1. Disaster at sea: Luxury cruise turns into nightmare.
On board the Costa Concordia, thousands of passengers were dining, drinking, attending a magic show, perhaps trying their luck in the casino. It was Friday night on the luxury cruise liner, sailing in the Mediterranean off the Italian coast with about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members -- a night of entertainment and relaxation. There was annoyance, but no real alarm, when the lights went out -- not at first. Passenger Vivian Shafer said she thought it was part of the magic show. But those on board then heard an ominous scraping sound, and the 951-foot vessel gave a shudder. The ship began to list to one side.
2. All or nothing: Gingrich's 'Armageddon' strategy for South Carolina.
At his campaign events, Newt Gingrich -- the veteran politician who now sees himself as an unlikely political underdog -- blasts the theme song from the 1984 film "The Karate Kid." "Try to believe, though the going gets rough, that you gotta hang tough to make it..." goes the opening stanza from "You're the Best." "Fight 'til the end, cause your life will depend, on the strength that you have inside you." Days before the showdown in the South Carolina, Gingrich is locked in a close race with front-runner Mitt Romney in the most recent statewide poll. He has, in the first two contest states, been beaten down by Romney and his allies but is hoping the South Carolina primary on Saturday won't be the third and final act of his presidential run.
3. FBI asks for help finding body of missing Montana teacher.
The FBI is asking residents in North Dakota and Montana to help find the body of missing Montana teacher Sherry Arnold. The 43-year-old wife and mother was last seen on a morning run more than a week ago. "Based on investigative evidence gathered over the last few days, it is believed that Ms. Arnold may be deceased; her body has not been recovered," the FBI said in a statement Sunday. The agency asked property owners in North Dakota and northeastern Montana to check their land for disturbed soil, and to contact law enforcement if they see anything usual. Two men are in custody in connection to the investigation. Lester Waters and Michael Spell are being held in Williams County, North Dakota, on charges of aggravated kidnapping, Williams Country Sheriff's deputy Steve Thompson said.

1. Iranian supreme leader blames U.S., Israel for scientist's death.
Iran's top cleric has blamed the CIA and Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, for killing an Iranian nuclear scientist, Iran's state broadcaster said. Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who died Wednesday, was the third Iranian nuclear scientist in two years to be killed by what Iran described as a magnetic bomb attached to his car. A fourth survived a similar assassination attempt. Roshan's death shows that "the global arrogance spearheaded by the U.S. and Zionism has reached a deadlock in confrontation with the determined, devout and progressive nation of Islamic Iran," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by the state-run Press TV.
2. Obama seeks authority to streamline government.
President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress on Friday for more power to shrink the federal government, a move designed to claim the political middle ground in an election likely to be dominated by questions about Washington's role in the economy. Obama is set to speak at 11:20 a.m. about his proposal to make the federal government "leaner, smarter and more consumer-friendly," a White House official said. The president's plan would combine several agencies that focus on commerce and trade, including the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Trade and Development Agency.
3. Romney: Income inequality is just 'envy'.
When asked if there are any fair questions about wealth distribution, Romney replied, "It's fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms and discussions about tax policy and the like." Romney has accused President Obama of promoting the "bitter politics of envy." The president is ramping up his talks about the nation's growing income divide and the shrinking of the middle class. He is focusing on the tax benefits afforded to millionaires and executives. Romney, who is one of those millionaires, is taking a different path. He says he's distancing himself from what he calls "a very envy-oriented, attack-oriented approach."

1. Attorney general: Barbour tried to rule the state like Boss Hogg.
Remember Boss Hogg, the unethical, greedy commissioner in the 1980s television series "The Dukes of Hazzard?" Mississippi's attorney general sure did when he gave the state's Gov. Haley Barbour a tongue-lashing by comparing him to the fictional character. This came after a judge issued a temporary injunction forbidding the release of any more prisoners to whom Barbour gave clemency or pardoned in a final act before leaving office this week.
2. Rivals turn up heat on Romney after New Hampshire win.
Mitt Romney arrived Wednesday in South Carolina as the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, while his rivals campaigned across the state to try to halt the former Massachusetts governor's momentum after his victory the day before in New Hampshire. CNN projected that Romney's second straight triumph in the first two contests of the nomination process gained him seven of the state's 12 delegates, based on his first-place support from just over 39% of primary voters. Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who finished second with about 23%, picked up three delegates, and former Utah Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman gained two delegates based on his third-place finish with roughly 17% of the vote.
3. Judge to consider whether to declare Natalee Holloway dead.
An Alabama judge will consider a request Thursday to have Natalee Holloway, the teen who went missing in Aruba in 2005, declared dead. A probate judge may make the decision at a presumption of death hearing in a Jefferson County courtroom in Birmingham Thursday afternoon. Holloway vanished in 2005 while on a graduation trip to Aruba. No one has been charged in the case. Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving an Oranjestad nightclub with Joran van der Sloot and two other men.

