Issue 1451

Motsi Mabuse
In a letter to her younger self, Strictly Come Dancing judge tells us about the racism she faced growing up and how her love of dancing gave her a chance to shine. “Because of the situation around me in South Africa at the time, there was just not the opportunity. With dancing, I built my own stage.

Ancient grudges and new mutiny
Is the US at war with itself? Roger Ratcliffe talks to the author of a book chronicling events leading to last year’s storming of the Capitol and asks whether FBI raids on Trump’s home might stir up his supporters further.

Tower block terror
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of a dark event in recent German history when right-wing extremists tried to kill hundreds of homeless Roma and Vietnamese migrant workers in Rostock-Lichtenhagen. Many watched and applauded, others looked away. Annabel Trautwein speaks to witnesses and finds that to this day it’s still not clear how it could happen.

Innocents caught in gang crackdown
El Salvador’s war on gangs leaves poor families reeling, write Nelson Renteria and Anastasia Moloney.

Plus
News, arts and entertainment, columnist Roger Ratcliffe on the whiff coming from the beaches and our government – and more.