When we asked Martin Chulov to pen our front-page piece on unrest in Syria, we thought he was still reporting on the rebels somewhere in north Africa or the Middle East. In fact, he had recently returned to London and was sitting at a desk around the corner. Still, his astonishing exposure to the Arab uprisings of the past few weeks has served Weekly readers well in a thoughtful article assessing dissatisfaction in Damascus. Inside, we keep up with rebel advances in Libya, activist efforts in Yemen and we consider Qatar's role in the Arab spring.
Japan remains solidly on the news agenda. We report on efforts to stabilise nuclear reactors in Fukushima after March's massive earthquake and tsunami. Elsewhere, survivors of the disaster in north-east Honshu begin to realise life may never be the same again, while in Tokyo fears about the safety of food and water taint everyday life. From contributor paper Le Monde, we bring you a well-written piece about how the Japanese play out their fears of just such disasters through anime and manga. I think it's one of the best pieces on offer in this issue and would be keen for your feedback.
In Germany, Green party politicians hail a victory in a vote that was overshadowed by events in Fukushima. In Denmark, residents of Copenhagen's most famous commune, Christiania, confront eviction, while in Canada jaded voters face another trip to the polling booth. A two-page special report on France looks at the state of welfare, and finds that egalité doesn't factor in business dynasties.
The weekly review, wonderfully illustrated this week by our crack production team, looks to hi-tech developments in India, science reviews efforts to save the Iberian lynx and books considers love and romance before the birth control pill. I hope you find the issue insightful.
Quote of the week: "People wake up early and don't know what to do with themselves. And that's not to mention the unhappy cows and other animals that don't understand the clocks changing and don't understand why the milkmaids come to them at a different time." President Dmitry Medvedev on the shift to permanent summer time in Russia.
Fact of the week: There's an overall trend towards abolition of the death penalty, with 31 countries removing the punishment in law or in practice in the last 10 years, according to Amnesty International.
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