The U.S. and major allies rallied a strong Western front on Monday to convince Russia to step back from a military takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea region. President Obama labeled this Russian advance as a violation of international law, and he has urged Congress to approve an aid package for the Ukrainian government.

The murder trial of the double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius began Monday in South Africa. A neighbor described the sound of what she heard being four gunshots and “blood-curdling screams” from a woman, who was said to be the athlete’s girlfriend.

Gunmen rushed Pakistan’s main court complex in Islamabad on Monday, cutting down lawyers before blowing themselves up and killing 11 people, making this the worst terrorist attack in years in the capital. The Pakistani Taliban denied responsibility for the attack.

A recent government study found that most people who abuse addictive prescription painkillers obtain them for free from friends and family who take them, while drug dealers are becoming an uncommon source for those at risk for overdose at only 15 percent.

Contact Taylor Williams at [email protected].