Inside the 25 October edition

Fukushima's dark shadow; Republicans in turmoil; Paul McCartney still here, there and everywhere

The environmental fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 has been well documented, but less obvious is the terrible physical and mental toll the tsunami-induced meltdown has taken on the workers charged with repairing the damage. As the cleanup operation moves well into its third year, the Guardian's Tokyo correspondent Justin McCurry visited the stricken site for our cover story this week, discovering that anxiety and alcoholism are far greater threats to the health of Tepco workers than excess exposure to radiation.

Notwithstanding this sad tale, energy production is a theme recurring frequently in this week's paper. Inside, Le Monde reports from China, where the country is ramping up its hydropower capability on a scale unseen anywhere else in the world (and with a population displacement few countries would be able to tolerate).

As Britain announced it would build its first new nuclear power station for 20 years, it was also a week in which Iran signalled the possibility of significant concessions over its internationally controversial atomic energy programme.

And in our International development pages, Guardian environment correspondent John Vidal has a special report from the Niger Delta, where illegal siphoning of oil pipelines is happening at huge social and environmental cost to Nigeria. An interesting mash-up of news and perspectives on a global energy debate that has long-term consequences for us all.

(All this is available to read now, incidentally, in the Guardian Weekly's Digital Edition, which is free to subscribers. Give it a try ? you'll need your subscriber number if accessing it for the first time.)

With the US shutdown finally over, it was back to business as usual (of sorts) in Washington following what looks to have been a disastrous political play by the Republican party. Washington Bureau chief Dan Roberts and Gary Younge bring you the best analysis of what it all portends for the humiliated American right.

The aftermath of conflict still dominates the agenda in many parts of the world. In Egypt, support is blooming for army general and military coup leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, with some even suggesting he should run for president. In Libya, meanwhile, the country is on the brink of civil war after the assassination of a police commander. And in Mali, Afua Hirsch reports on how the country remains fragile despite the ousting of jihadist militants in January.

In Central America we visit Colombia, where farmers are risking their lives to reclaim land stolen or lost during the country's long conflict. From Guatemala, meanwhile, Mark Tran reports on a crop disease that is ravaging coffee and cardamom plantations.

Our Weekly Review leads with an interview with Beatles legend Paul McCartney, still touring and making music with energy at 71. But despite being revered around the world, in the UK he is often viewed as more akin to an embarrassing uncle. Why is that, asks the Observer's Miranda Sawyer.

In Discovery we meet the man leading a $1bn project to model the human brain. Culture takes us on a time-travel trip by meeting actors who have played some of Doctor Who's female assistants. Books reviews a biography shedding new light on the life of Gandhi before he came to prominence in India. And we also meet New Zealander Eleanor Catton, at 28 the youngest-ever Man Booker-winning author, who explains why in literature as in popular music, age ain't nothing but a number.

Notes & Queries ponders the entry requirements for heaven and hell, Good to Meet You hears from a Scottish reader exiled in rural Germany, and Nature watch's Paul Evans finds inner peace under a crab apple tree.

As ever, I hope you enjoy the edition and welcome your thoughts on it.

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Graham Snowdon

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Source: http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/oct/22/inside-guardian-weekly-fukushima-graham-snowdon

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