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.

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Editor’s note

Global report • Headlines from the last seven days

Global report • United Kingdom

Reader’s eyewitness

SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT

A new world order? • A broad alliance of autocrats including Xi, Putin and Kim has emerged in opposition to Trump and the west. But the ‘axis of upheaval’ may not be as united as it appears

The Mao effect • Why old school look suits Xi

President for eternal life? Putin and the pursuit of longevity • Russia’s leader mused about immortality with Xi, but he is not the first ruler to harbour ambitions of living longer

A deep rift between the people and their politicians

Deeply divided • Lack of majority denies Macron the stability that he needs

The great Middle East policy failure still hanging over the EU

‘Everyday nationalism’ • Has war put Iran on a new path?

Eyewitness Kyrgyzstan

Mahmood’s rise • The socially conservative heart of Labour’s reset plans

Angela Rayner’s exit is worst blow yet for beleaguered prime minister

Flight risk • With the onset of the southern hemisphere spring migration, conservationists in Oceania are racing to vaccinate their rarest birds against the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain

‘Purgatory’ Venezuelans made to wait as borders are closed • Migrants who sought a better life in the US face a perilous return journey south and an uncertain future in Colombia

The cartel war that takes a deadly toll on influencers

From climax to climate • Love motels revamped for Cop30

Spogomi, the pastime that puts trash picking on world stage

Check mate ‘I got on well with Fischer’ • From honing his game in air raid shelters during the second world war to beating grand masters, the extraordinary life of record-breaking chess columnist Leonard Barden

‘Is he dead?’ • What Trump whispers reveal about the moment

The house sale that led to recovery of art looted by Nazis

SYRIA’S DEADLY RECKONING • Over a few brutal days in March, as sectarian violence and revenge killings tore through parts of the country, two friends from different communities tried to find a way to survive

Words apart • How Ukrainians are ridding themselves of Russian-language books

Jonathan Freedland • Rayner’s bombshell exit is just the start of Starmer’s real crisis

Kimi Chaddah • Wanted: a house mate who is only there to sleep, not live or work

Marina Hyde • Trump and Farage are all for free speech - as long as it suits them

The GuardianView • US military strikes in the ‘war on drugs’ set a dangerous precedent

Opinion Letters

SMELL THE LOVE! The return of spinal tap • Four decades after This is Spinal Tap shone a light on one of the UK’s most revered rock acts, a new documentary captures the buildup to their final live show

Giorgio Armani 1934-2025 • Mastermind of style, who revolutionised the structure and silhouette of the suit to create the architecture of how we dress now

Philosophy for the people • YouTube video essays have become a thrilling new DIY artform, taking on topics as diverse as faith and Donald Duck – while drawing huge audiences

Reviews

How Jackie Chan films inspired me to become a kung fu instructor

Words of wisdom • The story of Arundhati Roy’s bittersweet relationship with her mercurial mother

Golden boys • The real-life story of two...