Observer dispatch
A weekly in-depth report from Observer correspondents across the world
‘We’re living like wild animals’: Europe’s largest shantytown waits in vain for power
Four years after the lights went out in the Cañada Real, outside Madrid, people plead for electricity as another winter approaches
‘We want our peace’: why is France’s far-right support such a rural affair?
Media rhetoric about migrants and crime is rallying support for the National Rally in the countryside but, say city folk, the reality is different
‘Ghostly’: Taiwan park dotted with hundreds of statues of late dictator as row rages over their fate
Tributes that were removed from public spaces after the end of Chiang Kai-shek’s brutal rule in 1975 now crowd a site west of Taipei
Italian town in turmoil after far-right mayor bans Muslim prayers
Bangladeshi residents and others in Monfalcone say decisions to prohibit worship at cultural centres and banning burkinis at the beach is part of anti-Islam agenda
Lonely this Christmas? Not at the Northern Ireland pub whose £700 ad went viral
Charlie’s Bar in Fermanagh has become a symbol of action against isolation. And on Christmas Day, as every year, it will open its doors
Gold, lucky charms or rusty nails? On the hunt with Italy’s detectorists
A veteran hobbyist explains the allure of searching for treasure in a huge pine forest in the province of Viterbo
Surrounded and outgunned, Ukraine’s tank crews prepare for battle of Bakhmut
Western armour has begun to arrive – but many troops will still have to make do with old Soviet machines in the long-awaited counteroffensive
In the rubble of Taiz, all roads to a normal life are blocked
Once Yemen’s capital of culture, the city is split between Houthi and government control – and a drive that used to take five minutes now takes five hours
Blood, sand and gold: victor’s city rises from ashes of Sudan’s civil war
The ruthless leader of country’s Arab militia has grand plans for the remote western province. But the transformation of Zurrug risks more unrest
Crime, power cuts, poverty: 30 years on, the townships question Nelson Mandela’s legacy
As South Africa marks 30 years since the anti-apartheid leader’s release from prison, some people on the streets where he once lived now see him as a sellout’ rather than a hero
Bosphorus’s amateur ship spotters keep watch on global power struggle
They’re up before dawn to track traffic on the busy strait – and their sightings of warships can help to predict Russian strategy. The Observer meets ‘a nerdy little community’
Bombs and blood feuds: the wave of explosions rocking Sweden’s cities
Incidents involving explosives have risen to crisis levels in a country where the crime rate is low
Two popes, plotting cardinals and the fallout of an explosive book
Benedict and his inner circle are accused of intervening to halt Pope Francis relaxing celibacy rules as the battle between conservative and liberal factions takes a new twist
Ski resorts lure millennials with the sound of music
As fiftysomethings pack the slopes, cost and a cultural shift are putting off younger skiers – and the industry is having to respond
‘Many lives have been lost’: five-month internet blackout plunges Kashmir into crisis
Seven million people are still unable to go online after a ban first imposed from Delhi last August
By 2020, the UN said Gaza would be unliveable. Did it turn out that way?
A 2012 report warned of the fragility of the Strip. Now, unemployment is above 50% and many wish to leave. But from cafes to software houses, an indomitable spirit still shines
Quiet docks, empty streets … Cubans count the cost as tourists stay away
After Donald Trump reversed Obama’s warming of relations, curtailing flights and cruise ship visits, the island is braced for a return to economic limbo
Feminism comes of age in Finland as female coalition takes the reins
For more than a century, the Nordic country has blazed a trail for women in politics. But even there, the battle for equality isn’t over, writes Emma Graham-Harrison
Sick of corruption, Haiti looks back to its revolutionary hero for hope
As conflict racks the nation and anger at a political scandal grows, Haitians are rallying to the country’s founding father more than 200 years after his assassination
‘You can always laugh’: Angola’s new wave of standup comedians
In a country scarred by war, corruption and inequality, a vibrant comedy scene has emerged
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