Only 9 days into a new year of a new decade and all this was happening.

On January 9, 1980 the news was anything but cheery. In Afghanistan, fighting was raging between Soviet troops and Afghan rebels, with rebels seizing important roads, forcing Russian troops to be airlifted into fighting zones. Riots were breaking out in the Iranian towns of Qom and Tabriz, partly over the warring Ayatollah's but mostly over the U.S. and the continuing hostage drama at the Embassy in Tehran.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a hot topic - with the UN Security Council getting ready to hear about sanctions. The Grain Futures Market in a complete panic over our embargo of trade with Russia and the Longshoreman's Union boycotting Soviet shipping. Saudi Arabia was calling on other Arab nations to Boycott the upcoming Olympics and casual mention was made of possibly trying to move the Summer Olympics to Canada. rather than Moscow.

Somewhere in the shuffle, bare notice was made over the proposed selling of U.S. arms to China.

Meanwhile, a hostage drama was unfolding on the island of Corsica. Saudi Arabia went on a rampage and beheaded 63 convicted terrorists who had attempted to seize the Mosque in Mecca in November.

The Supreme Court was hearing arguments about worker safety and employers firing of workers who refused to do unsafe jobs, even though employers knew the hazardous conditions.

And Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was in Intensive Care.

And the world walked away just a bit messier this day in 1980, as reported on The CBS World News Roundup and the 9:00 am (PST) hourly news.