10 things you need to know today: January 13, 2014

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jordan Strauss))

last updated 8 January 2015

1. Iran nuclear freeze starts this month

Iran has agreed to a deal with six world powers to temporarily freeze its nuclear program starting January 20, U.S. and Iranian officials said Sunday. Under the agreement, Iran would stop enriching uranium beyond the level needed for energy production, and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be diluted so it couldn't be used for bombs. President Obama said Iran would get "modest relief" from economic sanctions in exchange. [The New York Times, Reuters]

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Breaking Bad followed up last year's series finale by cleaning up at the Golden Globes on Sunday, with star Bryan Cranston winning for best TV drama actor and the show taking the trophy for best drama series. "It's such a lovely way to say goodbye," Cranston said. American Hustle won for best film comedy, and its two female stars — Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence — also picked up awards. 12 Years a Slave won for best film drama. [USA Today]

Israeli leaders and foreign dignitaries, including Vice President Joe Biden, gathered Monday for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who died Saturday at 85 eight years after a stroke left him in a coma. The former military commander, reviled by enemies for his military aggressiveness, was praised by admirers as a tireless champion of Israel's security. Biden said Sharon's passing felt "like a death in the family." [The New York Times, Fox News]

Some restaurants in West Virginia began reopening Sunday, serving bottled water, for the first time since a chemical spill into a river left 300,000 people with water unsafe to use for anything other than flushing toilets. It could be days before those affected can use their tap water for drinking, cooking, or bathing. State authorities hadn't inspected the spill site, a storage facility owned by Freedom Industries, since 1991. [Reuters, The Wall Street Journal]

France's first lady, Valerie Trierweiler, was hospitalized after reports that President Francois Hollande, her partner, was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet, Trierweiler's office said Sunday. Trierweiler checked in for "rest and tests," according to the statement. Years ago, Hollande left his last long-term partner, fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, for Trierweiler, a journalist for the celebrity magazine Paris Match. [The Telegraph]

Haitians held somber ceremonies on Sunday to mark the fourth anniversary of the earthquake that left much of the Caribbean country's capital in ruins. President Michel Martelly placed white flowers at a potter's field that is being made turned into an official memorial, and said the nation is rebounding, despite complaints that aid money has been squandered, when it arrived at all. [Associated Press]

The Democratic New Jersey lawmaker leading the investigation into the allegedly politically motivated shutdown of the George Washington Bridge said Sunday it was "unbelievable" that Gov. Chris Christie (R) didn't know what was going on. The lawmaker, John Wisniewski, said impeachment might be possible if it turned out Christie knew the lane closures were retaliation against a Democratic mayor. Christie has apologized, and fired a top aide. [Fox News]

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that former Defense Secretary Robert Gates should have delayed the release of his memoir because it includes sharp criticism of President Obama's handling of the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. is still in the process of preparing to withdraw its troops. Gates told CBS News Sunday Morning it wouldn't have made sense to wait until Obama left office in 2017. [Huffington Post, ABC News Radio]

The world's richest 300 people added $524 billion to their collective fortunes last year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Their aggregate net worth was $3.7 trillion on December 31. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who reclaimed the title of world's richest person in May, enjoyed the biggest gains of 2013, with his fortune increasing by $15.8 billion to $78.5 billion, thanks to a 40 percent jump for Microsoft shares. [The Washington Post]

The NFL's conference championship matchups — the last stop before the Super Bowl — are set. The Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning's two TD passes, held off the San Diego Chargers, 24-17, on Sunday to earn a spot in the AFC Championship next Sunday against the New England Patriots, who won their division Saturday. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, sending them into the NFC Championship against Seattle. [Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated]

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.

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