The Guardian Weekly’s cover story this week focuses on China, where Xi Jinping reaches the midpoint of his 10-year stint in charge of the world’s most populous country.
The world has long since learned not to be fooled by president Xi’s wan smile and back-office manager demeanour, which are entirely at odds with his jackboot approach to liberal intellectuals, human rights activists and other political rivals. But, as China’s Communist party congress met in Beijing to rubber-stamp Xi’s second term, Tom Phillips travelled to the coastal fishing village of Tanmen to learn why support for the “chairman of everything” remains forceful among many rank-and-file Chinese.
Elsewhere in the edition you’ll read about Yemen’s cholera epidemic, which is on the brink of becoming the worst in modern history. There’s reflection after a devastating terrorist bomb attack by Islamist militants in Mogadishu, Somalia, and news from Iraq, where government forces have occupied Kurdish territories following a disputed independence referendum.
Austrian voters look to have paved the way for the 31-year-old conservative Sebastian Kurz to become the European Union’s youngest national leader, a deal that could open the door to the country’s rightwing populists. From Italy, we find out how the retreat of the Cosa Nostra mafia into the Sicilian countryside is having brutal consequences for local farmers.
Otherworldly red skies shrouded Britain briefly this week, as winds from Storm Ophelia sent Saharan dust through the high atmosphere. It was tempting to interpret it all as a symbol of ominous Brexit prospects, as the likelihood grew rapidly of Britain leaving the EU without a trade deal.
Still, thank goodness for the residents of the Scottish isle of Eigg, who have worked energetically to make a success of community ownership of the island, following years of eccentric feudalism. Also in the Weekly Review, there’s the defiant optimism of Mona Prince, a female English literature professor who wants to challenge Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for the presidency of Egypt.
Discovery asks whether offshore wind farms are the future of power generation, Books reviews a stunning pictorial record of the universe and Culture visits Denmark’s new Lego House, a gleaming ziggurat of fun that appeals to old and young alike. Sport has an interesting perspective on how football could help reconcile Colombia’s political divide after many years of civil war.
To round things off on the back page, the actor David Harewood writes movingly about the nervous breakdown he suffered as a young man, and the steps he took to come to terms with it. Mental health issues affect many more of us than we often care to acknowledge; I can only salute David for his frankness and wisdom in sharing his experiences.
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