Milestones Feb. 6, 2006

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ELECTED. STEPHEN HARPER, 46, economist and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada; as the nation's 22nd Prime Minister, ending the 13-year rule of the Liberal Party; in Ottawa. Harper, with his wife and children on election night, above, moderated his reputation as a humorless right-winger, joking on the campaign trail about his lack of charisma. He made ethics in government a plank in his platform, capitalizing on voter exhaustion with incumbent Paul Martin's scandal-ridden Liberals. But because the Conservatives failed to win a House of Commons majority, Harper's government, which is expected to improve Canada's relations with the U.S., will need the political opposition's votes to pass legislation.

NAMED. SHEIK SABAH AL-AHMAD AL-SABAH, 76, liberal-minded and pragmatic Prime Minister of Kuwait; as emir of the oil-rich Persian Gulf state; in Kuwait City. His appointment came after Kuwait's parliament ousted his ailing cousin Sheik Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, who had ascended to the throne following the death of the previous emir, Sheik Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, two weeks ago.

DROPPED. Charges against ORHAN PAMUK, 53, popular Turkish novelist who could have faced up to three years in prison had he been convicted of denigrating Turkey's national identity by discussing in a newspaper interview the 1915 massacre of more than 1 million Armenians by the Turks; by a court in Istanbul. The World War I killings are controversial in Turkey, which denies that Ottoman forces committed genocide. Pamuk's case was much watched because Turkey has come under scrutiny from the E.U.--which it is applying to join--over whether it adequately protects civil liberties.

DIED. CHRIS PENN, 43, husky character actor, comedian and brother of Oscar winner Sean Penn; of unknown causes; in Santa Monica, Calif. Best known as Nice Guy Eddie, the gauche son of a crime boss in Reservoir Dogs, Penn played mostly supporting roles on both sides of the law--a cop in Starsky & Hutch and a convict in Rush Hour. His latest movie, The Darwin Awards, premiered last week at the Sundance Film Festival.

DIED. JANETTE CARTER, 82, autoharp-playing singer-songwriter and last surviving child of country music's original Carter Family; in Kingsport, Tenn. In 1927, her parents A.P. and Sara, along with aunt Maybelle--mother to June Carter Cash--formed the Carter Family, whose harmonious folk melodies were hugely influential in country music. After A.P. Carter died in 1960, Janette dedicated herself to preserving the musical heritage of her family and of Appalachia, creating the Carter Family Fold, a museum where, until recently, she gave weekly concerts.

DIED. FAYARD NICHOLAS, 91, tap dancer extraordinaire who, with brother Harold, performed gravity-defying fantasias with his feet, inspiring generations of dancers from Fred Astaire to Savion Glover; in Toluca Lake, Calif. The self-taught Nicholas Brothers leaped to prominence in the '30s, performing flips and splits with ease. Their acrobatics landed them roles in nearly 30 films--including 1943's Stormy Weather, whose finale features a flawless leapfrog down a spiral staircase. But because of Jim Crow--era practices, the African-American brothers rarely got starring or speaking parts.