1. President of the Philippines considers declaring martial law
Authorities in the Philippines declared a "state of calamity" on Monday in Tacloban, a port city devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan. President Benigno Aquino III said he was considering declaring martial law there. Red Cross workers said the scene was "absolute bedlam," with no water, no power, entire neighborhoods gone, hundreds of thousands of people homeless, and 10,000 people dead in Tacloban and elsewhere. Road damage prevented rescuers from reaching some of the hardest-hit areas. [Philippines Star, BBC News]
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2. Politicians vow to ratchet up sanctions on Iran despite talks
American lawmakers said Sunday that they intended to tighten sanctions against Iran to keep Obama administration negotiators from making too many concessions in a deal to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Israel and many allies in Congress think Iran is just trying to buy time to acquire nuclear weapons. Secretary of State John F. Kerry is returning home from talks in Geneva to defend offering to ease sanctions if Iran freezes its nuclear work.
[Reuters, Washington Post]
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3. The nation honors its veterans
Americans are gathering for parades and memorial ceremonies on Monday to honor the nation's veterans. President Obama is scheduled to attend a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. In a proclamation marking the national holiday, Obama encouraged Americans to honor everyone who has served in the armed forces, saying that the country's obligations to veterans "endure long after the battle ends." [Associated Press]
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4. Syrian opposition group tentatively agrees to attend peace talks
The Syrian National Coalition released a statement early Monday saying it would participate in international negotiations to end Syria's two-and-a-half-year civil war. The Western-backed opposition group said, however, that it would only go to the Geneva talks if a transitional governing body has been formed to replace the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The group also insisted that relief agencies have access to besieged areas. [Reuters]
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5. A gunman assassinates an Iranian deputy minister in Tehran
Iran's deputy industry minister, Safdar Rahmatabadi, was shot and killed in his car in Tehran late Sunday, state media reported. The attacker, whose identity was unknown, appeared to have fired from inside the vehicle. Rahmatabadi was considered a low-level official, whose work centered on mining and trade. In recent years several Iranian officials have been murdered, most of them scientists involved in Iran's controversial nuclear program. [BBC News]
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6. Wildlife sanctuary employee killed by wildcat
An Oregon wildlife sanctuary worker was attacked and killed by a wildcat over the weekend. Colleagues said the woman, 36-year-old Renee Radziwon, was an experienced handler of the big cats at the WildCat Haven Sanctuary. "She knew exactly what she was doing," said Jim Caliva, a Wildcat Haven Sanctuary board member, "but apparently there was a mistake." Authorities are investigating whether she failed to follow safety protocols. [CBS News, Oregonian]
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7. Students face possible expulsion after pulling a pistol on an intruder
Two students at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., are facing disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, after one of them brandished a pistol to scare away a man who demanded money and tried to force his way into their university-owned apartment. The student with the pistol — Dan McIntosh — has a concealed weapons permit, but Gonzaga's student handbook says students can't have handguns on university property. [CNN]
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8. Malala's book is banned from Pakistani private schools
Malala Yousafzai's memoir is a best-seller internationally, but it has been banned by private schools in her home country, Pakistan. The book, I Am Malala, tells about her activism in support of girls' education, and the attack by Taliban gunmen that nearly killed her. School administrators have complained that the book degrades Islam and that its teenage author has acted like a "propaganda tool of the West." [Voice of America]
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9. The Postal Service goes to work for Amazon
The U.S. Postal Service has struck a deal to deliver some of online retailer Amazon.com's packages on Sundays. The Postal Service has been trying to end Saturday mail deliveries, which contribute to its $16 billion in annual losses. This deal, however, will allow it to grab some of the lucrative package delivery business of the $186-billion-a-year e-commerce market now dominated by UPS and FedEx, which don't deliver on Sundays. [New York Times]
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10. Dolphins' Richie Incognito defends himself
Suspended Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito defended himself in his first extended interview since being accused of bullying former teammate Jonathan Martin, who quit midseason. In the interview, which aired Sunday, Incognito said voice messages in which he used racial slurs and threatened Martin were just part of the vulgar locker-room culture. Martin also sent eyebrow-raising texts, he said, because that's "how Jon and I communicate." [Fox Sports]
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