Innehållsförteckning för 19 December 2025 från Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly Founded in Manchester, England 4 July 1919 Vol213 | Issue№ 25 Guardian Weekly is an edited selection of some of the best journalism found in the Guardian’s digital editions in the UK, US and Australia, and the Guardian newspaper in the UK. The weekly magazine has an international focus and four editions: global, Europe, Australia and North America. The Guardian was founded in 1821, and Guardian Weekly in 1919. We exist to hold power to account in the name of the public interest, to uphold liberal and progressive values, to fight for the common good, and to build hope. Our values, as laid out by editor CP Scott in 1921, are honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community. The Guardian is…

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Shortly after the mass shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community last Sunday, Rabbi Levi Wolff of Central Sydney Synagogue told reporters that “the inevitable has happened now”. Wolff was speaking in Bondi, close to where two men armed with powerful rifles or shotguns had just attacked an event celebrating Hanukah, the Jewish religious festival. At least 16 people were killed, including one alleged gunman, and dozens were injured in Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades. His words will resonate with representatives of the Jewish community in Australia and across the world. Experts point out that antisemitism was already widely prevalent before the bloody conflict in Gaza, provoked by the Hamas attack on Israel of October 2023, polarised opinions across the world. The most lethal attack against the Jewish community…

Rob Reiner’s face took up the whole screen. That’s my immediate memory – the video link connecting and suddenly, boom, there he was in the room. Kind eyes, jolly cheekbones, a big white beard. It was May when we met but it felt like my own personal visit from Santa. He had a personality to match, the very definition of avuncular. “So what are you up to tonight?” he asked. “Having a nice dinner out in London?” I was completely at ease within 30 seconds. One of the trickier tasks in this job can be grilling someone whose golden period is behind them. Reiner started working in the 60s – first as a jobbing TV actor, then becoming a household name sitcom star in the 70s before stepping behind the…

It’s only a small rectangular sticker, but it symbolises a joyous sense of resistance. Some of Berlin’s most renowned clubs have long insisted that the camera lenses on their clientele’s phones must be covered using this simple method, to ensure everyone is present in the moment and people can let go without fear of their image appearing on some online platform. As one DJ puts it: “Do you really want to be in someone’s picture in your jockstrap?” Venues in London, Manchester and New York now enforce the same rules. This month brought news of the return of Sankeys, a Mancunian club that closed nearly a decade ago and is reopening in the heart of the city. Phones there will reportedly either be stickered or forbidden. “People need to stop…

Across 1 Manual or automatic (12) 9 They were Little in literature (5) 10 Hole, tail or dive (7) 11 NZ tree – fast-moving shark (4) 12 Dodge (the issue) (8) 14 Unlearned (6) 15 Portable personal computer (6) 18 Ruler of state, province etc (8) 20 Frost (4) 22 OK Alice (anag) – cattle food (3-4) 23 King or AC (5) 24 Paper knife (6,6) Down 2 Small baking dish (7) 3 Peter Pan dog (4) 4 Fine soft cotton fabric (6) 5 It’s found on a keyboard – where astronauts drink? (5,3) 6 Key, perhaps – one of Langerhans’? (5) 7 Male journalist (12) 8 Lido, eg (8,4) 13 Look up on a clear night (4-4) 16 Spot, shoot or maker (7) 17 Grapefruit-like fruit (6) 19 S…

1 UKRAINE/RUSSIA US peace plan raises hopes for a breakthrough Europe is ready to lead a “multinational force” in Ukraine as part of a US proposal for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, European leaders said. In a statement, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and eight other European countries said troops from a “coalition of the willing” with US support could “assist in the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine”. The proposal was part of a new package of security guarantees, backed by the White House, that could mark a breakthrough in reaching a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, US and European leaders have said. But they added that significant differences remained over the future…

I’ve spent the past decade living just a couple of beaches around from the famous Bondi beach. I will never leave. In Sydney’s east, the beaches offer an enviable lifestyle: a laid-back, tolerant society, a melting pot of nationalities, young people, families and older residents, surfers, backpackers, artists, tradies and recently, the wealthy from the tech boom. A walk down the street can be slow because people stop and chat or greet each other’s dogs. Bondi beach is the heart of that community, and while not everyone can afford to live there, it is a manifestation of what Australia aspires to be. Unlike in some other countries, the beach is free. It is treasured and shared – with greater Sydney and with visitors from around the globe – in a…

The death knell for the Palestinian village of Atouf, on the western slopes of the Jordan valley, arrived in the form of a trail of paper, a series of eviction notices taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, marking a straight line across the open fields. The notices, which appeared overnight, informed farmers that their land would be confiscated and that they had seven days to vacate their properties. A military road and accompanying barrier was to be built by Israel right through the area. Lawyers for the Atouf council lodged an appeal, but bitter experience has taught Palestinians here to have low expectations of Israeli courts. “The Israeli military can do anything they like. They don’t care about the law,” said Ismael Bsharat, a farmer. Similar eviction notices had been…

Dashing through the snow with Father Chris … It does not get any more seasonal, even if it feels like there might be a final syllable missing. To be honest, it’s more a leisurely walk-and-talk around North Shields. Father Chris is real though – F r Chris Hughes, Catholic priest. The diocese is a strategic partner for the local chapter of Citizens UK, one of five charities supported by this year’s Guardian charity appeal, under the theme of “hope”. Citizens UK is about bringing people and communities together, to build a better, fairer society. I’m getting a little tour around some of its “wins”. We are accompanied by people involved: children, teachers, mums, parishioners and Sara Bryson, the community organiser. There are about 25 of us and we are calling…

