The Guardian Weekly magazine is a round-up of the world news, opinion and long reads that have shaped the week. Inside, the past seven days' most memorable stories are reframed with striking photography and insightful companion pieces, all handpicked from The Guardian and The Observer.
Eyewitness France
Global report • Headlines from the last seven days
United Kingdom
Reader’s eyewitness
SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT
BID FOR HISTORY • Kamala Harris faces an unprecedented task after Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the US election race. The vice-president now has a party majority for the Democratic nomination, but she needs to ramp up her campaign to win over voters before November
Lame duck? • How Biden announcement could affect US foreign relations
An act of grace • Biden’s selfless choice to drop out sets stage for a different election
Spotlight • Off screen Recovery from IT failure ‘could take weeks’
An epic fail • Global IT outage shows the dangers of monopolisation
Right march • Religious recruits challenge IDF values
Israeli troops tighten their grip on lifeline to Egypt
Eyewitness Japan
‘Bittersweet’ Bereaved families’ cool welcome for Covid report • Relatives relieved at inquiry’s damning analysis of a lack of preparedeness but believe many issues not addressed
UK now even less prepared for pandemic, warn experts
Paris prospect • No handshake for a Russian, says wrestler
Nature wins after Moscow’s dam strike • Newly created ‘miracle’ on Dnipro hosts animals, birds and saplings in a landscape of ponds and forests
A seaweed revolution • The forager chef trying to change what we eat
Tuna tourism trend hit by wave of criticism
Solo women look abroad to get round ban on egg freezing
Playing for survival • Blind woman who keeps music alive
Grow with the flow • Scientists have long known the mental and creative benefits of the flow state, in which absorption in an activity banishes anxiety. But what causes it, and how can we achieve it?
Unknown quantity • Confusion over Vance as VP pick
Why chip supremacy is a shield to keep China in check
BIENVENUE • Paris welcomes the world to its Olympics, but can it dazzle when the shadow of conflict looms so large? Sean Ingle sets the scene
THE GREENEST GAMES CAN PARIS AVOID THE WHITE ELEPHANTS OF OLYMPICS PAST? • With temporary arenas and recycled pools, Paris is prizing sustainability above vanity projects
Why does Google think I’m dead? • The world’s biggest search engine built its success on returning trustworthy results but now critics says it is getting too much wrong.
Opinion Moira Donegan • Biden has given the Democrats a chance to defeat Trump
Rebecca Rideal • A New York accent in ancient Rome? It’s no less accurate than RP
John Harris • Labour must expose the snake-oil charm peddled by populism
The GuardianView • Escape from North Korea is harder than ever, though it helps to be one of the elite
Opinion Letters
Culture An excellent adventure • Keanu Reeves and China Miéville talk about their literary bromance – and their quest to turn a ‘pulpy idea’ into something deeper
The pianist who reduces conductors to tears • Yunchan Lim’s dazzling talent has brought him fame at home in Korea. The 20-year-old has the world at his feet now as he prepares to make his Proms debut
Running away with the circus • Limbo District influenced the B-52s and REM, but burned out without making it big. As recordings resurface, ex-members and fans recall ‘one of the greatest bands on Earth’
Reviews
The devil you know • A masterful...