1. Iran sentences American to death in spy case.
Iran has sentenced an American ex-Marine to death for espionage. A court convicted Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of "working for an enemy country," as well as membership in the CIA and "efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism," the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday. The sentence came down five months after Hekmati's arrest. Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, on its English website, said the court found him "caught red-handed in armed struggle against God" and "corrupt on Earth." "In the proceedings Hekmati said he had the motivation to infiltrate (the) Iranian intelligence system on behalf of the CIA," the IRNA report said. Hekmati's parents said they were "shocked and terrified" by the news.
2. Rivals turn up heat on Romney as N.H. primary closes in.
With one day to go until the New Hampshire primary, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is facing attacks from all sides. Romney, who is making his second bid for the GOP nomination, kicks off a full day of campaigning Monday by speaking at a chamber of commerce breakfast in Nashua, New Hampshire. Romney has what amounts to home-field advantage as polls indicate the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts holds a large lead over the rest of the Republican White House hopefuls.
3. Syrians mourn protesters amid tension.
Tens of thousands turned out Monday for funerals in the Syrian capital of Damascus, holding up pictures and lining the streets in tearful processions. At one funeral, crowds chanted, "overthrow Assad, overthrow the regime!" as they blamed the man's death on government forces. At a separate funeral in the same city, another crowd mourned a man, chanting slogans supporting President Bashar Al-Assad and blaming the death on opposition forces.