Guardian Weekly 15 April 2022

Recipe for reflection A woman in Yogyakarta prepares food for iftar, the fast breaking meal, during the holy month of Ramadan. Observed by Muslims worldwide, Ramadan is a month of fasting during daylight hours to allow for spiritual reflection and to gain an understanding of the life of those who are less privileged. The Guardian Weekly Founded in Manchester, England 4 July 1919 Vol206 | Issue№ 16 Guardian Weekly is an edited selection of some of the best journalism found in the Guardian and Observer newspapers in the UK and the Guardian’s digital editions in the UK, US and Australia. The weekly magazine has an international focus and three editions: global, Australia and North America. The Guardian was founded in 1821, and Guardian Weekly in 1919. We exist to hold power to account in the name…

While Russian forces in Ukraine withdraw and regroup for what’s expected to be a new, sustained assault on the Donbas region, our focus this week turns to some of the war’s wider ramifications for Europe. Germany knows it must rapidly reduce its reliance on Russian gas, but the economic consequences could be enormous. Lithuania, bordered with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, is calling for a full rethink of Nato’s “tripwire” defence strategy. In Poland, now sheltering more than 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees, fears are growing over how long the welcome can be sustained. And in France, the far-right leader Marine Le Pen – a known admirer of Russian president Vladimir Putin – stands a real shot of becoming president in a run-off against Emmanuel Macron. We reflect on a pivotal election race…

1 UNITED STATES Appointment of first Black woman to supreme court Ketanji Brown Jackson, a liberal appeals court judge, was confirmed to the supreme court last Thursday, overcoming a rancorous Senate approval process and earning bipartisan approval to become the first Black woman to serve as a justice on the high court in its more than 200-year history. Jackson earned narrow – but notable – bipartisan support to become the 116th justice of the supreme court. The vote was 53 to 47, with all Democrats and Republican senators Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine in favour of Joe Biden’s nominee. Jackson, who currently serves on the US court of appeals for the DC circuit, will replace Stephen Breyer, 83, the most senior member of the court’s liberal…

David McKee English author and illustrator of the children’s books Elmer, Not Now, Bernard and Mr Benn. He died on 6 April, aged 87. Mimi Reinhardt Austrian who, as secretary for the German industrialist Oskar Schindler, drew up lists of people that helped save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust. She died on 8 April, aged 107. Bobby Rydell American singer, actor and teen pop idol, best known for the songs Wild One and Volare. He died on 5 April, aged 79. Chris Bailey Lead singer of legendary Australian punk band the Saints. He died on 9 April, aged 65. Rae Allen Tony-winning American actor, who played Aunt Quintina Blundetto in The Sopranos. She died on 6 April, aged 95. Tom Smith Former Scotland and British & Irish Lions rugby union player. He died on 6 April, aged 50.…

CONSERVATIVES Sunak asks for a review of his own financial affairs Rishi Sunak requested a formal investigation into his own affairs after days of criticism over his wife’s “non-dom” tax status and lack of transparency over their financial affairs. The chancellor wrote to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, asking him for a referral to Lord Geidt, the independent adviser, requesting a review of all his declarations since becoming a minister in 2018. Sunak said he was confident it would find “all relevant information was properly declared” on the advice of officials. It follows criticism that his entry on the list of ministers’ interests contains no mention of Akshata Murty’s £690m ($900m) stake in the Indian company Infosys – which has UK government contracts. He is also facing scrutiny over his investments held in a…

PALEONTOLOGY Fossil sheds light on day that asteroid wiped out dinosaurs Scientists believe they have been given an extraordinary view of the last day of the dinosaurs after they discovered the fossil of an animal they believe died that day. The perfectly preserved leg, which includes remnants of skin, can be accurately dated to the time the asteroid that brought about the dinosaurs’ extinction struck Earth 66m years ago, experts say, because of the presence of debris from the impact. “It’s absolutely bonkers,” said Phillip Manning, a professor of natural history at the University of Manchester. He told the BBC the thescelosaurus leg discovered at the dig site in North Dakota was the “ultimate dinosaur drumstick”. CLIMATE CRISIS Methane levels break record for second year running Atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, increased by a…