This has been a week dominated by some pretty seismic global events – the Moscow terror attack, the UN security council ceasefire resolution on Gaza and the China cyber-hacking revelations to name but three. You’ll find insightful reporting and analysis on all of these stories in this week’s Guardian Weekly magazine.
But our cover story this week takes us to the site of a war and humanitarian crisis that has been largely overlooked in the midst of other global flashpoints. With nearly a year having passed since civil war broke out in Sudan, senior global development reporter Mark Townsend travelled to the refugee camps on the Chad border where he heard harrowing stories and saw scenes of despair, amid the roots of a growing migration crisis that is already starting to manifest itself on the southern shores of Europe.
Mark took the arresting portrait of Nadifa Ismail on the Weekly’s cover soon after she had crossed the border from Sudan into the town of Adré, in eastern Chad. Like those who had gone before, the 38-year-old spoke in detail about fresh atrocities that are happening in Darfur, the bordering region in the west of Sudan.
Mark’s special report for our big story this week is required reading – and here are some other highlights to look forward to in the edition.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
1
Spotlight | The aid obstacles leading to famine in Gaza
As the UN security council voted for a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, a graphic explainer by Oliver Holmes shows why mass starvation still remains a possibility in the coming weeks.
2
Spotlight | Did Russian intelligence neglect the Islamist threat?
In the aftermath of the shocking Moscow concert attack, Shaun Walker, Pjotr Sauer and Andrew Roth ask whether Russia’s security services were too preoccupied with clamping down on internal dissent to react to the terror threat.
3
Science | The battle to raise the San José
A Spanish galleon that was sunk in the 18th century has been at the centre of a dispute over who has rights to the wreck and its estimated $17bn in booty. Luke Taylor reports.
4
Opinion | Garrick row shows up the dinosaurs desperate to shut women out
Members of the beleaguered London club that does not admit women cite tradition – but this is an attempt to protect powerful men from society’s progress, argues Gaby Hinsliff.
5
Culture | The laughing matter of Steve Martin
Jerry Seinfeld calls him “the most idolised comedian ever”. Yet after five decades at the top, success still makes Steve Martin cringe, finds Ryan Gilbey.
Other things we’ve been reading this week
I really enjoyed reading about the conversion of an old barber’s shop in Battersea, London to a residential property. Even though this is a private dwelling, the thoughtful and exciting design of the exterior will – I think – positively impact all those who regularly pass by. What a difference it could make if more of our high streets were given such a facelift. Emily Elnusairi, deputy production editor
Having just seen the film The Zone of Interest, about the family life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, I was drawn to the Observer’s posthumous interview with his daughter. Brigitte Höss died last year but her final conversation with Thomas Harding – whose great-uncle arrested her father – was given extra resonance by the film’s success. Graham Snowdon, editor
Other highlights from the Guardian website
Audio | The rise and fall of Vice Media
Video | ‘Paddington’ bears spotted in Bolivian forest raise hopes for species’ survival
Gallery | The world’s largest Māori and Pacific Island school cultural festival
Interactive | Trump’s latest alternate reality attack
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