January 4, 2010 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American media report that the attacker who killed eight people at a CIA base in Afghanistan was a Jordanian triple agent. (MSNBC) (AFP)
- A gunman opens fire in the lobby of the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, containing the offices of Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign. A court security officer was killed and a U.S. Marshal injured before the assailant was shot dead. (NY Daily News) (KRSO)
Arts and culture
- The Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure ever built, opens to the public in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Al Jazeera)[permanent dead link] (WAM Emirates News Agency)
- A representation of President of the United States Barack Obama is found hanging by a noose with the epitaph "Plains, Georgia. Home of Jimmy Carter, our 39th President". (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 500 homes are damaged after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Solomon Islands. (AFP) (Washington Post)
- Large parts of northern China and South Korea are affected by the heaviest snowfall in 60 years, causing widespread disruption. (People's Daily) (BBC) (Korea Times)
- Met Éireann says Ireland is experiencing its most extreme cold spell of weather since 1963. (RTÉ)
Discoveries
- Egyptian archaeologists discover the largest tomb yet discovered in the ancient Saqqara necropolis. (Discovery News) (AFP) (Xinhua)
Environment
- A diesel fuel leak in Shaanxi, China reaches the Yellow River, a water source for millions of people. (China.org.cn) (Reuters)
International relations
- The Government of Serbia sues Croatia for genocide before the International Court of Justice with historical account of the Holocaust. (B92) (BusinessWeek)
Law and crime
- 52 unmarried couples in Malaysia face charges of sexual misconduct and possible imprisonment after being caught alone in hotel rooms by the country's Islamic morality police. (BBC)(Las Vegas Sun)[permanent dead link]
- Police search for a mystery man who goes missing after sparking a security alert at Newark Liberty International Airport in the United States, causing the airport to be completely locked down. (BBC) (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Politics and elections
- Johan Ferrier, first President of Suriname and the world's oldest living former head of state, dies in the Netherlands at the age of 99. (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (Winnipeg Free Press)
- South African President Jacob Zuma marries his fifth and currently third wife. (Times LIVE) (Reuters) (BBC)
- Burmese military junta leader General Than Shwe urges people to make the "correct choices" in elections later this year. (Bernama) (BBC)
Science and technology
- NASA's Kepler telescope detects its first five exoplanets. (BBC) (National Geographic) (New Scientist)