In March 2022, soon after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Kyiv-based illustrator Masha Foya produced what I think is one of the Guardian Weekly’s most powerful covers on the war, concerning the devastation of Mariupol. So it’s a pleasure to feature Masha’s work again for the current edition, this time marking 40 years since the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
“Since childhood, the story of Chornobyl has always made me feel a strange dissonance – such a tragedy occurring on a beautiful spring day in April,” explains Masha on the thought process behind her design, in which seasonal greens fade away into ominous skies.
It also reflects present-day anxieties. For a special report, Pjotr Sauer visits the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident and sees up close how the giant containment structure around the failed reactor is in urgent need of costly repairs after a Russian drone strike, as fears grow of a possible new catastrophe.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Environment | Why apes are more like us than we ever thought Imagination, reason and ability to recognise faces from the past are not the sole preserve of humans, studies show. Gloria Dickie reports
Finance | The wagering of war Once largely siloed to sporting events, betting has now spread to include contracts on news events where insider information could pay handsomely. With over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war having recently been seen, Lauren Aratani explores what exactly is going on
Feature | The big game hunters who believe they can save Africa’s wildlife One way to pay for wildlife conservation is to allow the rich to bag a few animals for high prices. But critics see this approach as an exercise in neocolonialism. Cal Flynwent in pursuit of answers
Opinion | Starmer’s listless government shows zombie politics is the new norm Distracted, listless and unambitious – the British PM’s true form has finally emerged. But whatever comes next must end this ruinous cycle for the country, argues Nesrine Malik
Culture | Iron Maiden on 50 years of heavy metal madness As a career-spanning documentary hits cinemas, the legendary rock band revisit their path from pubs to stadiums over half a century of headbanging hits. Harry Sword buckles up
APOLLO MAGAZINE: The latest issue features Inside the crisis at the Louvre | how Marcel Duchamp invented modern art | an interview with Abbas Akhavan | Whistler shows his metal
FEATURES | Valeria Costa-Kostritsky explores the crisis at the Louvre; Hettie Judah talks to Abbas Akhavan before the artist represents Canada at the Venice Biennale; Ana María Bresciani of the Munchmuseet on Edvard Munch and the chocolate factory; Nicole Rudick on how Marcel Duchamp has been misunderstood; and Tara Contractor takes a closer look at Whistler’s love of metallic surfaces
REVIEWS | Sheila Barker on Raphael’s interest in women – and their interest in him; Zachary Ginsberg takes the temperature of contemporary American art at the Whitney Biennial; Digby Warde-Aldam admires Hurvin Anderson’s tricky balancing acts; Robert Hanks on the role of man’s best friend in art history; and William Aslet on the craftsmen behind some of Britain and Ireland’s best buildings
MARKET | Jane Morris on the status of online auctions; Emma Crichton-Miller on the mid-century French designers who married form, function and fun; in New York fair previews: Fatema Ahmed picks highlights from TEFAF; and Arjun Sajip looks ahead to Frieze
PLUS | Charles Darwent salutes the subtleties of Jasper Johns; Samuel Reilly on the threat to one of Glasgow’s most unusual attractions; Will Wiles applauds the witty architectural cartoons of Alan Dunn; Ivan Day on extravagant banquets in the Georgian era; Christina Makris visits the vineyard of Château La Coste; Helena Attlee is fired up by a depiction of Mount Etna; and Edward Behrens on a sale that shines new light on Gerhard Richter
The exact reasons are often left vague and the successors to be determined, but people are leaving the Administration—including three Cabinet secretaries. By Benjamin Wallace-Wells
Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin?
The agency, which was founded to protect the environment and human health, has cancelled safety regulations, supported coal, and stopped caring about climate change. By Elizabeth Kolbert
Donald Trump’s Economic Warfare Abroad Comes Home
From tariffs to the war with Iran, the President is blowing up the global economy.
The actor and comedian is keenly aware of humanity’s limitations, but he’s not giving up. By David Marchese
‘I Don’t Know If We Can Come Back From This’: The View From Inside Trump’s D.H.S.
Dozens of agents and officials share their stories about working in the Department of Homeland Security during the harsh crackdown on illegal immigration.
From trade to migration to personal freedom, the conservatives of the global New Right hold a philosophy incompatible with individualism. Stephen Davies
THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE: The latest issue features America’s best free bread, the cartel Olympics, a billionaire’s private retreat, and why reactionaries are taking over the world. Plus the U.S. gerontocracy, masterpieces of the New Deal, John Mark Comer, Black comedy, the eighth deadly sin, and more.
A Mexican athlete said he was kidnapped and forced to compete for his life in a tournament of gangs. But was he actually playing a different game? McKay Coppins
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