10 things you need to know today: September 27, 2013

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow))

last updated 8 January 2015

1. UN Security Council reaches Syrian arms resolution

On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council agreed on a resolution that will require Syria to give up its chemical weapons. Compromising to attain the support of Russia, the final version did not include automatic penalties, such as military action or economic sanctions, if Syria fails to comply, nor does it ascribe specific blame for the Aug. 21 attack that asphyxiated hundreds of Syrians near Damascus. Nevertheless, the resolution marks the most important diplomatic initiative to date over the Syrian civil war. In another landmark act of diplomacy at the UN on Thursday, high-level officials from the United States and Iran sat down together to talk for the first time in more than 30 years. [The New York Times]

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Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator who catapulted to fame with her more than 11-hour filibuster in June, plans to run for governor of Texas. A formal announcement is planned for Oct. 3 in Texas. Davis has been encouraged by Democrats to launch her gubernatorial bid after her attempt to block an anti-abortion bill from passing in the state legislature in June. Davis would face Attorney General Gregg Abbott in what is likely to be an expensive and potentially bitter race. [ABC News]

President Obama will focus attention on the sign-up period for health insurance under Obamacare during remarks at Prince George's Community College in suburban Maryland today. The administration's goal is for the six-month registration period to pull in 7 million uninsured people, including 2.7 million adults aged 18 to 35. The president is also facing a Tuesday deadline for Congress to approve a federal budget and avoid a government shutdown. [Reuters]

NASA's Curiosity rover found water as well as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sulfur compounds in its first analysis of martian soil. The elements, which would be important for sustaining life on the red planet, are likely indicative of Mars' overall surface layer. "We now know there should be abundant, easily accessible water on Mars," Laurie Leshin, dean of science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said in a press release. Leshin is the lead author of a study explaining Curiosity's findings published Thursday in the journal Science. [CBS News ]

Eric and Ryan Jensen, brothers who owned and operated a cantaloupe farm, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges stemming from a listeria outbreak in 2011 at their farm that killed 33 people and sickened another 147 people. The brothers were arrested Thursday and were released on a $100,000 bond. The Jensens each could face up to six years in prison and up to $1.5 million in fines if they are convicted of all the misdemeanor counts with which they are charged. [USA TODAY]

Google unveiled its first major upgrade for search requests, called Hummingbird, on Thursday. The new algorithm has already been in use for about a month, and affects about 90 percent of Google searches. At a presentation on Thursday, Google said the upgrade, called Hummingbird, gives users better results when complex queries are asked and allows them to have more conversational interactions with the search engine. [BBC News]

The chairman of Barilla Group, the world's largest pasta company, issued a semi-apology after saying he refuses to feature gay families in advertisements for his products because he prefers a "traditional" family. Guido Barilla sparked a public relations firestorm on Wednesday when he said in an interview on an Italian radio show that he wouldn't consider showing gays in commercials because his brand touts a "perfect family." [Huffington Post]

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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