January 5, 2011 (Wednesday)
Arts and culture
- Clarence House confirms that Prince William and Catherine Middleton will be married by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Sky News
- Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and his wife Kia Östling are confirmed dead by dental records after a fire destroyed the couple's house in Skara and the couple perished on December 30, 2010. (The Local)
Business and economy
- Iran and India develop a stop-gap plan to continue the flow of oil from the former to the latter, and payments in the opposite direction, days after India withdrew from the Asian Clearing Union. The new plan involves payments through the EIH Bank, in Hamburg, Germany. (Domain-b)
Law and crime
- A 17-year-old student at Millard South High School, in Omaha, Nebraska, shoots an assistant principal to death and wounds the school principal before turning the gun onto himself. (CNN)
- A Malaysian coroner records an open verdict in the death of opposition aide Teoh Beng Hock, who fell from the roof of the anti-corruption commission building in July 2009. (BBC) (Malaysia Star)
- Police investigating the murder of Joanna Yeates make a fresh appeal for information, saying that when discovered, her fully clothed body was missing a sock which may hold important clues. (BBC)
- In the UK 33 people are convicted for their part in an £80m drugs and money laundering operation. They include Simon Ford, a firefighter commended for his actions during the 7 July London bombings. (BBC)
Politics
- The 112th United States Congress is convened. Republican Representative John Boehner of Ohio is elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, succeeding Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California. (Reuters)
- The funeral for murdered Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer takes place in Lahore, Pakistan. (BBC)
- A Tunisian protester who set himself alight in unrest that sparked further protests across the country dies of his injuries. (Al Jazeera) (AFP) (Reuters)
- The Nigerian opposition Congress for Progressive Change party select former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate for April elections. (Reuters)
- Kuwaiti Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah narrowly survives a no confidence vote, following a crackdown at an opposition demonstration in December. (AFP) (Al Jazeera)
Sports
- The 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Buffalo, U.S.A. ends with Russia defeating Canada 5-3, marking the first time Russia has won a gold medal since 2003. The host American team defeats Sweden in the bronze medal game. (NHL)
Bird Deaths
- There were 3 fairly significant mass bird death events in Italy, Sweden and Romania. (Wiki)