January 3-9
→ The New York Times reported that the US government had done preliminary tests on the SDI laser in California in December (Jan 3)
→ Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's longest serving Prime Minister (Jan 3)
→ It is reported that the G7 agreed to secretly prop up the US dollar (Jan 3)
→ West Germany warned its citizens about the growing violence from the Kurdish Labor Party (PKK), which had been accused of cases of assault, bombing a jet, and murder in their push to free the Kurds living in Turkey(Jan 4)
→ Pope John Paul II made plans to visit Austria despite the accusations of Nazi Collaboration against President Kurt Waldheim (Jan 5)