Monthly Archives: December 2025

2025.12.31

Beer alternatives from around the world: https://youtu.be/cQ01gCIPit4

What is norovirus and how contagious is it?
Symptoms of the virus include diarrhea and vomiting and it infects about 684 million people globally every year
Adrienne Matei
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/dec/30/what-is-norovirus-and-how-contagious-is-it

We sacrificed 14 shirts to find the best stain remover in the US, for spills from wine to oil
Even the messiest eaters can find stain fighters for every laundry nightmare, all tested against 10 common culprits
Jenny McGrath
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us/2025/dec/30/best-stain-removers-laundry-tested

The man taking over the Large Hadron Collider – only to switch it off
Next head of Cern backs massive replacement for world’s largest machine to investigate mysteries of the universe
Ian Sample Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/31/large-hadron-collider-head-of-cern-mark-thomson

‘It’s not a hen party hellscape’: Dublin’s Temple Bar strives to shake off its bad reputation
Despite reviews of the district as a raucous tourist trap, improved policing has restored safety and an eclectic vibe
Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/31/dublin-temple-bar-renaissance-not-hen-party-hellscape

Burkina Faso and Mali ban US nationals in retaliation to Trump’s visa decision
Announcements mark latest twist in the frosty relationship between west African military governments and the US
Guardian staff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/31/mali-burkina-faso-retaliatory-travel-ban-us-nationals

Five tech trends we’ll be watching in 2026
From datacenters to AI, we’ll be keeping our eye on the technology that will be shaping your life in the coming year
Blake Montgomery
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/dec/30/five-tech-trends-well-be-watching-in-2026

The 50 best films of 2025 in the UK
https://www.theguardian.com/film/ng-interactive/2025/dec/08/the-50-best-films-of-2025-in-the-uk

The 50 best TV shows of 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/ng-interactive/2025/dec/10/the-50-best-tv-shows-of-2025

New Year’s Eve live:​ Sydney fireworks ring in 2026 as Asia sees in the new year ahead of Europe and the US
Yohannes Lowe (now) and Robyn Vinter (earlier)
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/live/2025/dec/31/new-years-eve-2026-world-ring-in-live-latest#top-of-blog

My year:
Three weeks in hospital
Two months in transitional care
Lost 30 pounds
Gained new accoutrements
Ongoing PT
Solar panels installed
Four new ceiling fans
Two Bosch undersink water heaters installed
Difficulty obtaining old, old asthma drug (theophylline)
Gained a handicapped parking permit and MN cancelled my driver’s license

Happy New Year!
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/live/2025/dec/31/new-years-eve-2026-world-ring-in-live-latest?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6954efe08f083c44d70dd5d5#block-6954efe08f083c44d70dd5d5

2025.12.30

Iceland has hottest Christmas Eve ever with temperature of 19.8C recorded
Meteorological office reports high temperatures across country and record measured at Seyðisfjörður in east
Helena Horton Environment reporter
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/30/iceland-record-temperatures-christmas-eve-met-office-seyisfjorur

Five charts that explain the global economic outlook for 2026
Inflation is predicted to cool but uncertainty over AI-driven growth and trade policy poses risks in the year ahead
Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/30/five-charts-that-explain-the-global-economic-outlook-for-2026

Top 5 local news stories of 2025: Feeding Our Future, immigration and fraud
Aimee Bock was convicted at trial this year, immigration detainees said they’re being held in detention for long periods of time and Minneapolis attempts to enforce police reforms.
by Joey Peters
https://sahanjournal.com/news/top-5-local-news-stories-2025-feeding-our-future-immigration/

Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway predict: https://youtu.be/98aQh7e6qh0

George Clooney and wife Amal granted French citizenship
The actor said privacy laws protecting children from paparazzi were a key factor in the family’s decision
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/29/george-clooney-wife-amal-granted-french-citizenship

