The Guardian Weekly’s cover this week takes us to west Africa, with a story rooted in colonialism. Tension has been rising for several months between Cameroon’s north-western minority English-speaking regions and the country’s francophone government, resulting in increasingly violent protests, deaths and thousands of citizens fleeing across the border into Nigeria. The Guardian’s west Africa correspondent Ruth Maclean reports from Cameroon on a ticking timebomb for the country.
The new year began with a bombshell for Donald Trump, as an inside-story book by the journalist Michael Wolff lifted the lid on the president’s first 12 months in the White House and unleashed a string of damaging new allegations. David Smith, Lauren Gambino and Jonathan Freedland weigh up the latest claims over the US president’s mental fitness for office and consider where they might lead.
In Peru, the pardoning of former president Alberto Fujimori has caused anger and anxiety among families of the victims of the country’s internal conflict. In Raqqa, meanwhile, the families of those taken prisoner by Islamic State are seeking help in tracking down their missing loved ones.
In the UK, a cabinet reshuffle saw none of the government’s big guns dislodged, but still managed to deal another blow to prime minister Theresa May’s authority. The country’s beleaguered National Health Service, meanwhile, was stretched to breaking point under the strain of a winter flu crisis and ongoing funding shortages.
With growing evidence of a mass insect die-off taking place on Earth, the Weekly Review examines attempts to chart the scope of the problem. Discovery takes a more hopeful look at the natural world, exploring innovative efforts to harness the power of dog waste for street lighting.
Culture catches up with the transfer of the musical theatre sensation Hamilton from New York to London’s West End, and also takes in Soweto’s thriving but unlikely punk music scene.
In Sport, the Guardian’s cricket correspondent Vic Marks undertakes the postmortem on yet another disastrous Ashes tour of Australia for England, while in tennis we catch up with the big-name withdrawals from the forthcoming Australian Open tournament.
Public debate among vegans, vegetarians, carnivores and omnivores has seemingly been coming to the boil of late. But Gaby Hinsliff on the back page argues that a balanced approach to diet matters more than a tribal one. A dollop of common sense, or a slice of old tripe?
Here on the Guardian Weekly desk we’re in full post-Christmas detox mode, with fruit now adorning the spot where the mince pies until recently resided. Long may it last! We hope you enjoy the edition and look forward to reading your comments on it.
If you are a subscriber looking for our digital edition, please click here.
