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

1. Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry dead at 78

Marion Barry, the former four-term mayor of Washington, D.C., and a sitting member of the city council, died Sunday morning. He was 78 years old. Barry's family did not specify a cause of death, though the lawmaker had been in poor health for some time. Barry served as mayor from 1979 to 1991 and again from 1995 to 1999, with a six-month prison sentence in between after he was caught smoking crack.

The Washington Post

2. Afghanistan approves new deal with U.S., NATO troops

Afghanistan's parliament on Sunday approved in a near-unanimous vote an agreement to keep U.S. and NATO troops in the country after 2014. The U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan was scheduled to end this year, but the deal will allow 12,000 troops to remain working with local forces beyond December. The 152-2 vote came shortly after the news that President Obama in recent weeks approved new guidelines to expand the scope of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

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The Associated Press

3. Ferguson grand jury to reconvene Monday

A decision in the Michael Brown shooting case will not come over the weekend despite previous reports to the contrary, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The grand jury that is deciding whether to bring charges against Darren Wilson, the police officer who in August shot and killed Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, will reconvene Monday. Anticipating widespread protests once the decision is announced, Gov. Jay Nixon (D) last week declared a preemptive state of emergency.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

4. Putin says he won't be president for life

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he won't run Moscow forever, though he could run for another six-year term in 2018. "This is not good and detrimental for the country and I do not need it as well," Putin said when asked if he wanted to be president for life, according to Russian state media. The 62-year-old Putin has been president since 2000, excepting a four-year stint, from 2008 to 2012, when he served as prime minister.

CBS

5. Buffalo threatened by dangerous flooding

A flood warning was in effect Sunday for parts of upstate New York, including Buffalo. A week of intense lake-effect snow buried the region in up to seven feet of snow that is expected to rapidly melt as temperatures climb to close out the weekend. The historic snowfall killed 13 people and forced the NFL to relocate Sunday's scheduled game in Buffalo.

NBC

6. Tunisia holds first direct presidential election

Tunisians voted Sunday in the first free election to pick the nation's new leader. A revolution in 2011 ousted former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Thirty candidates are vying for the position, and the race is expected to go to a runoff vote in December.

Reuters

7. Virginia suspends all frats after sexual assault report

The University of Virginia on Saturday suspended all fraternities for the rest of the semester following a shocking Rolling Stone report on sexual assault at the college. In a statement, President Teresa A. Sullivan said the report "caused all of us to reexamine our responsibility to this community," and that the school and students would meet over the coming weeks to discuss sexual assaults at UVA. "Meaningful change is necessary, and we can lead that change for all universities," Sullivan added.

Rolling Stone NBC

8. Israeli police kill Palestinian man in Gaza

Israeli security forces on Sunday shot and killed a 32-year-old Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip, the first fatality since the two-month war between the two sides ended in August. Israel said officers fired warning shots when the man approached a "no-go" buffer zone. More than 2,100 people died in the conflict.

The Guardian

9. Al-Shabab kills 28 on Kenyan bus

Members of the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab over the weekend hijacked a Kenyan bus and killed 28 non-Muslims on board. The group claimed the attack was in response to crackdowns earlier this week on mosques in Mombasa.

BBC

10. Bill Cosby maintains silence on rape allegations

Comedian Bill Cosby has responded to a recent wave of rape allegations by saying he will not "answer to innuendos." More than a dozen women have accused Cosby of sexually assaulting them over several decades. The legendary entertainer's lawyer said last week Cosby would not comment on the claims.

The Chicago Tribune