10 things you need to know today: March 24, 2012

1. SYRIAN SOLDIERS ASSAULT SARAQEB

Syrian troops stormed the northwestern town of Saraqeb just as a U.N. commission released a report revealing a more complete and incriminating picture of the grim situation unfolding in the country. In some cases, entire clans and villages are being forced to flee into neighboring countries. The pattern of killing has also shifted in Syria: While many deaths in the early months of the uprising were from clashes between security forces and unarmed protesters, many more are now from shelling and shootings by military units. [Associated Press, New York Times]

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2. GERALDO RIVERA SPARKS HOODIE DEBATE

Shortly after President Obama called for "soul searching" in the wake of black Florida teen Trayvon Martin's controversial killing, Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera suggested the 17-year-old wouldn't have been killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman if Martin had refrained from wearing a hoodie. The comment touched off a firestorm of criticism, with Rivera's own son admitting that he was "ashamed" of his father's comments. [Politico]

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3. MILITARY CHARGES AFGHAN MASSACRE SUSPECT

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged Friday with 17 counts of premeditated murder, six counts of attempted murder, and six counts of assault for an alleged killing rampage in Afghanistan that sparked massive protests and undermined the U.S. war effort. It will likely be months or years before Bales appears in a public courtroom. [Associated Press]

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4. FACEBOOK TO EMPLOYERS: DON'T ASK FOR PASSWORDS

Noting "a distressing increase" in the number of employers requesting that job applicants or current employees hand over their social media passwords, Facebook issued a warning. "This practice undermines the privacy expectations and the security of both the user and the user’s friends. It also potentially exposes the employer... to unanticipated legal liability." [Huffington Post]

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5. MALI REBELS FEAR COUNTERCOUP

Mutinous soldiers took over Mali state TV on Friday, amid fears that those loyal to ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure would attempt to reclaim control. The president has not been heard from since anti-government forces took over state-controlled media, though African Union officials say Toure is safe. [Reuters]

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6. OBAMA TAPS DARTMOUTH PRES. TO HEAD WORLD BANK

Passing over more high-profile candidates like Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and economist Jeffrey Sachs, President Obama nominated Dartmouth University President Jim Yong Kim to run the World Bank. "It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency," Obama said of Kim, a Korean-born physician and pioneer in the treatment of HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis. [Associated Press]

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7. AFRICAN UNION STEPS UP SEARCH FOR KONY

The African Union is sending 5,000 soldiers to join the hunt for Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony, a new mission that comes after a YouTube campaign to renew the search for the Lord's Resistance Army leader. Kony's LRA is responsible for 2,600 civilian deaths since 2008, according to the African Union. [Washington Post]

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8. HUNGER GAMES SCORES BIG WITH MIDNIGHT SHOWS

In its midnight screenings on March 23, the eagerly awaited The Hunger Games movie earned $19.7 million, making it the seventh biggest midnight opening in history. The dystopian film is expected to earn $50 million to $60 million in its opening day and more than $100 million over the weekend. [Wall Street Journal]

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9. ASTRONOMER DISCOVERS RARE EMERALD GALAXY

Most galaxies exist in one of three forms: A disk with spiral arms (such as our Milky Way), a football-shaped ellipsoid, or an irregular, lumpy blob. But not LEDA 074886, a dwarf galaxy 70 million light-years away. The galaxy, which astronomer Alister Graham, an associate professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia discovered, has the unusual distinction of being shaped like an emerald. [National Geographic]

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10. AMERICANS LOSE $30B WORTH OF CELL PHONES

According to a new study by mobile security firm Lookout, Americans lost about $30 billion worth of cell phones last year. On average, U.S. consumers lose their handsets about once a year. Philadephians are also the most likely to lose their cell phones, followed by Seattle, Oakland, Long Beach, Calif., and Newark, N.J. [Digital Trends]