Frustration is spilling over in Caracas. After marches nationwide for nearly two months, a pattern has emerged to the near-daily protests. It starts with large groups of people, walking peacefully. They encounter national guardsmen. The march goes no farther. Rubber bullets and teargas rain down, violence escalates, and the young firebrands driving for change in this troubled nation step forward.
In this edition of the Guardian Weekly, we look in some detail at what’s sustaining the dismay. The forces are economic and political, reports Virginia López, as Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro attempts to redraft the constitution and delay elections.
Our Americas coverage is strong elsewhere too. From Toronto, Ashifa Kassam asks if prime minister Justin Trudeau’s staged media moments have gone too far. Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega dies at the age of 83. And we’ve got the twists and turns of the Trump administration covered, as the president returns from a trip overseas and logs on very quickly indeed to social media site Twitter.
From Europe, we report on last weekend’s Group of Seven meeting, after which the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, told a rally that the US and UK could no longer be completely relied upon. Merkel said Europeans were now firmly in charge of their own fate. Is this the end of the western alliance? Tough questions from a strong leader, who faces an election at home in September.
Our world diary visits Isfahan (a place your GW team would also like to see ...), and meets the Iranians helping their country to open up. In Asia, meanwhile, we explain unrest on the Philippine island of Mindanao.
With an general election looming on 8 June in Britain, our UK news pages catch up with the latest election polls, and assess the cost of pledges made by both the Conservatives and Labour. And we keep you up to date on investigations in the wake of the terrorist attack in Manchester last week that killed 22 concert-goers and left dozens injured.
Our editorial leaders recognise a constitutional court ruling in Taiwan that favours same-sex marriage. And our lettersspeak to protecting the past, the need for cyber-vigilance, and expatriate voting. We welcome letters for publication that reflect on the content of the Weekly. Please include a reference to the article, a postal address, and email us at weekly.letters@theguardian.com.
Ready to put your feet up and read more deeply? I would recommend our Review opener on “accelerationists”. This was a new concept to me: people who believe fear is holding back the true benefits of technology, and want to see the brakes lifted. I am not sure I’d fit into that category! The Discovery pages stick with a technological theme, looking at the innovation spawned by British physicist Michael Faraday’s 19th-century explorations.
The Book reviews consider radicals who change the world, Thomas Jefferson as the architect of American liberty, and the rise and fall of the rock star. Culture reviews TV, music, London theatre, and pays tribute to Roger Moore, a much-loved 007 who died last week aged 89.
Some of you may know that I quite enjoy Oliver Burkeman’s column, which appears on our Mind and Relationships page. I made it an addition to the Weekly when I became editor a few years back. In this edition, Burkeman challenges us to take action. If something is important, there’s no point in waiting for the perfect conditions. I couldn’t agree more! What will you start today?
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