The mystery, outrage and intrigue surrounding what happened when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul threatens to cause a fissure in the region and beyond. In this week’s cover story, Martin Chulov, our Orwell prize-winning reporter in the Middle East, looks at the man whom many have blamed for Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely death – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and asks if the 33-year-old Saudi heir apparent can recover from what seems like a pointedly Putinesque manoeuvre. Later, Ian Black wonders what it all means for the allies of the house of Saud – especially those who rely on billions of dollars in defence investment.
Last week the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change published a devastating report on the need for humans to take action to save the planet within the next 12 years. A week or so later and the biggest news story of our age has drifted off the news agenda. On page 48, Rebecca Solnit argues that history suggests humanity will drag itself into action to stop this impending calamity. We could all take environmental inspiration from the Isle of Man. The people of this small island off the coast of Britain have banded together to make it the first island jurisdiction to be given Unesco biosphere status.
Our regular Brexit coverage is paused somewhat this week as Theresa May began a frantic few days of trying to save her Brexit plan as we went to press. We’ll no doubt be back next week with the result, but in the meantime our UK news coverage this week focuses on “stop and search” and how – despite promises made by May when she was UK home secretary – a bias in favour of stopping black Britons has not only remained in recent years, but has actually been exacerbated. Meanwhile, on page 45, Gary Younge looks at the transformative effect that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has had on UK politics since he was elected as leader of the opposition just three years ago.
In features, Oliver Burkeman is granted a rare audience with Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami as his latest novel Killing Commendatore is released in the English-speaking world. Murakami tells Burkeman that the uncertainty and weirdness found in his books are particularly popular in societies that are going through extreme change. Think Russia in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Union. Which suggests that his latest work may have an audience. We also feature a wonderful piece by Michael Hann on the travails of being a football referee.
