In the World
BURUNDI
State Dept. warns Americans to leave
The U.S. State Department has warned American citizens to leave Burundi after a recent surge in violence that left nearly 100 dead in a single day.
On Friday, 87 people were killed - 79 attackers and eight soldiers - when armed gunmen attacked three military sites in and around the capital of Bujumbura, according to Burundi's government.
The small East African country has been embroiled in a mounting conflict since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would run for a third term in office, despite calls for him to step down after reaching his term limit.
A failed coup attempt in May prompted a brutal government crackdown, and in July, Nkurunziza won the election. Now the military is fighting a persistent armed opposition, which appears to have stepped up its efforts recently.
- Washington Post
EGYPT
Officials: No sign of terrorism in crash
Egypt said Monday it has not found any sign of terrorism in the Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai Desert, a preliminary finding that conflicts with Russian, U.S. and British statements that they believed a bomb on the aircraft probably was to blame.
The vaguely worded Egyptian statement reflected the deep reluctance among government authorities to point to the possibility of a bomb, and the implication of lax security at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where the Metrojet plane took off.
The Airbus A321-200 broke apart 23 minutes after departing the Red Sea resort for St. Petersburg, killing all 224 people aboard.
- AP
WEST BANK
Abbas calls attacks on Israelis justified
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking in Ramallah, referred to the last three months of violence Monday as a "justified popular uprising."
Abbas's comments came as a new poll shows widespread Palestinian support for ongoing attacks on Israelis.
Later Monday, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem rammed his car into a crowded bus stop, wounding nine before bystanders shot him dead.
- AP
KOSOVO
Tear gas again disrupts parliament
Opposition lawmakers released tear gas once again Monday in Kosovo's parliament as they tried to pressure the government into renouncing deals with Serbia and Montenegro. Clouds of smoke from two tear gas canisters forced lawmakers out of the debating chamber.
The parliamentary session restarted later in another room with most opposition lawmakers barred from entering.
An opposition political party, the Alliance for Kosovo's Future, said one of its lawmakers, Pal Lekaj, was arrested, allegedly for using tear gas. - AP