To paraphrase George Michael, last Christmas my friend gave her sister-in-law a book. The sister-in-law opened it, immediately said, “Oh I’ve already got this,” and handed it back. If you just winced, you are correct. Common decency dictates that you gratefully receive a jumper, making multiple exclamations of how thrilled you are, even if you’re wearing an identical one as you open it. The very next day, you give it away. That’s how it works, and why charity shops are inundated in December and January. This is the season of goodwill, not honesty – white lies are so festively appropriate, they’re the colour of snow. Ho-ho-hope you kept the receipt, said no one ever. At this time of year, your nearest and dearest put time, effort, thought and money into…

It has become an annual ritual, the cutting of branches from this shapely holly for a winter wreath. A mixture of the wild and of things garnered from my garden, I push twigs and vines into a metal frame packed with moss from drystone walls. Resinous rosemary and pine, silver seedheads of clematis, trails of ivy, lichens, ferns, honesty – each year is different. This holly is always a good source of scarlet berries, but this year it is even more jewelled than usual. It has, for now, been untouched by birds who cannily eat shorter-lived fruits first (wild raspberry, rowan, elder), leaving the solid drupes of holly until other food is scarce. Then its bounty might be guarded by a mistle thrush, possessively seeing off other possible feasters. My…

SECURITY New MI6 boss claims UK is ‘between peace and war’ Britain is caught in “a space between peace and war” complicated by the rise of artificial intelligence and other technologies dominated by powerful individuals and corporations, according to the new head of MI6. Blaise Metreweli, who took over as the head of the UK’s international spy agency in September, also accused Russia of being insincere about Ukraine peace negotiations but made minimal reference to China. She said the world was “more dangerous and contested now than for decades”, with emerging technologies, including robots and drones powered by AI that could be “devastating on the battlefield”, bioweapons and “hyper-personalised tools” that “could become a new vector for conflict and control”. She added that information was becoming “increasingly weaponised”. Metreweli said…

IN THE FADING LIGHT, they came back to Bondi, to light candles, to sing and to stand together, in solidarity and in defiance of the terror that had been visited upon their beach, their world. Across Bondi, and Sydney, and Australia, people lit candles in solidarity with the Jewish community, which suffered the worst antisemitic attack in the country’s history when two gunmen allegedly opened fire on a Hanukah celebration at Bondi beach shortly after 6.40pm last Sunday evening. Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, a London-born rabbi whose fifth child was born only two months ago, and an 87-year-old survivor of the Holocaust, were among the slain. The “Chanukah By the Sea” event had promised faith and fraternity. “Come celebrate the light of Chanukah together with the community,” a…

It might be traditional to write to Father Christmas with a gift list, but when Kirsten Shaw wanted a new postbox for staff at the UK’s Rothera research station in Antarctica, she wrote to the king. The request has resulted in a special delivery for Shaw – a station support assistant who, among myriad other tasks, runs the British Antarctic Territory post office at the station. “I love post, I love postboxes and stamps, so I just really wanted to get a proper Royal Mail one for the station,” said Shaw, who was awarded the Fuchs Medal in 2022 for her contributions to the Antarctic community. Known as a “lamp” postbox, the smallest type of postbox, the bright red receptacle with its King Charles III cipher is an upgrade on…

1 Millions of girls have been protected against cervical cancer A target to protect 86 million girls against cervical cancer by the end of 2025 was achieved ahead of schedule, boosting hopes among experts that cervical cancer can be eliminated within the next century. Gavi, the vaccine alliance, launched its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme in 2014, when vaccine coverage in Africa was just 4%. By the end of 2022, it was only 15% – but scientists had discovered that a single dose could give comparable protection to the two doses originally used. That would make it simpler to deliver vaccination programmes, and stretch supplies twice as far. In 2023, Gavi announced its ambitious target to protect 86 million girls by 2025 and a concerted push saw coverage in Africa rise.…

That’s entertainment Our roundup of the year’s best film, music and TV SCREEN SHARING BEST FILMS: 10 TO 6 10 A Real Pain Jesse Eisenberg effortlessly walks a tonal tightrope in this film about Jewish American cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland. But Kieran Culkin steals the show. 9 Nickel Boys This adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel about two young friends trapped by institutional abuse is told with piercing beauty by RaMell Ross. 8 It Was Just an Accident An unfortunate encounter with a dog sets off a chain of surreal, grotesque events in Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner, which exposes the corruption and tyranny at the heart of Iran. 7 The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt’s quietist, observational style is unexpectedly successful at creating a supernaturalistic depiction of an art gallery…

Into the pale stone wall of the Kennedy Center, above its elegant terrace on the edge of the Potomac River, are carved bold and idealistic sentiments. “This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor. To further the appreciation of culture among all the people, to increase respect for the creative individual, to widen participation by all the processes and fulfilments of art – this is one of the fascinating challenges of these days.” Those are the words of John F Kennedy, after whom the US’s national performing arts centre is named. The impulse to build it came from Dwight D Eisenhower; it was given JFK’s name after his assassination; and it opened in 1971, to the music of Leonard Bernstein and the choreography of Alvin Ailey, in…

✱ All solutions published next week Across 8 Individual who’s busy protecting pit boss (8) 9 Hoard of money for the auditor (5) 10 Blimey, it’s actually devoid of content (1,3) 11 Place for playing poker maybe up for discussion (2,3,5) 12 More rum accompanying fine food (6) 14 Ace Roman possibly captured, in a way (2,6)  16 In pieces, and sure to be rebuilt (7) 18 Track distance with the best computers (7) 21 Old jazz legend James covering a G&S work? (8) 23 Club owner about to strike back (6) 24 Delinquent fella with influence (10) 26 House in very central London neighbourhood (4) 27 Criticise list of potential candidates (5) 28 Facecloth perhaps made from thin cotton sample (8) Down 1 Where you’ll see officers in the…