“On the brink” appears to be the operative phrase this week, as seismic changes ripple across the globe. East Germany edges towards collapse as advisers warn the situation “cannot be exaggerated”, while Nato faces a tense standoff in the Balkans, issuing a stark deadline that leaves the region poised between war and peace. In Northern Ireland, however, the momentum shifts towards compromise as the IRA moves further than ever before on the question of disarmament after the Good Friday Agreement. South Africa witnesses one of the era’s defining moments as Nelson Mandela walks free after more than 10,000 days in prison, signalling irreversible political change. Across the Middle East tensions intensify: Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issues a death sentence against novelist Salman Rushdie, Egypt’s president steps down, and Israeli airmen reveal using outdated intelligence to strike Gaza “blind”. Explore a world in relentless motion, as recorded on the front pages of The Independent.
