Eyder Peralta

One key safety feature was missing from the stretch of track where an Amtrak passenger train going more than 100 mph derailed and killed seven people.

Investigators say that if positive train control had been installed on that stretch, the technology could have automatically slowed the train and perhaps saved ...

A military general in Burundi has declared a coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza.

According to The Associated Press, Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare read a statement on radio, saying Nkurunziza had violated the constitution by seeking a third term in the central African nation.

This puts Niyombare on the side of ...

A jury in Boston will hear final arguments in the sentencing of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

After hearing from the defense and prosecution, the jury will decide whether Tsarnaev should be sentenced to death or life in prison.

The twin bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon killed three people ...

The engineer of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 that was traveling at 106 mph in a 50-mph zone in Philadelphia applied the full emergency braking system moments before the derailment that claimed seven lives and caused dozens of injuries, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The data are preliminary, but ...

A Marine Corps helicopter helping with earthquake relief efforts in Nepal has been declared missing, but a Defense Department official said that so far there has been no indication it crashed.

U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren said an Indian helicopter nearby heard radio chatter from the Marine aircraft about a ...

Vienna has introduced new same-sex and opposite-sex themed crosswalk signals at 49 intersections across the city.

The signals are a more playful take on traditional signals, which usually portray a single, gender-neutral person. The new signals feature a same-sex couple or an opposite-sex couple united by a little heart.

Verizon Communications has agreed to pay $4.4 billion to buy AOL Inc.

In a press release, Verizon said the all-cash acquisition will help build its digital and video platforms.

The Wall Street Journal explains:

"Verizon has said it plans to launch a video service focused on mobile ...

President Obama's presidential library will be in Chicago, his foundation announced on Tuesday.

"The future Presidential Center will include the library, museum, as well as office and activity space for the Foundation to inspire and engage citizens here and globally," the foundation said in a press release.

From Chicago, ...

A magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday, just over two weeks after a massive magnitude-7.8 quake killed more than 8,000 people.

The United States Geological Survey puts today's quake as close to the capital, Kathmandu, as the one two weeks ago.

From Kathmandu, Cindy Stein, the director of global programs ...

Two inmates were found dead following a riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in Tecumseh, Neb., on Monday.

The AP reports that authorities finally brought the riot under control this morning. The wire service reports:

"The incident started around 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the facility when staff ...

Baltimore police seem to ignore injuries suffered by detainees by the hundreds.

That's according to a review of records by The Baltimore Sun.

According to a report published by the paper this weekend, from June 2012 through April 2015, the Baltimore City Detention Center refused 2,600 detainees brought in ...

The kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have dropped out of a White House summit planned at Camp David on Thursday.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that the kingdoms will send deputies instead. Peter filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"U.S. officials say there was no snub intended by ...

(This post was updated at 12:45 p.m. ET.)

A line of strong storms left 2 dead in Nashville, Arkansas, and another two dead in Van, Texas.

CNN reports that Van was badly damaged after the storm system appeared to spawn violent tornadoes. More than 20 people were also injured ...

The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for parts of South and North Carolina.

Subtropical storm Ana isn't a powerful system — it's only packing 45 mph winds — but it's a little outstanding, because it formed before the traditional June 1st start of the Atlantic Hurricane ...

The Justice Department has officially opened a civil rights investigation into the Baltimore Police Department.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake asked for the investigation after her city was beset by protests and riots over the death of Freddie Gray.

During a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said ...

Two diplomatic envoys were killed in Pakistan on Friday after the helicopter they were on crashed in the country's northern area.

Reuters reports:

"As well as Norwegian Ambassador Leif Larsen, Philippine Ambassador Domingo Lucenario and the wives of the ambassadors of Malaysia, the two pilots and a crew ...

Updated at 8:21 a.m. ET

After a string of polls that showed a dead heat in the U.K. general elections, last night's contest turned out to be far less surprising.

The Conservatives — led by Prime Minister David Cameron — sailed to an easy victory. According to the BBC, ...

A promotional video shown at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland during the Cavaliers vs. Bulls playoff game on Wednesday is being called "tone-deaf" and "awful."

The video is supposed to be a spoof of a United HealthCare ad. Instead it appears to mock an episode of domestic ...

The National Security Agency's practice of collecting data about Americans' telephone calls in bulk goes beyond what Congress intended when it wrote Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

The three-judge panel was asked to consider whether the program violated the Constitution. ...

The parliamentary system can seem complicated on this side of the pond. Luckily The Guardian gets that and explains a hung parliament and what the queen has to do with all this.

They produced this charming primer of the U.K. elections for non-Brits: