning away from organized religion altogether.

Hong Kong authorities cleared barricades around the main pro-democracy protest site on Tuesday under a court order to unblock roads and provide access to a commercial building. The owners of the 33-story building, CITIC Tower, had asked the court to get the entrance on the edge of the protest site cleared. Hundreds of protesters watched but did not interfere as police removed the barriers. Only those blocking access to the tower were removed. Tents and barricades around the encampment were left in place.

The number of people killed by terrorists jumped by 60 percent last year, according to a report released Tuesday by Australia's Institute for Economics and Peace. The group found that Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria accounted for four-fifths of the 18,000 deaths attributed to terrorism in 2013. More than a third — 6,300 — were in Iraq. Very few attacks have been registered in developed nations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the July 7, 2005, suicide bombings in London.

Charles Manson, 80, reportedly has been granted a marriage license with his 26-year-old girlfriend, Afton Elaine Burton. The application was processed in Corcoran County Jail, where the notorious mass murderer is being held. Manson has been imprisoned since he was convicted for masterminding and orchestrating the seven horrific "Helter Skelter" killings in 1969 by his cult followers. Burton, who goes by the name "Star," is a Manson supporter who insists he is innocent.

The Miami Marlins have reached a 13-year, $325-million deal with Giancarlo Stanton — the biggest contract in history for an American athlete. The baseball team is expected to formally announce the agreement in a news conference on Wednesday. Stanton, 25, is a two-time All Star slugger. He placed second in this year's National League MVP voting. Owner Jeffrey Loria said the deal was critical for the team's success. "We have a face of the franchise for the next 13 years," Loria said.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.