10 things you need to know today: August 27, 2014

(Image credit: (Adel Hana/AP Images))

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1. A new cease-fire takes hold in Gaza
2. FBI examines audio that may include shots that killed Michael Brown
3. ISIS demands $6.6 million for American woman's release
4. Putin and Poroshenko discuss the Ukraine crisis as tensions rise
5. Burger King agrees to acquire Tim Hortons for $11 billion
6. 'Craigslist killers' plead guilty
7. Obama approves Civil War soldier for Medal of Honor
8. Former Republican Crist wins Democratic primary in Florida
9. Study finds 1,400 child abuse victims in English city
10. 15-year-old Californian pulls off U.S. Open upset

last updated 13 January 2015

1. A new cease-fire takes hold in Gaza

Israel and the Palestinians reached a deal on a long-term cease-fire aimed at ending their seven-week conflict in Gaza. The truce was negotiated in Cairo and took effect Tuesday evening. It appeared to be holding early Wednesday. The agreement called for the opening of blocked Gaza border crossings. Despite that concession to Palestinian demands, Israel claimed a significant victory, saying its armed forces had destroyed tunnels Hamas militants had been using to launch attacks in Israel.

The FBI is investigating an audio recording that might include the sound of the gunshots that killed Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. An unidentified man inadvertently made the recording with a phone app for creating video text messages, and realized later that he might have recorded the controversial shooting. The audio includes a volley of six shots — about the number initially reported — then a pause, and another four or five shots.

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Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is demanding $6.6 million in ransom for a 26-year-old American woman kidnapped a year ago in Syria. The family of the woman, who was working in a hospital in Aleppo, requested that she not be identified. ISIS, the group that beheaded journalist James Foley, also holds at least three other Americans. An American jihadist tied to ISIS, Douglas McAuthur McCain, was reportedly killed over the weekend in heavy fighting in Aleppo.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met for two hours Tuesday in Belarus to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The meeting — their first formal one since June — came as tensions intensified following the capture of 10 Russian paratroopers inside Ukraine. Putin described the talks as "positive," and Poroshenko promised to begin preparing a "road map" for a cease-fire with pro-Russian separatists.

Burger King agreed to buy Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons for more than $11 billion, the companies announced Tuesday. The deal will create the world's third largest fast-food powerhouse. The combined company will have 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries. It will be based in Canada, its largest market. The move from its U.S. headquarters will allow Burger King to reincorporate under more favorable Canadian tax laws.

So-called "Craigslist killers" Miranda Barbour, 19, and her husband, Elytte, 22, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday in a deal that will spare them from the death penalty for a thrill-killing last year. The Pennsylvania couple confessed to luring the victim, Troy LaFerrara, into their car for sex. His body was found in an alley in November, with 20 stab wounds. Elytte Barbour previously told investigators they "just wanted to murder someone together."

President Obama has approved a proposal to award a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, to a Union Army officer who died standing his ground against Pickett's Charge in the Battle Gettysburg, the White House said Tuesday. Medal of Honor recipients are normally selected within two years of their battlefield heroism, but Congress granted a special exception for Civil War soldier 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing in December at the urging of descendants and Civil War buffs.

Former Florida Republican governor Charlie Crist won the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday. Crist took three quarters of the vote to defeat Nan Rich, a former state Democratic leader. The victory, although widely expected, sealed a stunning turnaround for Crist, who became an independent in 2010 after falling hopelessly behind Marco Rubio in the state's GOP Senate primary that year. He became a Democrat in 2012 and now will try to win back his old job from Gov. Rick Scott (R).

About 1,400 children were sexually abused by criminal gangs over 16 years in the English city of Rotherham, according to a report released Tuesday. City officials ordered the inquiry after five men were found guilty in 2010 of exploiting teenage girls. "There were examples of children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight," said lead author Alexis Jay. The perpetrators, mostly from the city's Pakistani community, allegedly targeted girls from ages 11 to 16.

CiCi Bellis, 15, stunned Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova on Tuesday to become the youngest player to win a match at the U.S. Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996. The Californian teen beat 12th-seeded Cibulkova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round in what was just her 13th professional-level tennis match. "I went into the match thinking it was going to be such a great experience, but I never thought I would come out on top winning," Bellis said. "I'm still in shock "

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.