Current events of 14 January 2009 (2009-01-14) (Wednesday) edit history watch

United Kingdom Opposition Leader David Cameron pledges to hold a referendum on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty if his Conservative Party is elected later this year. (Financial Times) Steve Jobs takes a six-month medical leave of absence as CEO of Apple Inc. (CNN) Global financial crisis of 2008-2009: United States Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Philadelphia Fed Bank President Charles Plosser differ publicly on stabilizing the economy. (MarketWatch) U.S. retail sales plunged a seasonally adjusted 2.7 percent in December 2008 from November, the Commerce Department estimates. (MarketWatch) 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict: In an audio message, Osama bin Laden urges Muslims to launch a holy war on Israel. (BBC News) Rockets are fired into Israel's North District from Lebanon. (Sky News) Ukraine says it cannot resume natural-gas transit because Russia's Gazprom has provided insufficient supplies. (Sky News) Somali pirates release two ships off the coast of East Africa. (CNN) U.S. Federal Judge Richard J. Leon orders the release of 21-year-old Guantánamo Bay detainee Muhammad Hamid Al Qarani, who was imprisoned in 2002. (Washington Post)