It was a day that was planned for. A day some Londoners feared would come. One man, armed with an automobile and a knife, claimed four lives within seconds. Three of those killed (by the car) had been strolling along Westminster bridge. One was a police officer defending parliament, who was stabbed. The assailant was shot dead in a courtyard in front of the Houses of Parliament, as the bustle of a weekday in central London came to a sharp and sudden standstill.
We report this attack on Westminster on our News and Comment pages, capturing events and attempting to explain them. Editorial cartoonist Steve Bell’s take on the day is quiet, and one of the best reflections, I think, on the events of last Wednesday afternoon. There is, of course, much more online, which you can access by clicking here.
As Britons digested homegrown terrorism, world events continued apace. In Iraq, a bombing campaign that caused civilian carnage in Mosul was being condemned and investigated.
In the US, Donald Trump was stymied in the Oval Office, unable to overturn the Affordable Care Act in a major victory for the 44th president, Barack Obama, as well as for Americans in need of health insurance.
And in Rome, leaders of the European Union renewed the vows made in 1957 as the organisation marked 60 years, with the UK notably absent. Here in London, prime minister Theresa May was poised to trigger Article 50, and the formal process of beginning Brexit, on Wednesday 29 March.
There were goings on in Russia, too, as thousands protested against corruption, and many were arrested, including Guardian reporter Alec Luhn (later released). News coverage is augmented by Moscow correspondent Shaun Walker’s insights in Comment on why, despite poverty and poor state support, Vladimir Putin remains popular with voters in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.
The deeper-read Weekly Review offers up some gems. What happens when the Queen dies? A remarkable sequence of events, planned in exacting detail, will kick into play, according to the Guardian’s long read section. Even if you’re not a fan of Britain’s royal family, this is a super piece of reporting. A nod of thanks to the Weekly’s production editor, Neil Willis, for illustrating these pages so thoughtfully.
Discovery finds that a battle over climate change is dividing the US. Book reviews take in death, spirituality and history, the baby-boomer generation, and mull how urban living can harm our health.
Culture is diverting with art, music, film and theatre all prominently featured.
We’re always looking for reader feedback in the form of letters for publication as well as submissions to our regular Good to meet you column. If you’d like to contribute to either, or even both, please click on those embedded links.
Guardian Weekly is more than the print product that pops through the post box. You can find us on Facebook (Guardian Weekly) and on Twitter (@guardianweekly). Please join us there for a different kind of conversation. We’d be happy if you liked us, or retweeted us, but we’d be most pleased if you simply came along for a chat.
Thank you for your engagement with the Weekly. By subscribing or buying the newspaper at the shop, you directly support the Guardian’s award-winning journalism, and you play an important part in holding the powerful to account.
If you’d like to send along thoughts on the editorial content of the Weekly, feel free to email me directly by clicking here. I hope you have a great week.
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.
