IMF chief Lagarde avoids charges in French payout scandal
Paris. IMF chief Christine Lagarde avoided immediate charges Friday but was named an "assisted witness" after French prosecutors grilled her for two days over a state payout to a disgraced tycoon when she was finance minister, AFP reports.

EU bans three pesticides blamed for mass bee deaths
Brussels. The European Commission confirmed its decision to ban the use of 3 pesticides that are harmful to bees, BNR reports. The two-year ban will come into force on December 1, 2013.nio

Court hearing postponed for Boston bomb suspect
Washington. A first court hearing for Boston Marathon bomb suspect Djokhar Tsarnaev has been pushed back to from July 2 to July 10, prosecutors announced on Friday.