10 things you need to know today: November 30, 2014

1. Darren Wilson resigns from Ferguson Police Department

Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, has resigned from the Ferguson Police Department. A grand jury on Monday decided not to indict Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, prompting a week of protests in Ferguson and around the country. Wilson, who had served on the force for six years, said he was stepping down because the police had received violent threats about his employment. "I'm not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

2. Qatar releases U.S. couple accused of starving adopted daughter

A Qatari appeals court on Sunday reversed a ruling against an American couple who had been held for two years in the death of their adopted African daughter. Matthew and Grace Huang were arrested in January 2013 and, last March, sentenced to three years in prison for child endangerment. The prosecution alleged the Huangs killed their 8-year-old daughter, Gloria, by denying her food. The Huangs argued Gloria had an eating disorder, and an appellate judge ruled they'd "offered plenty of proof" they were innocent.

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The New York Times The Associated Press

3. Ray Rice's wife accuses the NFL of lying

Janay Rice says the NFL lied about what her husband, running back Ray Rice, told the league about the couple's fight that ended with him knocking her unconscious in an elevator. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell increased Rice's original two-game suspension to an indefinite ban after security camera footage emerged of the knockout blow, claiming the video contradicted Rice's initial account of the incident. "I can't say he's telling the truth," Janay told NBC of Goodell's account. "I know for a fact that Ray told the honest truth."

NBC

4. Sony investigating possible North Korean cyberattack

Sony Pictures Entertainment is investigating the scope of a hack that may be related to a forthcoming comedy mocking North Korea. A hacker group calling itself "#GOP," or "The Guardians of the Peace" on Monday infiltrated Sony accounts and claimed to pilfer personal information about executives and celebrities, forcing the company to pull some systems offline. Sony will next month release The Interview, a comedy in which the CIA recruits two bumbling Americans to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The New York Times

5. Pope Francis calls for 'appropriate response' to ISIS

Pope Francis on Sunday urged the international community to head off ISIS and prevent the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. "The terrible situation of Christians and all those who are suffering in the Middle East calls not only for our constant prayer but also for an appropriate response," Francis said in a joint statement with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The statement came as Pope Francis wrapped up his first visit to Turkey.

The Associated Press

6. Idina Menzel confirms 'Frozen' sequel

Idina Menzel, the star of Disney's massively popular animated film Frozen, says a sequel is "in the works." The Broadway star who voiced Elsa in the hit movie and sang its ubiquitous anthem, Let it Go, told The Telegraph she expects to participate in the follow-up film. "I'm just going along for the ride," she said.

The Telegraph

7. Parents charged with abuse after missing boy found alive

A 13-year-old Georgia boy who had been missing for four years was found alive Saturday, hidden behind a false wall in his father's home. The boy's father and stepmother were charged with false imprisonment and cruelty to children. They are scheduled to appear in court Sunday.

NBC

8. Hong Kong protesters clash with police

Hundreds of protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday overran a main road and sought to surround the government headquarters, prompting police to unleash pepper spray on the crowd. The skirmish came after a weekend of increased protests led to dozens of arrests. For two months, protesters have packed the streets calling for China to drop restrictions on elections to pick Hong Kong's next leader in 2017.

Reuters

9. Swiss voters reject immigration restrictions

Voters in Switzerland on Sunday resoundingly rejected a proposal to curtail immigration from about 80,000 people per year to 16,000. With most of the vote counted, projections showed that roughly three-fourths of voters cast ballots against the proposal. Nearly a quarter of Switzerland's residents are foreign immigrants.

BBC

10. Mark Strand, former poet laureate, dies at 80

Mark Strand, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. poet laureate, died Saturday in Brooklyn of a rare form of cancer. He was 80 years old. The Canadian-born Strand was named the U.S. poet laureate in 1990, and in 1999 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection Blizzard of One.

The New York Times