The Guardian Weekly (September 22, 2023) – The new issue features How disaster struck Libya. Plus: Populism in Europe, and the unifying power of cheese.

Two separate natural disasters in north Africa have dominated the news recently. But Moroccan emergency responses to an earthquake that killed about 3,000 people seemed rapid and efficient in contrast to the chaos at the deluged Libyan port of Derna, where many thousands more lost their lives after the town was deluged following a double dam burst caused by Storm Daniel.

While logistical and administrative challenges have made access to Derna incredibly difficult, Observer reporter Kaamil Ahmed has gathered the testimonies of several local Libyan journalists who witnessed scenes they are still struggling to process. Diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour explains why the disaster can be seen as a culmination of the climate crisis descending upon a failed state, while Rupert Neate and Peter Beaumont discuss the differing responses to the two situations.

From Europe, Jon Henley previews three upcoming elections that could have profound consequences for the region’s political future. Indeed, as the Guardian launches a new Europe-focused digital edition, editor-in-chief Katharine Viner outlines why now is the right time for us to expand our reporting across the continent.

The Guardian Weekly (September15, 2023) – The issue features  Amy Hawkins looking under the lid of China’s economy and asks if it has peaked?

Desperate searches for survivors continued in Morocco’s Atlas mountains after last Friday’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which killed thousands of people. Peter Beaumont reports from remote villages devastated by the country’s deadliest quake in six decades.

A worse disaster still appeared to be unfolding further along the north African coast in Libya, where up to 10,000 people were feared missing after flooding caused by the collapse of two dams. Details were only just emerging at the time of the Weekly going to press on Tuesday, but you can find the latest updates here.

First there were the bewildering DNA test results, then the long-forgotten fertility blog. Jenny Kleeman tells the remarkable tale of a discovery that would change the lives of two American families for ever.

Also in Features is American author Elif Batuman’s entertaining account of what happened when she asked the AI chatbot ChatGPT for assistance with a quote from Proust, leading her down a digital rabbit hole she never could have foreseen.