‘A total knockout!’ The best television you never watched in 2025
From the most beautiful show Netflix has ever made to a thriller about a menopausal hitwoman and a dazzling documentary set in outer space, here are some TV gems that may have passed you by this year
Kate Abbott, Alexi Duggins, Phil Harrison, Stuart Heritage and Hollie Richardson
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/29/a-total-knockout-the-best-television-you-never-watched-in-2025

‘There is a crack in everything’: capturing the dark of winter – in pictures
How do you photograph darkness? A question Sarah Lee considers with her work as the nights draw in: ‘I’ve always been drawn to photographing the darkness as the winter months draw in after the clocks go back and we head towards the solstice. I wondered why that was given that the world itself seems so dark at the moment. I realised this year that it is not the darkness I’m photographing, but, rather, the light. Always the light.’
Sarah Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/dec/30/there-is-a-crack-in-everything-capturing-the-dark-of-winter-in-pictures

The Pitt to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: 12 of the best TV shows to watch this January (Paywalled)
Caryn James
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20251224-12-of-the-best-tv-shows-to-watch-this-january

Will came out in Stranger Things, but did we like it?
The internet is, um, divided on the long-awaited scene.
Rachel Shatto
https://www.out.com/gay-tv-shows/stranger-things-will#rebelltitem1

2025.12.29

Munich’s surfers foiled again after city thwarts effort to restart river wave
Authorities remove beam placed on Christmas Day to recreate Eisbach wave, which vanished in October
Agence France-Presse in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/28/munichs-surfers-foiled-again-as-authorities-remove-access-to-famous-river-wave

‘It would drive some people crazy’: Victoria’s French Island remains remote, and that’s how most like it
Just 70km from Melbourne yet only accessible by ferry, the island’s isolation is the source of its appeal and its biggest drawback
Stephanie Convery with photography by Penny Stephens
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/28/it-would-drive-some-people-crazy-victorias-french-island-remains-remote-and-thats-how-most-like-it

Interview
‘What other silences filled my childhood?’: Tareq Baconi on excavating his queer and Palestinian identities
Emma Graham-Harrison
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/28/tareq-baconi-fire-in-every-direction-interview

The photographs that defined 2025 – and the stories behind them
As wars in Ukraine and Gaza continued, anti-government protests erupted around the world. Amid the violence, there were moments of humanity, sporting glory and stunning natural beauty. Photographers reflect on the moments behind the pictures
By Sarah Gilbert and Emine Saner
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/29/photographs-defined-2025-stories-behind-them

My big night out: I woke up on a llama farm in Germany – hungover and lying beside a naked punk
At 20, I went on a European road trip for the summer, where a chance encounter in Cologne taught me the importance of friendship
Dylan B Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/29/my-big-night-out-woke-up-llama-farm-germany-naked-punk

The very next day, you gave it away … how to get rid of an unwanted Christmas gift without getting caught
Eleanor Limprecht
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/30/how-to-get-rid-of-an-unwanted-christmas-gift

Weather tracker: Polar wind set to end warmth in US south and midwest
Ollie Lewis for MetDesk
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/29/weather-tracker-polar-wind-set-to-end-warmth-in-us-south-and-midwest

‘Too important not to fight for’: Spain’s wine industry seeks infusion of new blood
Rural depopulation compounding challenges of climate emergency and changing technologies in drawing young people to sector
Sam Jones in La Seca
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/too-important-not-to-fight-for-spains-wine-industry-seeks-infusion-of-new-blood

Passengers on cruise ship that ran aground off PNG to be flown home after refloat efforts fail
Coral Adventurer, being investigated for allegedly leaving behind passenger who died, ran aground with 124 people on board on Saturday
Andrew Messenger
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/passengers-on-cruise-ship-that-ran-aground-off-png-to-be-flown-home-after-refloat-efforts-fail

2025.12.28

Brigitte Bardot, French screen legend, dies aged 91
Emmanuel Macron leads tributes to​ actor who became an international sex symbol ​and later embraced animal rights​ and far-right politics
Brigitte Bardot: a life in pictures
Andrew Pulver, and Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/28/brigitte-bardot-french-screen-legend-and-animal-rights-activist-dies

