Deadlines are bedevilling. Weekly goes to press (or off stone, to use an old print term) and the world just keeps on whirling (Think: New York state, presidential primaries).
Your print edition may not always capture breaking news, but it will never disappoint in providing thoughtful, informed analysis and opinion writing on those world affairs.
Weekly’s ability to take a deep breath, sit back and have a serious think is our greatest strength. Breaking news you can find anywhere, though you probably want to look on theguardian.com! Weekly tells you what it really means.
With this in mind, our cover features some fine writing by Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis, who assesses the changes in France since last year’s double terror attacks. Armed troops have become a common sight in the City of Light’s cobbled alleyways and on its grand boulevards. Chrisafis measures the mood on the street.
From the Americas, we report on a string of suicides among Canada’s First Nations people in a remote community in northern Ontario. As Aboriginal leaders declared an emergency, a lack of infrastructure, opportunities and a legacy of ‘cultural genocide’ have all been blamed.
We take in Pope Francis’s visit with refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, update on tax avoidance, corruption and fraud after the Panama Papers, analyse China’s tactics, using fishermen as a vanguard in the South China Sea, and report in-depth on a bloodbath being quietly ignored in Burundi.
Comment looks at Chernobyl 30 years on, Nigeria’s kidnapped Chibok girls and the desperation of Arab youth.
There is, however, a lighter side: we reflect on the affection music lovers maintain for vinyl; ask if texting at the movies could be a good thing; and sing the praises (in a piece penned by US President Barack Obama) of Snoopy, Charlie and the entire Peanuts gang.
Wake up and smell the coffee? Not everyone can. Our Review opener meets people who have lost this most marvellous sense, and checks in with some medical methods to help. Review also meets Peruvian counterfeiters and Chinese Mao lovers. How’s that for getting around?
The book reviews assess the European Union’s future, the International Space Station and chanteuse Nina Simone. As 400 years of Shakespeare are marked, the Observer’s Robert McCrum explains why the Bard has become an integral part of the American dream.
Perhaps my favourite piece appears on the Discovery pages, and digs into the enduring mystery of how Hannibal (and his elephants) crossed the Alps. The answer may soon be unearthed. You’ll have to wait for the edition for more!
Thank you for your letters, emails and many insights. We appreciate and value all your feedback. Please do drop me an email with your views on this edition’s editorial content by clicking here. I hope you enjoy a deep and varied read.
