We’ve spent some time recently on the Guardian Weekly desk talking about an Olympiad of a very special sort. Not the Rio Olympic Games, just passed, or the Paralympics, to come. No, I speak of an altogether different challenge, the 42nd Chess Olympiad, which is now under way in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Assistant editor Jim Falzarano, who edits the Weekly’s letters page, its Notes and Queries section, our Good to meet you contribution, and does much more besides, is a keen player and follower of the sport. Jim shepherds chess guru Leonard Barden’s column into print each week.
So Jim was keen for the Weekly to feature reportage on Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan woman who learned to play chess while a girl in the Katwe slum. Mutesi is now representing her country at the Baku Olympiad, and (so far) is doing rather well!
It’s an inspirational story. And it reflects what the Weekly does best: showcase the most compelling pieces of news analysis and feature writing from around the globe. You’ll find Mutesi’s story in our Review section. Updates from the competition itself will appear on the Sport page.
Our cover story this week returns to Europe’s refugee crisis. A year after three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on a beach in Turkey, is compassion in short supply? The Guardian’s specialist migration correspondent Patrick Kingsley does a fine job of bringing the story back into focus.
From North America, we look at where things stand in the race for the White House. The Guardian America team check in on the challenges for Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump as election day draws ever closer.
We also focus on politics in Latin America, following volatile situations in Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina. From Asia, meanwhile, a handful of reformers find favour in Hong Kong’s elections, sending a (most likely unwelcome) message to Beijing. Angela Merkel, meanwhile, suffered a sobering defeat in regional German elections. We consider what this means with a general election looming next year.
Our Comment section is extremely strong, and very female-focused. Natalie Nougayrède weighs up the women who will shape Europe’s future. We also consider Brazil after Dilma Rousseff’s departure, the meaning of Mother Teresa’s canonisation and what the future holds for British prime minister Theresa May.
In addition to our Ugandan chess champion, the Review section delves into the status symbol that is Air Force One. Discovery finds Africa’s wild dogs making a comeback. Culture, meanwhile, explores the risks being posed to Moscow’s constructivist architectural landmarks.
Between Russian architecture, African wildlife, American largesse and the playing of pawns, I am certain you will find something that fascinates. We pack a lot of variety into 48 pages.
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