A WEEK IN BRIEF
A Week in Brief: Volume XLVIII
A Week in Brief: Sunday, 7 Jan. 2024 to Saturday, 13 Jan. 2024

Saturday, 13 Jan. 2024…
Armed Conflicts and Attacks…
The Turkish-Kurdish conflict, on Saturday, 13 Jan. 2024, continued as Turkey launches a series of airstrikes against Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria. The airstrikes were in response to an unprovoked attack on Turkish soldiers in Iraq which claimed nine lives.
Disasters and Accidents…
A landslide in Colombia, on Saturday, 13 Jan. 2024, reportedly killed 18 persons and injured a further 35 individuals.
Politics and Elections…
The Taiwanese electorate, on Saturday, 13 Jan. 2024, went to the polls to elect a new president and members of the Legislative Yuan. Confirmed results point to the now former vice president Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party having been elected president.
Friday, 12 Jan. 2024…
Disasters and Accidents…
The death toll resulting from a recent earthquake in Japan, as of Friday, 12 Jan. 2024, has risen. Reports coming in, after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula of Japan on New Year’s Day 2024, point to at least 215 persons dead. Further, not yet presumed dead, there are at least 38 other individuals currently missing.
Thursday, 11 Jan. 2024…
Business and Economy…
Google, reported by The New York Times and other news organizations around the world, announced on Thursday, 11 Jan. 2024 its decision to lay off hundreds of its core engineers and other sectors. The decision, not entirely surprising, comes in light of the company developing the A.I. project Gemini.
Law and Crime…
Latvia, on Thursday, 11 Jan. 2024, reportedly banned the sale and use of tobacco and nicotine products by persons under 20-years-old. The new ban, likely not popular amongst individuals directly effected by it, will take effect from Wednesday, 1 Jan. 2025.
Whilst the majority of countries around the world do not have a legally required minimum age for smoking tobacco, noting an age range between 16 to 21 years old, the purchase of such products is regulated with a minimum age requirement.
Noting the lack of a minimum age for both purchasing and smoking tobacco products, interestingly, countries such as Cameroon, the Republic of Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, and others have no such legal regulatory restrictions.
Even the British overseas territory of the Falkland Islands, frequently referenced as Islas Malvinas in Spanish, has no regulatory restrictions on either the purchase of or smoking tobacco products.
Latvia’s new age restriction law, coming into effect New Year’s Day 2025, stipulates an age one year younger than that seen in the United States. In the United States, since Friday, 20 Dec. 2019, the smoking age requirement in all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia became 21.
Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2024…
Law and Crime…
ABC News Australia, along with several other news organizations, reported on Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2024 that riots had broken out in Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby.
The riots, shortly after prime minister James Marape announced that the expected tax deduction has now been retracted, was immediate and in no way planned.
Business and Economy…
Air Arabia, on Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2024, announced it will resume direct flights between the United Arab Emerates and Afghanistan’s Kabul International Airport for the first time since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Politics and Elections…
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, on Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2024, officially dropped out of the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. Christie, noting how far behind the Republican Party frontrunner he has been, had zero chance of catching up with former President Donald J. Trump.
Trump, despite his many legal issues, has the nomination locked. It’s the fact no one on the left really wants to accept. No one can defeat him. The averages, according to the FiveThirtyEight website, shows Trump leading the pack with 61.3%. Christie, prior to dropping out, stood at 3.6%.
The closest rival Trump has, not really close at all, is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 12.5%. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, as of Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2024, respectively stood at 11.5%, 4.5%, and 0.9%.
It is what it is. Trump’s remaining challengers, with none of the acknowledging the the truth of the situation, have never had a chance at defeating the former president.
Tuesday, 9 Jan. 2024…
Law and Crime…
The Federal prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump, on Tuesday, 9 Jan. 2024, saw a panel of three federal appellate judges for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit hear oral arguments pertaining to Trump and his apparent presidential immunity claims.
Politics and Elections…
The 2023–24 Bhutanese National Assembly Election, on Tuesday, 9 Jan. 2024, saw the electorate voting in the second round. The election revolves around 47 members of the National Assembly.
Monday, 8 Jan. 2024…
Politics and Elections…
Germany, on Monday, 8 Jan. 2024, saw farmers block highway access to roads as they launched a week of protects against government plans to remove tax breaks on diesel used for agricultural purposes.
Science and Technology…
Peregrine Mission One, according to an article published by The Guardian on Monday, 8 Jan. 2024, is the first lunar lander since the Apollo program to have failed in mission objectives.
Sports…
The University of Michigan, playing in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, defeated the University of Washington 34–13 for NCAA Division I Football. The final score as well as the game itself, further to NBC News on Monday, 8 Jan. 2024, was reported on by numerous news outlets around the United States.
Sunday, 7 Jan. 2024…
Armed Conflicts and Attacks…
The Myannar Civil War, on Sunday, 7 Jan. 2024, reportedly saw the Three Brotherhood Alliance claiming to have captured both Kutkai and Theinni. Kutkai and Theinni, townships situated in the eastern-central state of Myanmar, were apparently seized shortly after junta military posts were overrun.
One of the facilities referenced by the Brotherhood Alliance, the 16th Military Operations Command, is one of the military posts seized during the capture.
Disasters and Accidents…
Two people were killed, on Sunday, 7 Jan. 2024, in a multi-vehicle collision on Interstate 5 in Bakersfield, California. The collision, involving 35 cars and trucks, also saw at least nine other individuals injured.
Politics and Elections…
Philippine President Bongbong Marcos, on Sunday, 7 Jan. 2024, signed a law allowing the use of electroic tax filing in the country.
