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Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom halts natural gas sales to Ukraine, after Kiev refuses to agree to a four-fold price hike. The move has affected the flow of gas to other European countries and raised worries about Russia's use of energy as a political weapon.

This weekend, Syria's president ordered his government to open an investigation into alleged Syrian involvement in the assassination of a Lebanese politician. Until now, Syria has vehemently denied any involvement in the crime and has denounced the United Nations' allegations that Syrian officials were complicit in the murder.

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens explosion. An observatory that overlooks the crater has just reopened and volcano enthusiasts are flocking to visit.

The head of New Orleans' police department, Eddie Compass, has resigned. This weekend, he announced that 249 officers, or about 15 percent of the force, are absent without leave after the hurricanes. A special tribunal will determine who has deserted and who has legitimate absences from work.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Islamabad, Pakistan, to assess the country's earthquake-relief needs. Already, the United States has sent planes and helicopters to help in rescue-and-relief operations. She also visited Kabul, meeting with Afghan leaders.

A Palestinian suicide bomber strikes at a fast-food restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel. The attack kills the bomber and nine others, wounding dozens. Israel is marking the Passover holiday. It is the first suicide attack since Hamas took control of the Palestinian government.

Dozens of senior officials have left the CIA in the past 18 months. Some simply retired, but many were unhappy with CIA Director Porter Goss. Supporters say Goss is making needed changes at the agency. Critics question the impact on morale.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick is in Nigeria, hoping to mediate a peace deal between rebels and government leaders in Sudan's Darfor region. The African Union has extended a deadline for talks to midnight Tuesday. The three-year conflict has led to nearly 200,000 deaths and 2 million refugees.

G-8 leaders meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, release a statement expressing "deepening concern" about rising civilian casualties on all sides of the violence in the Middle East. It also blamed the immediate crisis on "efforts by extremists forces to destabilize the region."

Jack Devine, a 32-year CIA veteran, says the next person put in charge of the agency needs to rally the organization's sagging morale, and then turn his attention to the problems of Iraq and Afghanistan. Devine worked in the CIA's clandestine services. He left in 1999.