Issue 1212

04 Dec 2017
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About this issue: Overview

Six hundred thousand Rohingya people have been driven from their homes in Myanmar in what the United Nation calls ethnic cleansing. We report from the refugee camps in Bangladesh where many of them are now and hear harrowing tales of the fires that swept through their villages.

Alexis Jay is chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to investigate abuse in institutions such as the NHS, the BBC and Parliament. Despite setbacks and criticism, she insists it’s on track to complete its work.

Digital artist Dan Hett’s brother Martyn was one of the victims in the Manchester Arena attack. Now he’s developing a series of video games to document his experiences and is inviting others to collaborate on them.

In arts and entertainment, you’ll find reviews of TV, on demand, independent cinema and albums – including the new U2 album. Author Martyn Bedford talks about his new young adult novel on our books page.

In news, we report on Liverpool Council’s proposal to follow New York, Berlin and Barcelona and restrict the growth in Airbnb properties in the city, because of fears of antisocial behaviour in party lets and that they push up rents for local people.

Columnist Roger Ratcliffe has doubts about driverless cars, comedian Adam Hills writes a letter to his younger self, plus there’s our crossword, Sudoku and more.