Is optimism on the upswing? Though our world in 2017 seems fraught and fractured, there’s a growing belief in some quarters that things are not all bad. Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman pens our deep-read piece in the Review section of this latest edition, weighing up reasons to be cheerful. It’s a welcome reflection on an often woeful world.
Curiosity: ever wonder where it comes from? Our book reviews delve deep. We also dig into writing on myth-making and war. Big themes that I hope will intrigue.
There’s an impressive range of environmental reportage, as you’d expect, from glaciers in Peru to climate challenges in Australia to volcanoes in Antarctica. Here at the Weekly, we like to take in the world (both the hot and the cold bits).
On the news pages, we keep you current on Trump, Kim and North Korea, New Zealand’s popular new Labour leader, and efforts by boycotted Qatar to fight back. We update you on electoral moves in Kenya and politics in South Africa. In Germany, meanwhile, chancellor Angela Merkel has a lead in the polls with a national election just weeks away.
From Britain, we report on the silence about to envelop London’s famous Big Ben: repairs to the clock tower at Westminster will halt those bongs for the next four years. And the capital will be less interesting as a result.
And we capture the twists and turns of the nation’s path towards Brexit; keeping track of this can be difficult when policies and proposals seem to shift in any given day.
On our Comment pages, Martin Kettle argues that tourism is a danger. And we are all to blame. For me, an extended visit to Whistler, a global beauty spot on Canada’s west coast, and one awash with visitors, certainly highlighted this as a theme we’re likely to be hearing much more about.
On our Reply page, you questioned the use of force, the need to consume, and you wondered about the benefits of longevity. It’s a great batch of letters, and we’d like to see more! We welcome your reflections on our coverage, so please do send letters for publication by email to weekly.letters@theguardian.com.
Some of your other favourite sections are going gangbusters. Check out the fun photos associated with Roz Webb, who features in this edition’s Good to meet you. And, as usual, there’s no shortage of sass from our Notes and Queries contributors (you know who you are).
And so another edition is done and dusted. It’s a team effort, as always, from our pod here in the London newsroom. I have no doubt that you will find some good reading. We value your feedback, critical or otherwise, so feel free to drop me a line about the editorial content at editorial.feedback@theguardian.com. And a sincere thank you for reading.
If you are a subscriber looking for our digital edition, please click here.
