As we near the end of 2025, it feels like cracks are appearing in the fabric of everything, everywhere. It’s genuinely hard to remember a time when the global outlook looked more challenging.
In a special year-ending essay for Guardian Weekly, diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour charts how the long period of order since the second world war appears to be unravelling, marked by a crisis of legitimacy for international law and the rise of ‘mobster diplomacy’ driven by Donald Trump. It’s a world that western leaders fear is now in a transitional moment, or an interregnum, where accountability is being lost and norms are increasingly violated.
It has also been a week filled with sadness and horror for our many readers in Australia, and this week’s edition contains reflections on the Sydney terror attack and its wider repercussions.
And yet … look closer and grounds for hope can always be found, often in the selfless actions of individuals and community organisations. In this week’s magazine, the Guardian’s Global Development reporters profile some of the most inspiring people they have encountered during the year, and global health correspondent Kat Lay tells us about five medicinal advances that are improving the prospects for millions of people.
This is the final edition of Guardian Weekly this year – the magazine will return as usual on 2 January. Thank you for supporting our journalism in 2025. If you mark a holiday at this time of year, we hope it is a peaceful one.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Anguish and anger over South Africans tricked into fighting for Russia
Relatives fear for the lives of men thought to remain trapped in the war after allegedly being recruited by a daughter of Jacob Zuma, report Rachel Savage and Pjotr Sauer
The year in review | Everyday heroes of 2025
From a woman speaking out against state violence to a journalist killed in Gaza, the Guardian’s Global Development reporting team profile some of the brave people who made a real dif ference over the past year
The year in review | Five global health successes for 2025
With humanitarian funding slashed by the US and other countries, this year’s global health headlines have made grim reading. But good things have still been happening in vaccine research and in the treatment of certain illnesses, reports Kat Lay
The year in review | Film, music and television highlights
Find out how Guardian writers ranked the best movies and albums of the year, while the Guardian Weekly’s very own highly committed team of armchair critics weigh up their TV highlights of 2025
Opinion | Finally it’s dawning on us: there is life beyond smartphones
Whether it’s nightclubs banning phones or a drop in online dating, there are signs that we’re rediscovering the joy of being in the moment, writes Guardian columnist John Harris
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What else we’ve been reading
• Right-wing populist party Reform UK took control of 10 councils in local elections earlier this year. With the party riding high in the polls, its record in town halls could influence voters’ trust in its ability to govern nationally. Having spent seven months following the new Reform administration in her home county, Helen Pidd wrote perceptively about what having Nigel Farage’s party in charge looks like. Clare Horton, assistant editor
• The workplace Secret Santa – the exchanging of anonymous gifts with colleagues – is supposed to be a bit of end-of-year fun, but sometimes Santa can go bad. If you’re mulling over gift ideas for a workmate, be aware of these clear and present dangers. Neil Willis, production editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | The Birth Keepers: a new podcast series from the Guardian Investigates
• Video | Threshold: the choir who sing to the dying – documentary
• Gallery | The Nutcracker ballet in Kenya
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We’d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine: for submissions to our letters page, please email weekly.letters@theguardian.com. For anything else, it’s editorial.feedback@theguardian.com
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