- The United States Supreme Court declines to hear an appeal of Gilmore v. Gonzales, which was a challenge to travel papers and secret laws. (USAToday) (PapersPlease)
- An unknown odor persists in Manhattan, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey throughout much of the day, resulting in the evacuation of several high-rise buildings and the temporary shutdown of PATH train service under the Hudson River. (CNN)
- Russian oil supplies to Poland, Germany, and Ukraine are cut as the Russia-Belarus energy dispute escalates. (BBC)
- It is reported that Chinese police killed 18 members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement organization and arrested 17 others in a raid in the Pamir Plateau on 5 January. ETIM members shot and killed one officer and wounded another. Police found 22 grenades and enough explosive material to make 1,500 more. (Xinhua) (USA Today) (BBC)
- War in Somalia:
- Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov unexpectedly resigns without explanation. Deputy Prime Minister Karim Masimov, Akhmetov's longtime rival, is expected to replace him. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- SPÖ and ÖVP agree on a coalition government after the October 2006 Austrian elections. Both parties will get an equal share of ministers with the SPÖ's Alfred Gusenbauer set to become Chancellor of Austria, and the ÖVP has had more success in implementing their demands in the coalition agreement. The government will be sworn in on 11 January. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- Indonesian naval ships discover large metal objects off the west coast of Sulawesi that could possibly be the wreckage of Adam Air Flight 574 missing a week ago. (BBC) (CNN)
- The Principality of Sealand, a micronation off the English coast, is put up for sale. (The Times)
- Mounir El Motassadeq is sentenced by a court in Hamburg, Germany to 15 years in jail for his role in the planning of the September 11, 2001 attacks. (BBC)
- The discovery of the first example of a "triple quasar" is announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle. (BBC)
- Chicago Alderman Arenda Troutman is arrested by the FBI and charged with accepting a bribe from a federal informant as part of an undercover investigation. (Chicago Sun Times)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chooses Patti Smith, R.E.M., Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, the Ronettes, and Van Halen as 2007 inductees. (Reuters) (Billboard) (Detroit Free Press) (CBC)
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