Another week, another maelstrom of controversy in Trumpland. The frenzy of information now regularly emanating from the White House is such that you could be forgiven for feeling a little inured to it all.
One of the big challenges of editing a story like Trump, amid all the bluster, is keeping track of the things that are likely to affect people in serious, long-term ways. Right now, that seems to be most of it. In this week’s edition we consider the US president’s plans for immigration and transgender students, and report on his plans to hike military defence spending at the expense of foreign aid and environmental protection. There’s also a look at why the White House attack on the media may be a smokescreen to divert attention from an official investigation into Trump team links with Russia.
On the cover we turn to Europe’s Balkans region, scene of one of the most gruesome conflicts in recent memory. A quarter of a century after the fall of the former Yugoslavia led to a partition war, unresolved tensions in the region may be about to resurface, reports Andrew MacDowall from north Kosovo.
In China, we look at efforts to address the problem of the country’s ageing population. Elsewhere in south-east Asia, tensions are high after reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s brother was murdered using an illegal nerve agent. If it’s all enough to make you want to pack up and leave, you may be cheered by news that several new, Earth-like planets have been discovered a mere 39 light years’ travel from us.
On our UK pages, we catch up with the latest byelection disaster for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party. We also look ahead to the formal commencement of the process of Britain leaving the European Union, which is expected later this month. Much has been written about Britain’s “red lines”, but a special report examines the probable demands of the other 27 member states in talks.
The Weekly Review section tells of the Yazidi woman fighting Isis in Iraq, the effects of climate change on Bangladesh fishing villages, and a looming immigration problem on the Canadian border. Discovery asks whether a multibillion-dollar plan to re-freeze Arctic sea ice is viable, or just wishful thinking.
The Books pages transport us to the magical mountains of Thrace, on the Greece-Bulgarian border, while Culture catches up with the venerable Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
Thanks for subscribing to the Weekly. I hope you enjoy this week’s edition – please email me and let me know how we got on!
Would you like to change your delivery address? Your email address? Suspend delivery? You can manage your account online here. Are you a subscriber looking for our digital edition? Click here.
