This week in history

Tizane Navea-Rogers peers into The Independent's archive to see which world events were dominating the front page

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Scandal and tension run through the week's headlines. Margaret Thatcher warns the West against the “seductive” Soviet “bear”, striking a cautious note as relations with Moscow begin to thaw. In the Middle East, Iranian leaders demand that novelist Salman Rushdie seek pardon in the fallout from the fatwa against him, while fresh IRA attacks raise fears of a return to violence in Northern Ireland. Environmental catastrophe also dominates, as Chevron (which acquired Texaco) faces accusations of a toxic dumping disaster in Ecuador, dubbed “Amazon’s Chernobyl”, and scientists in the mid-2000s present compelling evidence linking global warming to human activity. Meanwhile, in the world of sport, a very public scandal sees Tiger Woods “humbled” before the world’s press. Explore these stories and more through the historic front pages of The Independent.

22 February 1988 – Thatcher warns against ‘seductive’ Soviet thaw

Margaret Thatcher cautions Nato allies against being swayed by Mikhail Gorbachev’s popularity, warning of the “sophisticated” and “seductive” advances of the Soviet “bear” as Moscow pushes proposals for a nuclear-free Europe. The prime minister signals a harder line after earlier engagement with the Soviet leader, reflecting Western uncertainty over whether reforms in the USSR mark genuine change or strategic manoeuvre near the end of the Cold War.

18 February 1989 - Iran orders Rushdie to seek pardon

Novelist Salman Rushdie continues to dominate headlines this week. Iranian president Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the death sentence against Rushdie could be lifted if he asks forgiveness from Muslims, days after the fatwa over