An update from London on some of the international stories we expect to develop on Thursday:

UK shooting spree - Police have started identifying the victims of a series of drive-by shootings in a remote and picturesque area of northern England that left 12 people dead before the gunman killed himself. Read the full story

Gaza flotilla - The next showdown over Israel's naval blockade of Gaza could come as early as Friday as an Irish-owned ship filled with humanitarian aid steams into the region. Read the full story

Oil spill - BP seems to be getting criticism from every angle as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico enters its 45th day Thursday and every effort to stop the flow is still failing.

Peru murder case – Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man once considered a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway, is the suspect in the killing of a woman in Peru, Peruvian police officials say. Read the full story

Greece strike - Greek journalists walked off their jobs Thursday to protest tough government austerity measures. During the strike - which ends Friday morning - television and radio stations will not broadcast programs, the news agency said. Read the full story

Afghanistan meeting - Undeterred by an attack on their gathering a day earlier, hundreds of Afghan tribal and religious leaders were meeting again on Thursday with Western diplomats and the country's lawmakers as they debate how best to negotiate with the Taliban.