April 18, 2022 – The street corner on this week’s cover, with towering luxury condos rising among modest family homes, evokes a neighborhood in transition—a scene that is being repeated across New York City’s outer boroughs. We talked to the artist Nicole Rifkin, who lived in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights before rising rents pushed her out, about a sense of belonging and observing the small details of the place where you live.
For Earth Day, April 22, France-Amérique is going vert! Did you know the color green was perceived as evil before it was adopted by environmentalists as a symbol of hope and happiness? The environment is also at the heart of #SaccageParis, a French campaign raising awareness on littering, and the work of photographer Ben Thouard, who captures the sheer power of the waves in Tahiti. Also in this issue, read our interview with the former head of U.N. peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, our investigation on the myths and facts of immigration in France, and our illustrated feature on the Coulée Verte in Paris, the urban park that inspired New York’s High Line!
Our cover this week: It started as an act of graffiti at a playground in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. It turned into a remarkable campaign of defiance against an increasingly totalitarian regime, @satopol reports. https://t.co/Onz27QdLOIpic.twitter.com/qSKqdo8Exw
In China, Maria joins forces with Angelababy, one of the country’s biggest megastars. She is taking a bold approach to addressing the demand for pangolin products.
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises the four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa.
The spectre of war loomed over Europe this week as western allies began evacuating diplomats and citizens from Ukraine in the face of the massed Russian troops on its borders. Andrew Roth, Simon Tisdall and Julian Borger report for our big story this week, as the world waited anxiously to find out how far Vladimir Putin is prepared to go to achieve his goals.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year, many feared the worst for the educational prospects of girls and women under an ultra-hardline Islamist regime. Yet remarkably, as Emma Graham-Harrison and Jordan Bryon report, some brave women have fought successfully for their right to continue to study.
In Opinion, the Observer’s Will Hutton argues against the decision to lift all Covid restrictions in England (and find out what scientists around the world think in Spotlight). Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham exposes the fakery of the global “freedom movement”, while Arthur Turrell celebrates what could be a breakthrough moment for nuclear fusion and energy production.
In "The Nineties," Chuck Klosterman examines sports and politics, but he's primarily interested in the decade’s arts and diversions, delivered through endangered technology. Our critic @AlexandraJacobs reviews. https://t.co/F3FAO5YMTH
In her new book “South to America,” author Imani Perry seeks to change how people view the American South and, thus, the country’s history as a whole. Jeffrey Brown spoke with Perry, who traveled through the southern regions of the U.S. and explored the complexities and misperceptions she found along the way.
Mumbai is a city of contrasts. Here, the super-rich and slum dwellers live side by side. As more and more luxury skyscrapers go up, slums are forced to make way for them. Conflicts ensue. So what is life like, in a megacity with 20 million inhabitants?
In Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, more than a million people live in extremely crowded conditions. But the neighbourhood is dynamic. We meet Mahesh, 27, who was born in the slum and has never left. Today, he runs a recycling plant that employs about 20 people. Dharavi’s shadow economy is said to bring in 800 million euros a year.
However, the future of the neighbourhood is uncertain, as it sits on valuable property — located right in the city centre. With the support of local authorities, real estate magnate Babulal Varma is tearing down slums to build luxury housing for the upper classes. Will Dharavi survive? Mumbai is already one of the most populous cities in the world.
By 2035, the population is projected to rise drastically — to 30 million. The city’s inevitable expansion affects not only the people who live there, but also the forests that surround it. These include the “Sanjay Gandhi National Park”. Now, the leopards living in the park have started to make regular forays into new housing developments, looking for food. They attack stray dogs, as well as humans. As urbanization continues, the conflict between humans and wild animals is sure to become more dire.
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