Perhaps a harbinger of things to come, but in 1999 there wasn't too much like it. The financial crisis sweeping Brazil was getting worse and now heads were rolling and fears the crisis would spread worldwide had everyone not resting very easy on this January 13th. In other news, presented on this Newshour program from the BBC World Service, fighting was continuing around Kosovo between Albanian separatists and government forces. The sex scandal surrounding opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of Kuala Lumpur was continuing, but with wording and connotations changed and fears over the impending death of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia had environmentalists alarmed.

All in all, another day of fast moving events and you were either part of it or were completely unaware.

Just like the news today.