January 3, 2010 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The Eritrean military claims at least 10 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 2 captured when Ethiopia launched an armed incursion into Eritrea. The Ethiopian military claims 25 Eritrean soldiers were killed while attacking Ethiopian positions. (TVNZ) (AFP)
- At least 47 people are killed during heavy fighting in the Somali town of Dhuusa Mareeb. (BBC) (Gulf Times)
Arts and culture
- Several British Muslim writers speak out about Prime Suspect writer Lynda La Plante's complaint against the BBC regarding how much more difficult it is to have her scripts commissioned than it would be for a "little Muslim boy". (The Independent) (Scotland on Sunday)
Business and economy
- Japan doubles a state-sponsored credit line to troubled airline Japan Airlines to Y200bn (US$2.2bn). (Financial Times) (AFP)
Disasters and accidents
- A 5.1 magnitude earthquake leaves 20,000 homeless and causes US$1.5 million in damage in eastern Tajikistan. (CNN) (UPI) (RIA Novosti)
- The death toll as a result of recent mudslides which have hit Brazil rises to more than 85, including at least 29 in a hotel collapse, and two nuclear power stations are intended to be shut down as a precaution. (ABC News)(BBC)
- A fire destroys one of Africa's most popular markets in Kumasi, Ghana. (My Joy Online) (BBC) (UPI)
- More than 1,000 people are evacuated after days of flooding in New South Wales, Australia. (ABC News Australia) (BBC)
- Two trains collide near the city of Bilecik in northwestern Turkey, killing one and injuring at least four others. (Hürriyet) (CNN)
- The Colombian volcano Galeras erupts, forcing the evacuation of 8,000 people. (Colombia Reports) (TVNZ)
- Mount Nyamuragira in the Democratic Republic of the Congo erupts, threatening rare wildlife in the Virunga National Park. (France 24) (BBC)
Discoveries
- Remains of the first plane taken to Antarctica in 1912 are discovered by Australian researchers. (The Independent) (BBC) (AFP)
Environment
- Hundreds of people attempt to control a large diesel leak into a major tributary of the Yellow River, the Wei River, in Shaanxi, China. (Al Jazeera) (AFP) (China Daily)
International relations
- The United States and United Kingdom close their embassies in Yemen, citing threats from Al-Qaeda. (CNN) (euronews)
Law and crime
- The Supreme Court of Peru upholds a 25 year prison sentence for former President Alberto Fujimori, convicted of mass human rights violations. (Andina) (AFP) (RTT News)
- Mexican police arrest alleged drug lord Carlos Beltrán Leyva in Culiacán, Sinaloa. (The Guardian) (People's Daily) (CNN)
- At least seven Iranian police and two drug traffickers die in a shootout between Iranian police and drug traffickers in South Khorasan Province. (BBC) (INO News) (Islamic Republic News Agency)(RIA Novosti)
- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces that full body scanners will be introduced at UK airports following the failed attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day. (BBC)
Sport
- League One team Leeds United defeats Manchester United, 1-0 at Old Trafford, thanks to a goal by Jermaine Beckford, scored at the Stretford End to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup in the Third Round. (The Guardian) Jets defeat Bengals to clinch the last wildcard in the AFC. (https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/300103020)