1. GOP race moves south after Romney wins New Hampshire.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won a convincing victory in the New Hampshire primary, the second straight triumph for Romney and one that bolsters his front-runner status to take on President Barack Obama in November. All six Republican contenders head to South Carolina on Wednesday ahead of the next primary. With 95% of precincts reporting, Romney received 40% of the vote in Tuesday's balloting. Texas Rep. Ron Paul received 23% and former Utah Gov. and U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman garnered 17%.
2. Journalist killed in a restive Syrian city.
A French journalist died Wednesday in a mortar strike on a pro-government rally in Homs, the Syrian city that has become the symbol of grass-roots resistance against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The violence comes as international journalists and Arab League monitors viewed the tumult rippling across restive cities. A journalist who witnessed the incident told CNN that a civilian also died in the strike. A Dutch journalist and nine civilians were injured. The dead journalist is Gilles Jacquier of the France 2 TV network, the network confirmed. There are different casualty figures filtering out of Homs. France 2 also said seven people died in the same place.
3. Twinkies will keep coming despite bankruptcy.
The company, based in Irving, Texas, filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. But Halvorson said the company does not plan to lay off any of its employees or close any plants. So the CupCakes and Sno Balls will keep on coming. The company has about 19,000 full-time and part-time employees, including 10,413 hourly workers and 8,436 salaried workers, according to a court filing. About 83% of the employees are union members. The company said that it pays about $63.2 million to its employees per pay period, and that it currently owes them $21 million for services rendered. In its bankruptcy filing, the privately held company said that it owes more than $1 billion to creditors. The debt is spread out among a vast number of creditors - between 50,000 and 100,000, the company said.

1. High-stakes race for second and third in New Hampshire.
It's round two in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with voting beginning in New Hampshire. While most polling places in the state didn't open until early Tuesday, the first votes were cast just after midnight in the tiny communities of Dixville Notch and Hart's Location. In Dixville Notch, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and ambassador to China, tied for the lead with two votes each. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas had one vote apiece.
2. Van der Sloot back in Peruvian court to face murder charge.
Joran van der Sloot returns to a Peruvian courtroom on Wednesday, five days after requesting more time to "reflect" on what plea he will make in his murder trial. The 24-year-old Dutch national indicated on Friday that he was willing to make a "confession" in the 2010 killing of Stephany Flores, but that he did "not agree with the aggravating factors" as defined in the murder charge levied against him. Given this statement, the panel of three judges decided to give van der Sloot until Wednesday to make a final decision. There is no jury.
3. American has 20 days to appeal Iranian death sentence.
Amir Mirzaie Hekmati, an American sentenced to death in Iran for espionage, has 20 days to appeal his case, according to Iranian law. "If the sentence is appealed, then the Court of Appeals will hear the case. If not, then the sentence is final," judiciary spokesman Mohseni Ejeie said, according to the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency. The statement was the first by a judiciary official, regarding the trail and the sentence. Hekmati's family has hired a high-profile lawyer with success in negotiating with Tehran to seek his release. "We're prepared to open up a line of communication with the government," attorney Pierre Prosper said. "Our hope is that they will talk with us."

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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.

