Portal:Current events/2009 January 15

January 15, 2009 (Thursday)

British Member of Parliament John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) is suspended after manhandling the ceremonial mace during House of Commons proceedings. (BBC News)
President George W. Bush bids farewell to the United States in a 15-minute televised address, during which he touted his record and warned his successor, Barack Obama, to maintain an aggressive stance against terrorism. (AP via Google News)
Sweden's National Bank announces that all 1-krona coins minted in 2009 will carry a new motif on their reverse to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Finland's separation from Sweden. (Riksbanken)
The International Year of Astronomy's opening ceremony is held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. (France 24)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 carrying 155 people, ditches into New York City's Hudson River. (CNN) (New York Times)
A sprinkler incident at a Toronto, Ontario, Canada hydro power station sparks a major power outage in a huge swath in the City's west end affecting more than 250,000 people. (The Globe and Mail)
NASA announces that methane in Mars' atmosphere "could be produced either by geological activity or by life." (BBC)
China's gross domestic product grew 13 percent during 2007, overtaking Germany to become the world's third largest economy. (BBC)
2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict:
- Hamas 'in principle' accepts the United Nations' call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. (Jerusalem Post)
- An Israeli airstrike kills Palestinian National Authority Interior Minister Said Seyam. (Sky News)
Pakistan arrests 124 people in a crackdown on terrorism. (Sky News)
Late 2000s recession:
- Japanese machine orders decrease 16.2 percent from October, the largest percentage drop since April 1987 and more than twice the expected rate. (MarketWatch)
- Jobless claims in the United States rise 54,000 to 524,000, the first increase in three weeks. (Wall Street Journal)
Hawaii becomes the first U.S. state and the second media market after Wilmington, North Carolina, to convert to digital television. (Honolulu Star Bulletin)
Despite the corruption scandal surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the United States Senate confirms Roland Burris as a member. (Boston Globe)
Indie 103.1 says farewell to radio listeners.