10 Things to Know: Jan. 21

1. OBAMA BARELY RESEMBLES LAME DUCK

His State of the Union speech is a brief pause as he barrels into the final two years of his presidency determined to hold his own - and then some - against resurgent Republicans.

2. JAPAN VOWS TO SAVE HOSTAGES FROM ISLAMIC STATE GROUP

But the nation faces a hard choice: reward the extremists or ask an ally like the U.S. to attempt a risky rescue inside Syria.

3. WHAT'S KEY OBSTACLE TO BETTER US-CUBA RELATIONS

One big challenge is Castro's government, which fears Obama's new policy merely repackages the longstanding U.S. goal to push him from power.

4. FOUR DETAINED IN PROBE OF PARIS RAMPAGE

The men are suspected of providing logistical support to one of the slain terrorists, Amedy Coulibaly, authorities say.

5. REBELS GAIN GROUND IN YEMEN'S CAPITOL

The power of the country's president - an important U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaida's branch in Yemen - is increasingly at risk.

6. WHERE'S BEST PLACE TO INVEST

The U.S. has leapfrogged China as the world's most important growth market, according to a survey of CEOs.

7. JURY SELECTION BEGINS FOR DEFENDANT IN COLORADO THEATER SLAYINGS

Court officials initially summoned a jury pool of 9,000 people - the largest in the nation's history.

8. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES CASE OVER FAKE FACEBOOK PAGE

The government will pay a New York woman $134,000 after setting up the bogus page as part of an undercover drug investigation.

9. SCIENTISTS HOPING TO DECIPHER ANCIENT SCROLLS

X-ray technology may allow researchers to read the scrolls that were buried by volcanic material when Mt. Vesuvius erupted almost 2,000 years ago.

10. WHO'S BOOSTING 'AMERICAN SNIPER' AT THE BOX OFFICE

Conservatives - a seldom catered-to demographic - have been a key to the film's strong ticket sales.