Here at the Guardian Weekly, we know you trust us to deliver you the news and analysis from around the world that really matters. You may not always agree with what you read in the Weekly’s pages, but you can be certain of something very valuable: we put together the paper on your behalf without any hindrance, interference or external pressure from anyone.
In what often feels like a maelstrom of global disinformation, this is no longer something readers can take for granted. China’s state-controlled media, for example, already produces some of the most party-compliant news coverage in the world. But as we find out in our cover story, it is coming under renewed pressure to fall even further into line with Xi Jinping’s political objectives. From Beijing, Tom Phillips reports.
By the time you read this, the outcomes of America’s Super Tuesday presidential candidate primaries will likely be known. It all came a little too late for our print deadlines this week, but you can catch up with the latest on the Guardian’s website – if not, we’ll bring you up to speed next week.
Inside the paper, the news comes from far and wide. In Mali, the ICC has opened its first war crimes trial for the destruction of cultural monuments. In Iran, women have made record gains in parliament after voters backed more cautious steps towards reform. In Europe, a dark new stage of the refugee crisis is brewing on the northern borders of Greece.
From Myanmar, we visit a UN-backed school of democratic governance for the country’s fledgling elected politicians. In South Africa, all-female anti-poaching patrols are having notable success in protecting the country’s wild game reserves.
Our Weekly Review uncovers the political past and present of Poland, one of modern Europe’s economic success stories. Despite this, the country has become mired in populist right-wing political fervour with its roots in the uneasy transition from communism to democracy in the 1980s. I found it a fascinating window on a fascinating country.
Our sister publication Le Monde, meanwhile, visits Detroit, the US city hoping a new urban streetcar can kickstart its revival from a bankrupt recent past. Also from Le Monde this week, a terrific piece about the French professional dancers proving there is a lot of life beyond 40 in this traditionally youth-dominated art form. Inspirational stuff!
Discovery visits the Crick Institute, London’s massive new scientific research faculty. Books traces the personality traits of history’s great movers and shakers, asking what impact their unique characteristics may have had on world events.
Will Notes & Queries readers pass up the chance to nominate their spouses as the ultimate eco-friendly labour-saving devices? (Of course they won’t.) The subject of this week’s Good to meet you, meanwhile, presents us with a teaser: on which tiny Caribbean island does he live? See if you can guess - you’ll find the answer elsewhere in the paper!
The Guardian Weekly may be a small paper but it packs a big punch. It’s a privilege to produce it for you. Thanks for reading, and feel free to email me your thoughts on the edition.
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