January 22, 2009 (Thursday)
- Hamas announces it will distribute maximums of €4,000 to families seriously affected by the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
- Israel prepares to defend itself against accusations of war crimes in its conflict with Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)
- United States President Barack Obama will close Guantánamo Bay Naval Base's detention camp within one year and bans torture. (BBC)
- Microsoft announces it will cut 5,000 jobs, due to a rapid decline in demand for personal computers. (New York Times)
- Pope Benedict XVI will rescind the excommunications of four bishops consecrated in 1988 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. (AP via Google News)
- Iceland's National Police uses teargas against protesters for the first time since anti-NATO riots in 1949. (AP via Google News)
- Pakistan arrests seven militants in Peshawar in connection with the London bombings of July 7, 2005. (AFP via News Limited)
- Two Sanlu Group executives are sentenced to death for endangering public safety during China's 2008 milk scandal. (Sky News)
- General Motors receives a second loan installment of US$5.4 billion. (MSNBC)
- Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards are announced. (BBC)