10 things you need to know today: February 8, 2015

1. Russia, Ukraine to meet this week for peace talks in Minsk

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany plan to meet in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday for talks aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine. "They expect that their efforts during the Minsk meeting will lead to the swift and unconditional cessation of fire by both sides," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office said in a statement. Fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists has intensified since the failure last year of a delicate cease fire. Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande traveled to Russia to discuss a last-ditch peace plan.

BBC

2. Brian Williams to take leave from NBC News

NBC News anchor Brian Williams said Saturday he would take a temporary leave from the network amid an internal investigation into his account of a 2003 helicopter mission in Iraq. "In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions," he said in a statement. Williams is under investigation for allegedly embellishing a story about an attack on a helicopter convoy he was part of at the outset of the Iraq war.

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USA Today

3. North Korea test-fires short-range missiles

North Korea on Sunday fired five short-range missiles into the sea, according to the South Korean government. Fired near the coastal town of Wonsan, the missiles traveled about 125 miles before crashing into the water. The second such test this year, the launch dims the hopes of the two nations resuming peace talks that stalled last year.

The New York Times

4. Legendary college hoops coach Dean Smith dead at 83

Dean Smith, the longtime University of North Carolina men's basketball coach, died on Saturday at the age of 83. "We lost a man of the highest integrity who did so many things off the court to help make the world a better place to live in," current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said in a statement. Smith coached North Carolina from 1961 to 1997, leading the team to national titles in 1982 and 1993. He retired with 879 victories, the most in college basketball history at the time.

ESPN

5. Israeli PM vows to block Iranian nuclear deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he would do everything possible to scuttle "bad and dangerous" nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. "We will do everything to thwart a bad and dangerous deal that will cast a dark cloud on the future of the state of Israel and its security," he said in a weekly cabinet meeting. The remarks come amid a backlash over Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress next month, which some Democrats and the White House believe could undermine the ongoing nuclear talks.

CBS

6. Maryland court to hear appeal in 'Serial' murder case

In a case popularized by the podcast Serial, Adnan Syed will be allowed to appeal his murder conviction. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals filed its decision on Friday, and Syed's lawyers can now move forward with the appeals process, which can include the presentation of new evidence. A former classmate who did not testify at the original trial, Asia McClain, says she can provide an alibi for Syed in the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend and high school classmate Hae Min Lee.

The Washington Post

7. New England braces for more snow

A slow-moving winter storm could dump as much as two feet of snow on parts of New England over the next two days. The region is already reeling from two massive storms that left behind record snow totals. In Boston, 49 inches of snow fell over a 14-day period, smashing the previous two-week record of 40.2 inches.

The Boston Globe

8. Iran's top cleric endorses developing nuclear agreement

Iran's religious leader on Sunday offered his support for a potential nuclear deal with the U.S. in which both sides give ground. "I would go along with any agreement that could be made," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement, adding that "negotiations mean reaching a common point." The two sides have until late March to establish the basic framework of a nuclear agreement.

Reuters

9. Teen arrested in connection with weekend mall shooting

Police on Sunday arrested a 17-year-old in connection with a weekend shooting at a mall outside Pittsburgh that injured three people, two of them critically. Police said the suspect, Tarod Thornhill, is believed to have been targeting one person when he opened fire Saturday night in the Monroeville Mall. Thornhill is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment.

NBC

10. The Grammy Awards ceremony is tonight

The 57th annual Grammy Awards will be held Sunday night in Los Angeles. Beyonce, Sam Smith, and Pharrell Williams, all of whom are up for Album of the Year, lead the pack with six nominations each.

Billboard