Need to Know

Brazil protests: São Paulo and Rio lower public transit fare

Jill Langlois — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:16:46 +0000

São Paulo's Governor Geraldo Alckmin and Mayor Fernando Haddad said that the city's bus, metro and train fare would lose its extra 20 cents and return to the previous rate of 3 reais ($1.50) as of Monday.

FBI uses drones in America, director Mueller admits

David Trifunov — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:46:03 +0000

Drones were used in the six-day Alabama hostage taking, for example.

Fed holds the line on US interest rates but may cut back on bonds

Kristin Deasy — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:01:36 +0000

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said any reduction in bond purchases would occur in "measured steps."

Nigeria: Gunmen kill 48 in Zamfara state

Jill Langlois — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:36 +0000

A state spokesman said the gunmen arrived before dawn riding motorbikes. They climbed over a hill that overlooks Kizara village and randomly opened fire before going house-to-house, attacking residents.

Top Egyptian cleric declares peaceful protests 'religiously permissible'

Kristin Deasy — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:19:23 +0000

An Egyptian Islamic leader defends non-violent protest activity ahead of a June 30 opposition rally denounced by some as heretical.

Militants from Al Shabaab attack UN complex in Somalia, leaving at least 15 dead

Kristin Deasy — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:13:06 +0000

Brazen assault on the UN's headquarters in Somalia leaves more than two dozen people dead.

European Commission fines drug companies for delaying generics

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:48:00 +0000

“It is unacceptable that a company pays off its competitors to stay out of its market and delay the entry of cheaper medicines,” Joaquin Almunia, the European competition commissioner, said in a statement on Wednesday.

'Yes we scan': Obama defends NSA surveillance programs in Europe

Faine Greenwood — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:14:00 +0000

US President Barack Obama defended his government's widely criticized NSA surveillance programs in Berlin on Wednesday, as he spoke with German Chanchellor Angela Merkel.

Google challenges surveillance gag order in wake of NSA revelations

Faine Greenwood — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:15:00 +0000

Tech giant Google has decided to challenge a gag order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Syrian conflict 'major new factor' in rise in refugee numbers worldwide, UNHCR says

Freya Petersen — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:49:43 +0000

The Syrian conflict is "a major new factor" contributing to the soaring number of refugees worldwide, the United Nations said.

Indian doctor creates 'suicide-proof' ceiling fan

Faine Greenwood — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:29:58 +0000

An Indian doctor concerned about an uptick in suicide in India has constructed a new fan design that won't support the weight of a person, in an effort to counteract the popular hanging technique.

Afghanistan suspends bilateral security agreement talks with US

News Desk — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:41:00 +0000

"There is a contradiction between what the US government says and what it does regarding Afghanistan peace talks," a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday.

GOP-led House passes 20-week abortion ban

Sarah Wolfe — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:13 +0000

House Republicans pass the strictest new limits on abortion in a decade Tuesday despite calls to move away from social issues.

Michael Applebaum, Montreal mayor, resigns

Samantha Stainburn — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:02:42 +0000

"I want to be clear that I have never taken a penny from anybody," Applebaum said at a news conference Tuesday.

Moderate quake rattles Lima, Peru

Kristin Deasy — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:31:47 +0000

A medium-sized quake hits Lima, Peru.