1. Obama reassures Netanyahu about Iran nuclear deal
President Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to reassure him that the U.S. would consult Israel on the implementation of a deal to freeze Tehran's nuclear program. Hours earlier, Netanyahu called the pact a "historic mistake" that lifts sanctions in exchange for "cosmetic" steps Iran could easily reverse. Both Obama and Netanyahu reiterated their commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. [Politico]
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2. Deadly winter storm spreads ahead of Thanksgiving travel
The death toll from a harsh winter storm system pushing across the nation rose to 13 on Sunday. The frigid Arctic air spread across New Mexico and Texas after hammering the West Coast, causing deadly accidents on icy roads and forcing more than 300 flight cancellations Monday in Dallas alone. Freezing temperatures, rain, and flooding are expected in the Southeast on Tuesday, then up the I-95 corridor, threatening massive Thanksgiving travel delays. [Reuters]
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3. The Egyptian government outlaws public protests
Egypt's military-backed interim government on Sunday approved a ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people. The move was condemned by human rights groups as a repressive attempt to stifle protests by Islamists groups calling for the return of the country's elected president, Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted by the military in early July. The law was approved 10 days after the end of three months of emergency rule. [Associated Press]
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4. Report says 11,000 Syrian children have been killed
More than 11,000 children have been killed in Syria's civil war, according to a report released Sunday by the Oxford Research Group, a London think tank. Most of the young victims since the violence began nearly three years ago were killed in explosions. More than 1,000 of the children were either summarily executed or targeted by snipers, and 112 were tortured before being killed. [CBC]
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5. Afghan elders back a security deal with the U.S.
Afghan tribal leaders on Sunday endorsed a proposal to let a contingent of several thousand American soldiers stay behind to train and support Afghan forces after NATO pulls out at the end of next year. President Hamid Karzai, however, reiterated his reluctance to sign the agreement before his presidential elections scheduled for April. [Reuters]
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6. Pope displays St. Peter's bones for the first time
Pope Francis on Sunday unveiled nine bone fragments that have been identified as the remains of St. Peter, the first pope of the Catholic Church. Francis displayed the relics — for the first time ever — during a mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The bones were discovered during the excavation of tombs under St Peter's basilica in the 1940s, but had always been stored out of public view in the chapel of the papal apartment. [Sydney Morning Herald]
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7. Apple buys the company behind Microsoft's Kinect sensor
Apple confirmed Sunday that it had purchased PrimeSense, the 3-D sensing company behind Microsoft's Kinect sensor. Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet confirmed the deal, but declined to say how much it was worth. Financial newspaper Calcalist reported earlier this month that Apple paid $345 million for the Israel-based company, although some sources put the price tag a little higher. [CNET]
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8. USPS offers reward to find mailman's killer
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service on Sunday offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer of a postal worker gunned down while delivering mail Saturday night in Landover, Md., a Washington, D.C., suburb. Tyson Barnette, 26, was found dead in the street. Union leaders said the job has gotten more dangerous as cutbacks force more letter carriers to deliver mail into the night. [Reuters, Washington Times]
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9. Iranian nuclear deal sends oil prices falling
U.S. stock futures pushed above last week's record levels early Monday as oil prices fell, thanks to the Iranian nuclear deal, which cleared the way for Iran to resume wider legal sales of its crude. The agreement, reached Sunday, requires Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The European Union responded by suspending its ban on tankers carrying Iranian oil. [MarketWatch]
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10. Second Hunger Games film sets a November record
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire generated $161.1 million in ticket sales over its debut weekend, from Thursday through Sunday, setting a November domestic-box-office record. Seventy-one percent of the first Hunger Games' viewers were female, most of them young, but the sequel attracted a wider audience that was nearly evenly split by gender, a good omen for the future of what is officially now a major Hollywood franchise. [New York Times]
