The world lost one of its most influential artists this week as tributes poured in for David Bowie following his death at the age of 69, just days after the release of his final album, Blackstar. The music icon, who reshaped popular culture over five decades, was mourned globally.
Drama unfolded over the Hudson River when an Airbus A320, forced to ditch after both engines failed following a bird strike, made an emergency landing on the icy water. All 155 passengers and crew were rescued, and the event became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”.
In space, NASA’s Cassini–Huygens mission achieved a defining milestone as the Huygens probe landed safely on Saturn’s moon Titan after a seven-year, two-billion-mile journey. The successful descent marked the most distant soft landing ever achieved.
Elsewhere, Romania’s interim authorities banned the Communist Party amid mounting protests, signalling a second phase of the revolution after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu. In the United States, President Bill Clinton faced impeachment proceedings in the Senate, though he was later acquitted.
Meanwhile, UN weapons inspectors discovered a dozen empty chemical warheads in newly built bunkers in Iraq, escalating tensions that would lead to a US-led invasion within months. Closer to home, the decision not to charge the only police officer still under investigation for the Hillsborough disaster was condemned as a “whitewash” by victims’ families.
