Amazing people, achieving amazing things. I didn’t set out to produce an edition of Guardian Weekly with that sort of theme running through. It seems to have evolved. The Weekly often works that way. Identify the trends, the great storytelling, the deep analysis, and the pages almost fill themselves!
Our front page profiles the woman who hunts tyrants: international criminal court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. It’s a thoughtful interview with an intelligent woman in a powerful position. She is making crucial decisions. Perhaps more importantly, she is also making a real difference to lives. I like this sort of story. I hope you do too.
In our Review section I’ve cobbled together content from the Guardian and partner paper the Washington Post to take a look at transgender issues in what I hope you find an insightful and moving few pages. We meet Jake Ralston, who started off his day as Maddy. And we share the thoughts of his journalist father, who wrote a powerful tribute detailing the 15-year journey that ended in a Nevada courthouse. We also feature Jack Monroe, known in Britain as an award-winning campaigner, columnist and author, who has been on a journey too, reaching this conclusion: “I’m a bit female and a bit male. I like myself.” It’s liberating stuff.
Culture meets the British actor who has become a Nollywood film star thanks to her command of pidgin English, learned from years of watching Nigerian films. Talk about making the most of a hobby!
And our sports coverage leads with the women’s tennis at the French Open, as Spaniard Garbine Muguruza takes on Serena Williams in the final, and wins. In doing so, Muguruza has emerged as heir apparent to the game’s stalwart.
People exploring, pushing, delving, understanding, succeeding. I think these stories make for a particularly powerful edition of the newspaper.
Of course there’s other news. We update on Britain’s in-out referendum on the European Union (with so much more online), check in on the battle for the Islamic State stronghold of Falluja, and we consider divisions in Israel, unrest in France, and a scandal at a temple in Thailand that has exposed a murky trade in tiger parts.
From Canada, opponents of gentrification vandalise upmarket shops in what has traditionally been a working-class neighbourhood. Half a world away, oil-sullied lands in the Niger Delta begin to get an overdue clean-up. There’s no doubt we take in the world.
Our main book review provides a nuanced portrait of Rio in the run-up to the Olympics. Closer to home, we meet the architect duo behind a staggering extension of London’s Tate Modern exhibition space. The two seek to invite a more thoughtful gallery experience.
In Comment, columnist Gary Younge reflects on the achievements of American boxer Muhammad Ali, who died last week at the age of 74. Senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty argues that neoliberalism is a dying ideology. Do you disagree? And we showcase thoughts on the nature of beauty and the need for more good news stories (in keeping with that theme, check out the Guardian’s new Half full series). It’s a powerful package, and I hope it gets your intellectual juices flowing.
On the letters page, where you set the agenda, population, literature and the internet all feature. One of my favourite reader submissions this week coins the phrase “post-truth politicians”. We spent some time here on the GW desk mulling over this concept!
We welcome your letters for publication, which you can email to weekly.letters@theguardian.com.
And I value your feedback on the pages, the people, the turmoil, the tributes, and the odd bit of beauty within. Please do drop me a line by clicking here. I always enjoy this bit, saying that: We very much value you as readers.
Would you like to change your delivery address? Your email address? Suspend delivery? You can manage your account online here.
Are you a subscriber looking for our digital edition? Click here. This edition can be viewed by subscribers on desktops, laptops, iPads, iPhones, some Kindles, Android tablets and smartphones. Log in on the device to the digital edition and the technology should take you to the correct format.
