The police shooting of a 17-year-old boy near Paris last week unleashed an outpouring of rage and violence that shocked France to its core. Over the course of several nights of unrest, more than 3,000 arrests were made – with an average age of 17 – following damage and arson caused to thousands of cars, businesses and properties throughout the country.
Our cover this week – a shot of riot police dispersing demonstrators in Paris with teargas – captures some of the chaos of the past week, although mercifully it appears that trouble has been dying down in recent days.
Angelique Chrisafis reports from the eastern city of Metz, where a public library on a deprived housing estate was burned to the ground. Then the French writer Rokhaya Diallo argues the unrest is a symptom of the repeated failure to address deep issues of poverty, racial discrimination and police violence in French society.
Israel this week launched a major offensive in the West Bank, its biggest military operation in the Palestinian territory in years. Jerusalem correspondent Bethan McKernan reports for us from Jenin city.
Britain’s free at the point of access National Health Service has been the envy of the world since its creation in 1948. But now, as it turns 75, it is beset by serious problems brought on by budget cuts, an ageing population and staff shortages – and some wonder for how much longer it can survive. Health policy editor Denis Campbell asks how the NHS ended up in intensive care.
Condoms may have improved markedly since their earliest sheep-gut incarnations, but is there any more room for innovation with a product that’s literally a barrier to creation? Sophie Elmhirst meets the man from Durex on a mission to make sheaths sexy.
In Culture there’s a rare interview with the ever-inventive British musician PJ Harvey, who opens up to Laura Snapes about doubt, desire and deepest darkest Dorset.
