Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly magazine is a round-up of the world news, opinion and long reads that have shaped the week. Inside, the past seven days' most memorable stories are reframed with striking photography and insightful companion pieces, all handpicked from The Guardian and The Observer.

A gift to unwrap all year

Editor’s notes

Global report • Headlines from the last seven days

United Kingdom

Reader’s eyewitness

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

‘Gisèle is waiting for explanations’ • The Pelicot rape trial has horrified the world. But as it comes to an end, the questions it has raised about French society and rape culture have still not been answered.

Spotlight • ‘We fear new oppression’ Alawites worry over rebel rule

In Moscow, a new life of secluded irrelevance awaits Assad

Prince charmed • Alleged spy scandal may have exposed China threat

Eyewitness Australia

Power plant workers keeping the lights on • The Guardian Weekly visits a Soviet-era coal-fired thermal installation to learn how it has held up to Russian attacks

Son of the soil • Who is Fran çois Bayrou, the farmer turned prime minister?

Out of touch • How president sealed his own fate in martial law gambit

2024

Votes of confidence • From India to Venezuela and Senegal to the US, more people voted this year than ever before, with over 80 elections across the world. With rising authoritarianism and citizen-led resistance revealing its vulnerabilities and resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges, has democracy reached its breaking or turning point?

Trailblazers The inspiring people we met around the world this year • From an exuberant mountaineer to a woman defiantly facing the guns of war, here are some of the brave individuals who gave us hope in a tumultuous 2024

‘It’s really a disaster’ • The fight to save lives as gang war consumes capital

PUTTING THE WORLD IN FOCUS

Hidden delights Our 24 travel finds of 2024 • Guardian travel writers share their discoveries of the year, from Læsø to Lazio

Film • Visual language, sound, light and rhythm are to the fore in the best movies of the year

Screen tested • Best films: 10 to 6

Albums • Murky love stories, nostalgic pop and an in-your-face masterpiece captured our critics’ ears in 2024

In tune • Best albums: 10 to 6

TV • The Guardian Weekly team reveals our small-screen picks of the year, from the underground vaults of post-apocalyptic Fallout to the mile-high escapism of Rivals

Opinion Letters

Opinion Nesrine Malik • With tyrant Assad ousted, Syrians deserve support and hope

Victoria Turk • AI has made the move into video and it’s worryingly plausible

Barney Ronay • The Saudi football World Cup is an act of violence and disdain

The GuardianView • From Ballet Shoes to Wicked, Christmas shows are fairytales of our time

QUIZ

PUZZLES

CINEMA CONNECT

CHESS

COUNTRY DIARY HALKYN MOUNTAIN • Flintshire, Wales, UK

The Weekly cryptic No 29,562

Quick crossword No 17,035

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