Portal:Current events/2006 January 15

January 15, 2006 (Sunday)

President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya has declared the ongoing drought a national disaster and has appealed for US$150 million to feed the hungry. 2.5 million people have been left close to starvation due to the lack of rains over the last three years and corrupt officials who steal food aid. (Reuters)
Russia and Ukraine are set to enter more diplomatic troubled waters over the alleged occupation of a lighthouse in the Black Sea. (BBC)
Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, is alleged to have made a journey to China as part of a fact-finding mission in the region. (BBC)
Doctors perform a tracheotomy on Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, hoping this will help his recovery from a recent stroke. (BBC)
The first round of voting in the Presidential election in Finland was held with no conclusive victor. Tarja Halonen and Sauli Niinistö will continue to the second round which is held 29 January. (BBC)
Michelle Bachelet is elected the first female President of Chile. (BBC)
The Stardust spacecraft has successfully landed in the Dugway Proving Ground after collecting dust samples from the comet Wild 2. It is the first time extraterrestrial samples other than of the moon have been collected and the Stardust spacecraft is the fastest man-made object to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. (AP)
The United Kingdom: Tony Blair to grant new powers to spy on Members of Parliament. (Independent)
The French warship Clemenceau's transit through the Suez Canal is approved by Egyptian authorities. This decision is heavily criticized by Greenpeace and other environmental groups. (BBC)
Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry is killed and two Canadian soldiers critically injured by a bomb blast in Afghanistan. He is the first Canadian diplomat to be killed on duty. (CBC)
The ruling emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, dies at age 79. Kuwait's cabinet names crown prince Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah as the new emir. (Al-Jazeera)
The Foreign Ministry of Iran announced it will hold a conference to evaluate the validity of the Holocaust, which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently referred to as a "myth". (CBC)
Buangkok MRT station opened along the North East MRT line, having been unopened since the opening of the line on 20 June 2003.
In American football, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 21-18 in the playoffs following a missed field goal by Mike Vanderjagt. This game is notable for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger making a game-saving tackle on a fumble recovery play by Nick Harper. The Steelers are expected to visit the Denver Broncos for the AFC Championship Game. (New York Times) (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)