Eyder Peralta

The trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell went into closing arguments today. At issue are serious allegations of corruption, but the trial has also unveiled seriously juicy details about McDonnell's personal life.

We haven't given the trial much coverage around here. So, before the jury hands down ...

California is one step closer to becoming the first state to require colleges and universities "to adopt a standard of unambiguous consent among students engaging in sexual activity," The Los Angeles Times reports.

The California Senate gave the bill unanimous approval on Thursday, and it is now headed to ...

The Syrian civil war has sparked "the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era."

That's according to António Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, who added that while the world's response to the crisis has been "generous," it hasn't met the needs of refugees.

The U.N. agency released new ...

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his government has sent parliament a bill that allows Ukraine to open a path toward membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"The main and only goal of Ukraine's foreign policy is to join the European Union," Yatsenyuk said in a statement.

Remember, ...

A 9-year-old girl in Arizona on Monday accidentally killed her firing-range instructor when she lost control of an Uzi submachine gun.

The news has ignited a debate in the country about access to guns and the wisdom of state law and parents who allow children to shoot them. It ...

The sister of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was arrested on Tuesday and accused of making a bomb threat against her boyfriend's ex girlfriend.

The Boston Herald reports:

"Ailina Tsarnaeva, 24, of North Bergen, N.J., turned herself in to officers in Manhattan around 2:30 p.m. yesterday and was ...

A federal judge on Wednesday finalized a ruling that strikes down part of Utah's ban on polygamy.

The case is high profile partly because the suit was brought forth by the Brown family, the stars of the TLC show Sister Wives. It's also important because as it works its way ...

The University of Southern California has suspended cornerback Josh Shaw indefinitely after he admitted to fabricating a heroic tale that explained his sprained ankles.

CBS News reports:

Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from all of the Trojans' team activities after acknowledging his heroic tale was "a complete fabrication," ...

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says Russian troops entered his country on Thursday.

Poroshenko said he was canceling a trip to Turkey and was asking the United Nations Security Council to meet to provide an assessment of the "sharp aggravation of the situation in Ukraine."

Another Ukrainian official told ...

Some semblance of normal life returned to Gaza on Wednesday.

The day after Hamas and Israel accepted an open-ended cease-fire, Palestinians returned to their homes, markets opened and bulldozers began clearing the rubble, while in Israel, the sirens warning of rockets fell silent.

Naturally, Palestinians, Israelis and the world ...

American journalist Peter Theo Curtis was back home in Cambridge, Mass., today, after he was released by a militant group in Syria.

Speaking to reporters, Curtis said he was "overwhelmed by emotion." Curtis, if you remember, disappeared in 2012 and was freed over the weekend by Jabhat al-Nusra, the ...

A report presented by the United Nations today paints a pretty grim picture of Syria.

It tells the story of a country mired in a ruthless civil war in which all sides are indiscriminately killing and torturing civilians. It presents a laundry list of human rights violations and war ...

The clothing retail giant Zara is apologizing and has pulled a kids' shirt from its stores after hearing complaints that it resembled the uniform worn by prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.

In a tweet, Zara said the shirt was "inspired by the sheriff's stars from the Classic Western films."

Reporting ...

Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, says French prosecutors have put her under formal investigation.

The New York Times reports:

"Ms. Lagarde said in a statement through her lawyer that she was being investigated for 'simple negligence,' by the Court of Justice of ...

The Afghan election process was thrown further into disarray on Wednesday, when both candidates pulled their observers from a U.N.-led audit of the country's ballots.

The Associated Press reports that Abdullah Abdullah was the first to withdraw his observer, saying the process was full of fraud. The news service adds:

Flying is already a pain. But a story from the Associated Press Tuesday really brings home the point: The wire service reports that an entire plane was diverted on Sunday after a fight broke out over a passenger's right to recline her seat.

The AP explains:

"The spat ...

(This post was last updated at 12:47 p.m. ET.)

After seven weeks of intense fighting that's killed more than 2,000 people, Hamas and Israel have announced a long-term cease-fire deal.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made the announcement in Ramallah on Tuesday, saying both sides will return to the negotiating ...

In a deal that would create the third-largest fast-food chain, Burger King announced on Tuesday that it intended to buy Canada's Tim Hortons for about $11 billion.

The deal, reports Bloomberg, also moves the company's headquarters to Canada. Bloomberg explains:

"The purchase gives Burger King access to ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko were meeting Tuesday for talks many hope will lead to peace between Kiev and separatists in the eastern part of the country.

Reuters reports the two presidents shared a handshake at the start of the talks in Belarus.

Reporting from Donetsk, ...

President Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria, The Associated Press and The New York Times are reporting this morning, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The flights are intended to collect intelligence on Islamic State militants and could be a precursor to military strikes inside of Syria.

The Times ...