1. Romney camp rips Santorum on spending.
GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney's campaign stepped up its criticism of conservative challenger Rick Santorum Friday, continuing to hit the former Pennsylvania senator on his spending record while in Congress. For his part, Santorum was slated to hold three "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall meetings in New Hampshire, now four days away from its first-in-the-nation primary. Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, and Ron Paul also had a series of events scheduled in the state. Romney holds a large lead in New Hampshire in most polls, but as a result is facing sky high media-driven expectations next Tuesday. The other candidates are believed to be scrambling for a second place finish that can provide a degree of momentum heading into the January 21 South Carolina primary.
2. 26 dead in Syrian 'terrorist' blast, state media says.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of the Syrian capital Friday, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, Syrian state media reported. The incident took place in the al-Midan quarter of Damascus. Casualties included mostly civilians and some law enforcement personnel, the Syrian Arab News Agency said. It's the second such strike in Damascus in two weeks. Car and suicide bombings have long common in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But this development in Syria, similar to strikes on government security targets two Fridays ago, stokes fears that the troubled country is headed into a new level of civil conflict.
3. State media: Iran to hold military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran plans to conduct military drills in the Strait of Hormuz in February, state media said Friday.
The announcement comes amid tensions about the strategically important waterway. Dubbed "the Great Prophet," the drills will be different from previous ones, a commander with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps told Press TV. It was unclear how the drills will be different.

1. Romney faces renewed conservative criticism.
GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney faced a fresh round of conservative criticism Thursday as New Hampshire's top newspaper urged Republicans to back rival Newt Gingrich and resurrected charges that the former governor helped pave the way for President Barack Obama's health care reforms. "Gingrich's record of conservative accomplishment is unparalleled and his beliefs and vision are passionate and clear," wrote Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader. Romney, in contrast, was "governor of the most liberal state in the country and managed to beat Obama at delivering Obamacare."
Conservatives must rally around Gingrich "or face the very real prospect of having Barack Obama walk all over" Romney, McQuaid argued.
2. 60 slain in Iraq bombings.
Attackers killed at least 60 people in Iraq on Thursday in strikes that targeted Shiites and renewed fears of sectarian violence, authorities said. The deadliest attack was a suicide bombing targeting Shiite pilgrims just west of the southern city of Nasiriya. It killed at least 36 and wounded 72 others, police and Interior Ministry officials said. A series of blasts in Baghdad left 24 dead and dozens wounded, an Interior Ministry official said. The violence raged as Shiites made a pilgrimage to the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, leading up to Arbaeen, one of the holiest days of the Shiite calendar. It arrives next week and marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed in a seventh century battle in the Iraqi city.
3. Detroit automakers are (finally!) making profits.
Analysts are in widespread agreement in forecasting better industrywide sales in 2012 and beyond. They see sales rising from 12.8 million in 2011 to between 13.5 million to 14 million this year and close to 15 million by 2014 or 2015. "In terms of profitability and outlook, this is the best conditions we've had for the U.S. auto industry in a long, long time," said Jesse Toprak of TrueCar. From 1999 to 2007 the industry enjoyed sales of between 16 million to 17 million vehicles. Like the housing bubble, this auto-sales bubble was also fed by cheap credit.  But even with robust sales the automakers began to suffer. A refusal to fix Detroit's inefficient corporate culture and costly labor agreements were bleeding profits.

1. Official: Los Angeles arson suspect under investigation in Germany.
A German man due to appear in a Los Angeles court Wednesday in connection with one of the worst arson sprees in the city's history is also under investigation for arson and fraud in his home country, a prosecution official in Germany said. Harry Burkhart, 24, was arrested in Los Angeles early Monday after a string of 52 fires -- mostly in parked cars -- since Friday. He faces an arraignment hearing Wednesday morning. No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage costs are likely to reach $3 million, authorities said. On Wednesday, a German official said Burkhart was also under investigation in relation to a fire in Neukirchen, near Frankfurt.
2. Preston: Short sprint or long haul to GOP nomination?
With a narrow loss, Rick Santorum scored a stunning victory and now heads to New Hampshire, hoping this momentum sets him up as the anti-Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Santorum, who lost to Romney by eight votes in the Iowa caucuses early Wednesday, is following a well-worn path on his march as the new political battleground shifts from this Midwestern state to New Hampshire. It is an uphill battle for Santorum, who faces a better-funded rival in Romney and questions about his own viability as a general election candidate.
3. Syrian rebels eye 'huge operations'.
The Free Syrian Army plans to kick off "huge operations" this week against "vital interests" of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the force's commander said Wednesday. "We prepared ourselves for this stage," Col. Riad al-Asaad told CNN in Turkey. "We can't force him off with the peaceful demonstrations, so we are going to force him by arms to leave." The anti-government resistance movement, which emerged over the summer, comprises defectors from the massive and better-equipped Syrian army. The fledgling force is flexing its muscles amid international fears of a civil war that would destabilize both Syria and the greater Middle East.