This Week in History

Tizane Navea-Rogers delves into The Independent's archive to see which world events made the front page of our paper

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A letter from the Queen urges her son to divorce, as the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage plays out in public. Elsewhere, violence and instability dominate headlines, from a deadly crackdown in Romania as Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime begins to collapse, to scenes of chaos in Panama as its leader goes on the run from US troops. In finance, scandals run into the billions: a Wall Street grandee is exposed at the centre of a vast fraud, while bankers at Goldman Sachs make fortunes betting against the housing market. Dive into a week of power, protest and reckoning, as seen on The Independent’s front pages.

A major diplomatic shift unfolds as the United Nations backs Palestinian participation in Middle East peace talks, and the United States opens formal contact with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation for the first time in 13 years. The move signals a cautious thaw in relations and a new phase in diplomatic efforts.

19 December 1989 - Romanian uprising begins

Clashes in Timisoara mark the beginning of Romania's violent uprising against Nicolae Ceausescu. The Independent reports claims of mass casualties following the use of tanks and live fire against demonstrators, as the regime begins to unravel.

21 December 1989 - Noriega flees as US invades Panama