France has been rocked by huge youth protests in recent weeks over the state of high school education, bringing tens of thousands of people on to the streets.

The movement began with outrage over shoddy school conditions in a Paris banlieue, but has spread across the country as pupils voice their anger about a system they say is failing them.

For this week’s big story, Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis hears from protesters who feel abandoned by the French state. Angelique also looks at the evidence on students’ complaints of dilapidated buildings, teacher shortages, inequality and low investment.

Then, Alexander Hurst says fixing the broken education system should be just the start for an aloof political class if it is to finally pay attention to a generation who feel neglected.

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Spotlight | The future of the death penalty
Donald Trump has used the full might of the presidency to supercharge executions but, writes Ed Pilkington, an avalanche of mishaps has put the system’s flaws in the spotlight

Science | Sweet time
A flurry of recent studies suggests that spending the first 1,000 days of life under sugar rationing may have left traces on people’s health more than seven decades later. Linda Geddes reports

Feature | The art of dismantling a second world war bomb
British bomb disposal squads are being called to more unexploded devices than ever – and they risk their lives each time. Samira Shackle recounts the challenge they faced when two bombs were discovered on the same day

Opinion | A new era of instability
The latest attack by Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia may prove to be more calamitous for the region than the world imagines, says Nesrine Malik

Culture | Hungry like the werewolf
Duran Duran talk to Alexis Petridis about 80s excess, tabloid scrutiny and their Halloween glow-up

I read with dismay the crisis facing our once beloved high street charity shops. As more and more people become accustomed to the convenience of selling their best clobber on resale sites, charity shops have increasingly become a dumping ground for the unsellable. Not all is lost, however: this feature also comes with a handy checklist on how we can all donate responsibly. Emily El Nusairi, deputy production editor

With the darker evenings setting in here in the UK, I enjoyed this piece about finding little moments of happiness in autumn. From Lenny Kravitz’s enormous scarf to the return of questionable Christmas crisp flavours, it’s a nice reminder that there are plenty of small things to look forward to, even if you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to summer. Jade Lovitt, senior business manager, magazines

Audio | The surprising psychology of morbid curiosity – podcast

Video | Dream of birds: the lost songs of Argentina – documentary

Gallery | Dollywood down under: Dolly Parton fans and drag queens turn a tiny Australian town pink

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