The 4 September edition of the Guardian Weekly magazine leads with the devastating flood on the Nepal-Tibet border, where a torrent of mud, water and ice tore along the Bhotekoshi River, destroying entire communities and leaving more than 1,000 people dead and several thousand more missing.
Survivors return to ruins
From the Nepali town of Devighat, south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen describes overflowing mortuaries and unidentifiable bodies, as shellshocked survivors slowly return to the ruins of their homes.
The disaster followed the collapse of a glacier. While global heating has not been definitively attributed as the cause, steep mountain slopes and valleys are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, while extreme weather events such as monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common because of human-caused climate breakdown, explains global environment writer Jonathan Watts.
Columnist Nesrine Malik argues that while these floods may feel distant to many, the climate crisis is coming for us all.
Five essential reads
The edition's spotlight is on Canadian PM Mark Carney, one of the few world leaders to stand up to US President Trump. Former colleagues say they are not surprised, report Leyland Cecco, Heather Stewart and Kalyeena Makortoff.
Other highlights include Robert Booth on the World Humanoid Robot Games, where entrants lurched from triumph to farce, suggesting a robotics revolution may not be as close as it appears; Gordon Brown interviewed by Charlotte Edwardes on politics, temper, fitness and why he won't buy a Scotland football shirt; Jonathan Freedland arguing tech titans must be stripped of their power; and Alexis Petridis on Dolly Parton's peerless career.
More from the magazine
Deputy editor Isobel Montgomery recommends Simon Hattenstone's lengthy interview with Freddie Mercury's former girlfriend Mary Austin, calling it one of his very best pieces. Clare Horton agrees with Laura Snapes that the phrase "picky bits" should be shunned by self-respecting adults.
Other highlights include an audio piece on an American painting that sparked an Australian culture war, a video on datacentres, and a gallery from an English country music festival. Readers can email weekly.letters@theguardian.com for letters submissions and editorial.feedback@theguardian.com for other feedback.
