For Britons, it is the ballot of a lifetime. Such is the description of the UK’s in-out referendum on Europe, which is nearing on 23 June.
But just what do Westminster’s European neighbours make of the battle within Britain over EU membership? It’s a complicated question, and one we attempt to answer in this edition of the Weekly. A spread of reporting reflects feelings from Germany, France, Poland, Italy and Spain. Our coverage of the so-called Brexit debate will continue in earnest up to and well after voting day. Even if you are not directly affected by the outcome, this package of coverage puts what is undoubtedly a historic event into a wider context.
Our cover this week is given over to a piece on the hunt for the world’s most wanted man: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the “emir” of Islamic State. Injured last year in an airstrike, Baghdadi is now constantly on the move, though always near the frontlines, in an arc that spans north-western Iraq and north-eastern Syria. Martin Chulov and Spencer Ackerman report on efforts to locate the Isis leader, in what is a well-sourced and verified article. I hope you find it engaging.
Asia features prominently in this edition, as Guardian world editor Julian Borger pens two strong news reports on Beijing’s flexing its military muscle. We learn that China plans to send nuclear-armed submarines into the Pacific. If that isn’t enough to stir stress in the region, Borger also reports on rising tensions before a tribunal ruling on disputed islands in the South China Sea.
We update the US presidential election, keep you current on Europe’s refugee crisis, check in on the state of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and find some optimism in Africa, where poachers are being turned into protectors of elephants and rhinos.
On the finance page, robot trucks get rolling in Sweden’s mines. No hands on an 18-wheeler? It’s not something I am especially keen to see!
Comment considers the death of the progressive dream in South America, labour reforms in France, and dwells at some length on the problems of a Trump presidency.
On the letters page, you shared views on the second world war and Japan, racism in Australia, and British footballing’s Hillsborough disaster. We welcome your letters for publication, which you can email to us by clicking here.
Our deeper read Review section unpicks the grassroots movement behind British Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn. And we take a look at the Koreans, from both north and south, who have made a new life in a leafy London suburb.
Discovery takes to the Silk Road, where too many tourists are endangering China’s Mogao Grottoes. Our opening book review looks at the life of Beatle Paul McCartney, and the complexity behind the facade. Author Philip Pullman, meanwhile, explains why he has written a comic strip adventure.
On our Culture pages (and don’t forget there are now four of these pages in every edition), we chat with Turkish film-maker Deniz Gamze Erguven about Mustang, her Oscar-nominated portrait of young women in Turkey. And we take in opera at Glyndebourne and theatre in Edinburgh.
Thank you, Katie Stringer from Australia, for contributing to our Good to meet you column. This cupboard was bare, so it was especially good to meet Katie this edition! If you’d like to feature, please drop a note to guardian.weekly@theguardian.com.
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