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Conservatives will be officially sworn into power in Spain this week for the first time in nearly eight years. Since 2004, the country's Socialists have legalized gay marriage, liberalized abortion laws and presided over the country's biggest-ever financial boom — and now downturn. The new year is likely to be marked by extreme austerity and diminished expectations.

In 1989, Vaclav Havel led the Prague Spring, the popular revolution that brought an end to Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. Havel went on to be Czech president for 14 years, a role that, as an artist, he says he never felt completely comfortable in. He was 75.

As the Iraq war came to a quiet close Sunday, one U.S. soldier played a major role in moving soldiers and equipment out of Iraq. Captain David Moses is originally from southern Sudan and during that country's civil war was forced to serve as a child soldier. He eventually made it to the U.S and joined the Army.

House Republicans are rejecting a bipartisan compromise approved overwhelmingly by the Senate Saturday. The deal would have extended the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits through February.

North Korea has announced its leader Kim Jong Il has died at age 69. The state news agency reports that he had a heart attack.

Tyler Carroll organized a kneel-down at his Long Island high school last week, and about 40 students participated. The superintendent called it a safety hazard because the Tebowing blocked the hallways. Carroll serves his suspension on Monday.

The response of many Chinese is coming through in emoticons — the symbols often used in text messages. The Wall Street Journal reports Kim's death is the most popular topic on China's equivalent of Twitter. Some messages show laughing emoticons while others show broken hearts.

George Herrera wasn't carrying gifts when he headed down the chimney but guilt for staying out past his curfew. Predictably, he got stuck for 90 minutes until an emergency crew arrived.

The race may feel more fluid than usual this year, but just as many caucus-goers were undecided this late in the game four years ago.

Tougher laws are a major reason for a sharp increase in the prevalence of arrests among young people. In the mid-1960s, about 22 percent of Americans reported having been arrested at least once by age 23.