10 things you need to know today: February 23, 2014

The Men&#039;s Ice Hockey Gold Medal match at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

(Image credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

1. Mexican drug lord captured in surprise raid

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the legendary boss of Mexico's deadly Sinaloa drug cartel who infamously escaped in 2001 from a high-security prison in a laundry cart, was arrested Saturday in a surprise raid in Mazatlan, a Mexican resort town. The capture was the result of a joint operation of Mexican marines and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents that was in the works for four or five weeks. [CNN]

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Afghanistan's Taliban has suspended mediation with the U.S. to exchange American soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, halting what was considered the best chance yet of securing Bergdahl's freedom since his capture in 2009. In an email to the Associated Press on Sunday, Zabihullah Mujahed blamed the "current complex political situation in the country." [Huffington Post]

A day after the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, calming once-raging protests, many are focusing on the subsequent release of his jailed arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko. Journalists, even those opposing Yanukovych, are against her possible return to power, saying Ukraine needs new faces; others argue that she still has the clout needed to restore order in Ukraine. Yanukovych has not been seen since his dismissal from office. [BBC News]

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer may not sign a bill that would let businesses refuse to serve gay men and lesbians if it conflicts with their religious beliefs, she said Saturday. The bill, passed Thursday by the legislature, sparked strong reaction from opponents who called it "state-sanctioned discrimination" and an embarrassment. Brewer is a Republican well-regarded by her party for her conservative views. [NBC News]

Venezuelans on both sides of the nation's political divide took to the streets on Saturday after two weeks of mass protests that have President Nicolas Maduro scrambling to squash a militant opposition movement. Dueling protests between Maduro's supporters and opposition capped a violent week in which the government opposition leaders. The violence has left at least 10 people dead on both sides and injured more than 100. [Associated Press]

Fitbit is halting sales of its newest fitness-tracking bracelet and recalling the product after months of complaints from consumers who say the band causes rashes on their wrists. The San Francisco company said in a statement that it was conducting the recall of its newest bracelet "out of an abundance of caution" and repeated an offer to refund consumers who purchased the $129 Force. [Wall Street Journal]

A carbon monoxide leak at the Walt Whitman Shops on Long Island killed one person and sickened more than two dozen. A woman and a man, both employees at the mall's Legal Sea Foods, were found in the basement overcome by the gas when emergency personnel arrived. Both were taken to the hospital, where the man died. Investigators are looking at whether a problem with the restaurant's heating system in the basement caused the leak. [New York Times]

Terri is a freelance writer at TheWeek.com. She's a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and has worked at TIME and Brides. You can follow her on Twitter.

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