Refuge or rejection?
As migration across the Mediterranean continues apace, and the Channel tunnel bridgehead becomes a flashpoint for Britain and France, we are overwhelmed in the newsroom here in London with images of dinghies, dogs, fences and dismay.
Our cover story this week looks at the crisis in a different way: meet the Europeans who are helping.
Members of the Europa team, that’s the Guardian and five other newspapers from the largest EU countries, provide hopeful writing on the ordinary citizens who have opened their homes and hearts to the migrants. We feature reporting from the Guardian, Le Monde, El País and La Stampa, and from seven European countries, in this special report.
This writing puts a very different spin on the story. I found it both emotive and inspirational. I hope you agree.
There’s more positive news inside the edition.
As we went to press, Barack Obama made a bold move on climate, committing the US to unprecedented action with new curbs on carbon emissions from power plants that are equivalent to taking 70% of American cars off the road. American must lead, Obama said, as the focus now shifts decidedly to a crucial year-end environmental summit in Paris.
There was also good news for west Africa, still, believe it or not, dealing with cases of Ebola. A vaccine, developed quickly and collaboratively during the epidemic, has been shown to be 100% successful in trials, offering immense hope.
And our world diary revisits Hiroshima on the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing. Reporter Justin McCurry meets a handful of survivors with this urgent message: never again.
There’s plenty of the usual news, as well. From the Middle East, we report on a settler attack that killed a Palestinian infant and has drawn condemnation. The Guardian’s executive editor of opinion, Jonathan Freedland, rounds out this coverage with a compelling piece on our Comment pages.
We consider the problem of trafficking of women from quake-hit Nepal, to forced labour and sex work in the Gulf. And we uncover the private corporations at the heart of US drone warfare.
On our Letters page, favourite themes dominate: socialism, extremism, climate. There is some divergence, however, to the spoof film Galaxy Quest (one of my all-time favourites). We welcome your views for publication of our coverage, which you can share by clicking here.
Our deeper read Review section assesses Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s new political force. It’s a great read from Guardian Africa correspondent David Smith, courtesy of our colleagues at the long-read desk.
Partner paper Le Monde contributes to a spread of reportage on urban planning and urban renewal. Our other partner paper, the Washington Post, delves into the world of gifs, those digital looping mini-videos so often seen on social media. And from Vietnam, freelance journalist Dien Luong reports on the development rush that’s putting the country’s natural beauty at risk.
Science, books and our back page take in various aspects of the animal kingdom. And, yes, one of those pieces is about the killing of most-loved Cecil the lion.
Good to meet you features a lover of online, who still covets the Weekly’s print format. Thanks Charlotte Shaw on Vanuatu! It was, indeed, good to meet you. (If you’d like to feature in this column, please drop us a line by clicking here.)
It’s satisfying to produce an edition of the newspaper with a largely positive spin. Thanks for reading. I’m always keen for your comments, which you can email me by clicking here.
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.
This edition can be viewed by subscribers on desktops, laptops, iPads, iPhones, some Kindles, Android tablets and smartphones. Log in on the device to the digital edition and the technology should take you to the correct format.
