By any standards it’s been an action-packed news agenda of late, but the latest edition of Guardian Weekly proved particularly tricky to piece together. Several fast-moving stories, including the Russian diplomatic expulsions, the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook revelations and allegations of antisemitism in the UK Labour party – made it difficult to judge quite where to “pause” them for the deadline purposes of the Weekly. I think the team has made a great job of it and I hope you do too! (As usual you can email me your thoughts on the edition here.)
On the cover this week is a story of growing global concern that has left me increasingly shocked the more I learn about it. A major, UN-backed biodiversity study has underlined how unfettered exploitation of resources is threatening water and food security for billions of people. From species die-outs to freshwater shortages to agricultural land degradation, human activity is pushing life on the planet to the brink of catastrophe, says the report. Jonathan Watts reports on a potentially terrifying conflation of global resource mismanagement.
Inside the paper we report on the inspiring March for Our Lives protests in support of gun regulation in the US, including a manifesto for change written by students from Parkland, Florida. From Latin America there’s the fascinating tale of a lost Patagonian kingdom that has revived issues for the present-day continent. From Sri Lanka, we hear how vast Chinese infrastructure loans have left the island nation indebted and potentially compromised.
In the Weekly Review we welcome back our former environment editor John Vidal for a guest return in which he considers the rise of unsustainable cities around the world. And a personal favourite feature of mine returns to the historical legacy of The Wire, 10 years after the seminal Baltimore-based US TV drama ended (after a recent re-viewing of four of the five series, I can confirm that while the mobile phones look dated, the themes remain as urgent as ever).
Discovery separates fiction from truth on the subject of the male hormone testosterone. The Book reviews delve into the grim world of low-paid work, and Culture catches up with David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman who is still making provocative music and art.
It’s a fast-moving world out there and we hope we have provided you with the tools you need to sit back and reflect on it all. Thank you for subscribing to the Weekly and I hope you enjoy the edition.
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