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.

Eyewitness South Africa

Global report • Headlines from the last seven days

Global report • United Kingdom

Eyewitness

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

Turn off, tune out • Australia’s social media ban for under-16s is a world-first, with other countries looking to follow suit. But will it protect kids from online harm?

‘No one will miss scrolling’ • Four young teenagers on Australia’s social media ban

Account closed • How will the social media ban work?

Locked out • I’m 15 and disabled. The social media ban will make my world smaller

After Assad • A year on from dictator’s fall, the wait for justice continues

‘I believed nothing would harm my children any more’ • Despite US-brokered ceasefire, death toll remains high from military strikes that show Israel can still kill with impunity

Show goes on • Eurovision has had boycotts before – is this time different?

Seismic shift • Policy paper lays bare Trump support for Europe’s far right

No end in sight for war-weary frontline troops • As hopes for peace falter, infantry soldiers face more lengthy deployments, risking their lives against Russian attacks

An acute observer of modern British life

The communities fighting back over flags on lamp-posts • Late at night and working in small groups for safety, local people are organising to take down the banners raised by a movement with far-right backers to take down the banners raised by a movement with far-right backers

Cross section • Is US-influenced religious right on the rise in UK politics?

‘Hooked after one bite’ How parents around the world are battling ultra-processed foods • From Kenya to Nepal, families share their struggles to keep their children away from UPFs and eat a healthier diet instead

‘Scam states’ • How lucrative crime hubs took root in parts of Asia

Flower that became a national symbol – and a purple pain

Secrets of the deep Joe MacInnis reflects on the golden era of underwater discovery • Now aged 88, the famed Canadian ocean explorer explains why shipwrecks and the cruel sea are the ‘greatest of all teachers’

Trump adds more vitriol to anti-immigrant rhetoric

An antidote to hate • Our appeal honours the charities keeping hope alive

‘It’s much too fast’ The race to create the ultimate AI • In Silicon Valley, rival tech companies are spending trillions of dollars and recruiting top talent as they compete to reach a goal that could change humanity – or potentially even destroy it

Shell raiser • The snail farmer of London, his mafia friends and a multimillion-pound vendetta against the taxman

Jonathan Freedland • What words are left to describe the Trump doctrine?

Liz Pelly • This Spotify Wrapped season, don’t outsource your love of music to AI

Antony Dapiran • Silenced by Beijing, Hong Kong can’t fully address the Tai Po fire

The GuardianView • Reboots of A Christmas Carol and Paddington keep their messages alive

Opinion Letters

SEASON’S READINGS •  Guardian critics select the best books of 2025

FICTION • The Booker winner, dazzling debuts, comic relief and a remarkable collection of short stories

TRANSLATED FICTION • Nobel laureate Han Kang’s return, film-making under the Nazis and essential stories from Iraq

MUSIC • From an enraging indictment of Spotify to a compelling biography of Tupac...