A gunman took three people hostage on Tuesday at a bank in rural St Joseph, Louisiana and a state police negotiator was brought in to talk to the man, authorities said. The standoff, which began on Tuesday afternoon at the Tensas State Bank. The hostage taker has been armed with some type of automatic weapon, according to Colonel Mike Edmonson, who is the head of the Louisiana State Police.
26 Palestinian prisoners were released on Tuesday night as part of an Israeli gesture to the Palestinian Authority following the resumpton of peace talks.
South African authorities have reportedly concluded their investigation into the shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp, the slain girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius, who will be served with an indictment early next week. Pistorius faces allegations that he deliberately shot and killed Steenkamp at his home this year on Valentine's Day.
Israel Keyes, a serial killer in Alaska, may be linked to 11 killings, and may have possible ties to even more slayings, according to federal agents. Keyes committed suicide in December 2012, after police say he confessed to at least seven murders nationwide, which extended from Vermont to Washington state.
