Top story: Early reports from Senegal's presidential election over the weekend suggest that neither incumbent Abdoulaye Wade nor former prime minister Macky Sall has gained the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a run-off. A spokesman for Wade maintains that the president is "well ahead," while Sall has declared that "a second round is inevitable."
Wade's decision to seek a third term despite a constitutional two-term limit sparked heated protests in the lead-up to the election, raising the prospect of volatility in a West African country that has long been a stable democracy. The president was booed on Sunday as he voted in the capital, Dakar.
In the event of a run-off, the Associated Press notes, Wade will have a difficult time beating a united opposition. If he nevertheless emerges victorious, the New York Times adds, the unrest of recent weeks could "spill over into something uglier."
Syria: At least 59 people were killed in Syria on Sunday during a referendum on a new constitution that Western leaders have dismissed as a sham, while the European Union imposed new sanctions on Syria and divisions emerged within the Syrian opposition.
Asia
- The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a deadly suicide attack on a NATO air base in eastern Afghanistan as "revenge" for the burning of Korans last week at NATO's Bagram air base.
- Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard defeated rival Kevin Rudd in a leadership vote.
- Ahead of a joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened a "powerful retaliatory strike" at the first sign of aggression by the South.
Middle East
- Egypt has postponed the controversial trial of employees of American-backed nonprofit groups until April, the same month that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is slated to certify Egypt for foreign aid.
- Outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh formally ceded power to his vice president in a ceremony in Sanaa, as the U.S. works with the new government to overhaul Yemen's military in an effort to combat al Qaeda.
- Al Jazeera says it's uncovered new evidence that casts doubt on the case against the man accused of orchestrating the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.
Europe
- Russian and Ukrainian security services have reportedly foiled a plot to assassinate Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after next week's presidential election, as thousands of anti-Kremlin protesters took to the streets on Sunday ahead of the contest.
- Finance ministers of the Group of 20 countries convinced their European counterparts to review the size of the eurozone's bailout fund.
- Spain's Supreme Court has cleared judge Baltasar Garzon of charges that he illegally investigated crimes committed during Francisco Franco's regime.
Americas
- Colombia's FARC rebel group has announced that it will stop kidnapping people for ransom and free captives.
- WikiLeaks has begun publishing more than five million confidential emails from the private intelligence company Stratfor.
- Brazil's finance minister indicated that developing countries would provide more financial assistance to Europe in exchange for more power at the International Monetary Fund.
Africa
- The Islamist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a church in the Nigerian city of Jos.
- Former South African President Nelson Mandela, 93, was discharged from the hospital after a brief stay.
- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe called for elections to be held in 2012 during celebrations for his 88th birthday.
Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images
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