10 Things to Know for Monday December 9, 2013

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. SOUTH AFRICA'S EXTENDED FAREWELL TO MANDELA  As world leaders, including President Barack Obama, begin to arrive for a service in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the civil-rights campaigner's life is being memorialized across the country and world. MANDELA MOURNING

2. THE STORM THAT WON'T END  Snow, freezing rain and sleet forced the cancellation of thousands of flights nationwide and threatens a messy morning commute for those across the northeast corridor.  WINTRY WEATHER

3. SENATE DEMOCRATS PUSH OBAMA NOMINEES  Democrats are ready to muscle through the president's choices for pivotal judgeships and other top jobs, but Republicans retain enough power to slow the appointments.  SENATE NOMINATIONS

4. THAI GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR EARLY ELECTIONS  Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra announces she will dissolve the lower house of Parliament and asks for early voting in an attempt to calm the country's deepening political crisis. THAILAND PROTEST

5. US DEFENSE SECRETARY TRAVELS TO PAKISTAN  Chuck Hagel arrived early Monday for meetings with the nation's prime minister and military leaders, hoping to further repair a strained relationship between Washington and Islamabad.  HAGEL PAKISTAN

6. UKRAINE SEES LARGEST ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST IN DECADE  Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Kiev on Sunday, toppling a statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and blockading key government buildings.  UKRAINE-PROTEST

7. WHY KIM JONG UN'S UNCLE IS OUT  North Korea acknowledges that it has purged the country's second most powerful official, accusing him of corruption, drug use, womanizing and leading a "dissolute and depraved life."  NKOREA-KIM'S UNCLE

8. NEWLYWED MURDER TRIAL BEGINS  A 22-year-old woman accused of killing her new husband, who fell to his death from a cliff in Montana's Glacier National Park, faces charges in federal court.  NEWLYWED MURDR TRIAL

9. WHAT INSECT IS NEW TO NEW YORK  A cockroach that can withstand harsh winter cold makes its U.S. debut on the streets Manhattan.  NEW COCKROACH

10. KENNEDY HONORS FOR BILLY JOEL, SANTANA  Jazz legend Herbie Hancock, opera star Martina Arroyo and actress Shirley MacLaine also receive the nation's highest award for arts and culture.  KENNEDY CENTER HONORS