Thirty ideas from people under 30: The Faith Leaders

Indiana union bill: Even with Dems AWOL, lawmakers move closer to vote

7:34 pm ET - Most Indiana Democrats have stayed away from the opening of the state House session out of protest for a bill they say is harmful to unions. Still, a committee held a hearing on the bill Friday.

New Hampshire primary: Will youth vote bring it on Tuesday?

6:45 pm ET - Young people in New Hampshire turn out to vote more reliably than do their counterparts nationwide, data show. Ron Paul tops the youth vote heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, a new poll shows.

Is California Gov. Jerry Brown's 'ransom' budget an empty threat?

5:05 pm ET - California Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a state budget Thursday that would cut $4.8 billion from education – but only if a ballot initiative to raise taxes fails. Problem is, legislators are balking.

Stuxnet cyberweapon looks to be one on a production line, researchers say

4:04 pm ET - Evidence is rising that Stuxnet, a cyberweapon that attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in 2009, is part of a supersophisticated manufacturing process for malicious software, two antivirus companies tell the Monitor.

Does drug dog sniff outside home violate privacy? Supreme Court takes case. (+video)

4:11 pm ET - The Supreme Court will examine a case in which a drug dog signaled the presence of narcotics after being brought to the door of a home. A warrant was obtained, and growing marijuana was found.

US Navy rescues Iranians from Somali pirates – no 'thank you' expected

2:35 pm ET - A US Navy search-and-seizure team rescued the crew of an Iranian fishing vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates in November. Maybe Iran will send a fruit basket. 

Mistakenly deported US teen coming home. Was she victim or adventurer?

2:24 pm ET - Jakadrien Turner was deported last year to Colombia after she gave a false name to law enforcement. Officials tracked the girl down about a month ago, and she'll return to the US Friday.

Unemployment rate falls to 8.5%; GOP still using jobs as battering ram (+video)

12:40 pm ET - The US economy netted 200,000 new jobs in December, and the unemployment rate fell. Even as Democratic politicians hail the jobs report, Republicans say any number above 8 percent is unacceptable by now.

US democracy NGOs in Egypt still shuttered

2:52 pm ET - Making life hard for NGOs, particularly foreign ones, has long been a sport in Egypt.

Joran van der Sloot murder trial in Peru postponed (+video)

9:37 am ET - Joran van der Sloot's trial was postponed today in Lima, Peru. Joran van der Sloot is accused of killing a Peruvian woman in 2010 and is suspected in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba five years earlier. 

In Syria, peaceful protests – but also signs of growing violence (+videos)

12:00 pm ET - The battle for Syria is getting messier. Today, large crowds turned out to call for the fall of Assad's regime. But a Damascus blast killed at least 25 – a sign of how complex the uprising may become.

China stays cool as new US defense strategy targets Asia

8:27 am ET - Some Chinese scholars worry that the new US defense strategy could promote strategic competition in the long term. The most likely theater for crisis? The South China Sea.

• Global News Blog: World reacts to Obama's new military focus on Asia
• Under new defense strategy, what is biggest threat facing US now?
• The Monitor's View: Obama military strategy: Is it bipartisan enough?

What the execution of 15 kidnapped Pakistani soldiers means

11:21 am ET - In an apparent surprise to the Pakistan military, insurgents executed 15 soldiers who had been recently kidnapped – a blow to talks between the government and the Pakistani Taliban.

Turkey jails former leader of its once-exalted military

8:18 am ET - The jailing of Turkey's former top military official, pending a trial on charges of terrorism and plotting to bring down the government, is only the latest of hundreds of arrests of those who pose a threat to the government's power.

Ethiopia enters Somalia, but avoids African Union joint operation

10:08 am ET - Unlike Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Djibouti, which have sent thousands of troops under the African Union banner, Ethiopia is intervening in Somalia unilaterally, and won't stay for long.