Much of the global focus last weekend was diverted (perhaps mercifully) away from Trumpland and towards Cuba, where the one-time revolutionary Fidel Castro died aged 90. In this week’s Guardian Weekly our news pages examines what Castro’s passing means for Cuba’s thawing relations with the US and the rest of the world, a leader column considers his place in history, while on the Opinion pages Zoe Williams reminds us of the dangers of eulogising deceased dictators from either side of the political spectrum.
That’s all inside the edition. Our cover story this week turns to environmental big thinking, and the quest to harness clean, limitless energy from nuclear fusion. The Guardian’s head of environment Damian Carrington reports from southern France and the site of a massive new internationally funded reactor complex, where it is hoped an ambition that has eluded atomic scientists for 60 years can be brought to fruition within the next few decades.
We know Weekly readers care passionately about energy and the environment, so we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. Is fusion the answer to the world’s energy problems, or are renewables the way forward? Write to our Reply page and let us know!
France was in the news for other matters this week, as the conservative François Fillon won the centre-right presidential primary election. Will the man they call the “French Thatcher” defeat the Front National’s Marine Le Pen in next year’s presidential election proper – and if so, what can France expect?
In Syria, a rapid advance by pro-Assad forces appears to have struck a decisive blow in the battle for Aleppo. In northern Nigeria, the disruption of food production by Islamist extremists is threatening to cause a humanitarian disaster. From Pakistan, Le Monde reports on the growing presence and influence of Islamic State as it is squeezed out of its heartlands.
Let’s not forget the US, of course, where Donald Trump’s apparent readiness to change his stance from one meeting to the next has left both supporters and opponents confused. From New York, David Smith attempts to make sense of it all.
In the UK, allegations of child abuse focused on youth football coaching programmes stretching back decades are threatening to engulf the national game. We also catch up with chancellor Phillip Hammond’s autumn economic statement, and what it means for the country.
The Weekly Review gets stuck into some exciting scientific efforts to apply nature’s intelligent design to modern medicine. From Montreal, we hear of an interesting scheme to limit suburban restaurants as a way of controlling gentrification.
The Books pages review Zadie Smith’s new millennial coming-of-age novel, and also profile the bestselling Spanish-language author Corin Tellado, whose extensive body of romantic fiction reveals many insights into Spanish society.
Culture meets Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama, a talented artist as well as a politician, and finds out why Newark, New Jersey, is becoming a leading destination in the jazz music world.
We’re moving rapidly towards the Christmas holiday season here in the UK and so our attention is turning to the Guardian Weekly’s year-ending double edition, which will be with you later this month. I don’t want to give too much away at the moment, but I will say that we’re definitely going to need those extra pages …
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