Current events of 20 January 2009 (2009-01-20) (Tuesday) edit history watch

Israel completes the withdrawal of its Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip. (The Australian) Kidnappers release Greek shipping magnate Periklis Panagopoulos after a record ransom payment. (AFP via News Limited) The United Kingdom's consumer price inflation falls from 4.1% in November 2008 to 3.1% in December 2008. (BBC) The Rwandan Defense Forces and Congolese Armed Forces jointly search the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Hutu leaders who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. (Washington Post) United States Inauguration Day 2009: Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th and first African-American President of the United States. (BBC) George W. Bush leaves Washington, D.C. for Texas as a private citizen. (AP via News24) Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy suffers a seizure and collapses during a private inauguration lunch. (ABC News Australia) Russia resumes transmitting natural gas to Europe via Ukraine. (Sky News)