This Week in History: From a Mafia murder to touchdown on Mars – UK Times

This week sees a dramatic reshaping of the global order, marked by Mikhail Gorbachev’s radical Soviet reforms and the swift political rise of Boris Yeltsin. Meanwhile, the demand for justice takes centre stage across the globe – from the devastating assassination of anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone and the legislative aftermath of the Dunblane massacre, to the long-awaited capture of the “Butcher of Bosnia”. Rounding this week’s news, classified memos and financial audits expose long-held secrets, while Nasa’s Phoenix probe pushes the very boundaries of human discovery on the surface of Mars.

27 May 1988 – Gorbachev outlines historic political overhaul

In a major departure from decades of strict state control, the Soviet Communist Party introduces a sweeping perestroika framework designed to restructure the nation’s political and constitutional systems. Although presented as preliminary proposals, the ambitious reforms aim to significantly reduce the party’s overarching authority and establish a level of public accountability unseen since the 1917 revolution.

30 May 1990 – Boris Yeltsin elected president of the Russian republic

Completing a remarkable political comeback, newly elected Russian president Boris Yeltsin pledges to lead his republic toward prosperity while offering a tentative partnership to his long-time rival, Mikhail Gorbachev. However, this uneasy truce would prove fleeting, as Mr Yeltsin’s surging popularity soon eclipsed Mr Gorbachev’s weakening authority and accelerated the final, dramatic collapse of the Soviet Union just over a year later.

25 May 1992 – Anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone assassinated

Italy mourns Giovanni Falcone, the pioneering magistrate assassinated in a Mafia highway bombing. The Italian parliament, plunged into chaos by his death, prepares to elect another president. Falcone’s assassination, followed just weeks later by the killing of his close colleague Paolo Borsellino, triggers unprecedented public outrage and a fierce state crackdown that ultimately dismantles Cosa Nostra’s top leadership.

30 May 1996 – Landmark inquiry into Dunblane massacre

As the public inquiry into the Dunblane primary school massacre hears stark details of how Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher, The Independent publishes a striking front page calling for strict new firearms legislation. Despite initial resistance from shooting lobbies, Lord Cullen’s investigation and the ensuing public outcry ultimately led to the Firearms Acts of 1997, effectively banning all private handgun ownership across the UK.

26 May 2004 – Manchester United in crisis over ‘murky’ dealings

The “secretive” financial dealings of the world’s richest football club are laid bare as Manchester United publishes a damning report detailing massive agent payments, including lucrative commissions paid to Sir Alex Ferguson’s son. While the findings spark intense scrutiny and doubts over the legendary manager’s future, Ferguson ultimately weathers the storm, staying to lead the club to another decade of domestic and European success.

26 May 2007 – Secret memo reveals early warnings on Israeli settlements

Marking the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War, The Independent publishes an exclusive report detailing a classified 1967 memo from Israeli legal adviser Theodor Meron, who cautioned his government that building Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories violated international law. Despite his warnings, the continued expansion of these settlements fuels conflict that remains a major flashpoint today.

27 May 2008 – Nasa achieves historic Mars touchdown

Following a successful touchdown near the Martian north pole, Nasa’s Phoenix spacecraft begins transmitting unprecedented, high-resolution images of the Red Planet’s surface back to Earth. The groundbreaking mission soon verifies the presence of water ice just beneath the alien soil, marking a massive leap forward in the search for habitable environments beyond our world.

26 May 2009 – Shell faces landmark trial in New York

Royal Dutch Shell faces a groundbreaking court case in New York over its alleged complicity in the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other environmental activists in the Niger Delta. Just days before proceedings were to begin, the oil giant agreed to a historic $15.5m settlement, marking a major milestone in efforts to hold multinational corporations legally accountable for human rights abuses abroad.

27 May 2011 – Ratko Mladić captured after 16-year manhunt

Bringing one of the longest manhunts in modern history to a close, Serbian special police arrest former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladić, the man widely known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”. Mladić is subsequently extradited to The Hague, where he is ultimately convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for atrocities including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and sentenced to life in prison.