Brigitte Bardot – a life in pictures
The French actor Brigitte Bardot has died – we look back at her life, relationships and films
Sarah Gilbert
https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2025/dec/28/brigitte-bardot-a-life-in-pictures

America in pictures – the Guardian’s best photos of 2025
The collection of top images published in 2025 offers a layered portrait of the nation
Thalia Juarez
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/27/america-guardians-best-photos-of-2025

Snow-covered Mount Etna erupts spewing lava and ash – video
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2025/dec/28/snow-covered-mount-etna-erupts-spewing-lava-and-ash-video

US voters linking climate crisis to rising bills despite Trump’s ‘green scam’ claims
New polling shows 65% of registered US voters believe global heating is affecting cost of living
Oliver Milman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/26/us-voters-link-climate-crisis-affordability

The 2025 US economy – in charts: rising prices, hiring slowdown, rollercoaster growth
Looking at the government’s own report cards, how did the US fare under the first year of Trumponomics 2.0?
Callum Jones and Aliya Uteuova
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/28/2025-us-economy-in-charts

The best films of 2025 … you may not have seen
From an old-fashioned western to a charming baseball comedy, Guardian writers pick their favourite lesser-known films of the year
Radheyan Simonpillai, Jesse Hassenger, Veronica Esposito, Tammy Tarng, Pamela Hutchinson, Benjamin Lee, Andrew Pulver, Richard Lawson, Andrew Lawrence, Scott Tobias and Adrian Horton
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/28/2025-best-hidden-gem-underrated-films

The deals aren’t done yet: 25 of the best after-Christmas sales in the US
MasterClass, Roku, Apple, Aritzia – we rounded up the best post-holiday sales for tech, fashion and more that you can snag before the end of the year
Nick Mokey and Filter staff
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us/2025/dec/27/best-after-christmas-holiday-sales

Bayeux tapestry to be insured for £800m for British Museum exhibition
The 70-metre-long cloth about the Norman invasion has not been seen in England since it was created in 11th century
Nadeem Badshah
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/27/bayeux-tapestry-to-be-insured-for-800m-for-british-museum-exhibition

Soak it up: everything science taught us about health and wellness in 2025
Do hot baths improve endurance? Will creatine bolster your brain power? Does pickle juice prevent cramp? Here’s what we learned about living well this year
Joel Snape
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/28/soak-it-up-everything-science-taught-us-about-health-and-wellness-in-2025

2025.12.27

Bari Weiss defends decision to pull 60 Minutes episode on El Salvador prison
CBS News editor-in-chief argues in memo that network’s priority was ‘comprehensive and fair’ coverage
Lauren Gambino
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/dec/26/bari-weiss-60-minutes-el-salvador-prison

Republican behind Epstein files act responds to Trump ‘lowlife’ taunt
Kentucky’s Thomas Massie used the president’s insult to raise funds to run against a Trump-endorsed candidate
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/27/kentucky-republican-thomas-massie-trump-epstein-files

FBI to move out of brutalist J Edgar Hoover building in Washington DC
Iconic building, called ‘greatest monstrosity ever constructed’ by Hoover himself, to be closed down
Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/27/fbi-j-edgar-hoover-building

Dragged down by an unpopular president, Republicans are bracing for a midterm trouncing
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/dec/27/trump-republicans-midterm-elections-approval-rating

No gels, no foams: Catalonia turns to grannies to teach traditional cooking
Region famed for molecular gastronomy begins video project to collect and share rustic recipes
Stephen Burgen in Santa Margarida i els Monjos
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/27/grannies-catalan-chefs-preserving-traditional-cuisine

Which Gascon brandy is France’s oldest? The Saturday quiz
From Benefits Supervisor Sleeping and Hideous Kinky to the “modern Prometheus”, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz (Not automagical)
Thomas Eaton
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/27/which-gascon-brandy-is-frances-oldest-the-saturday-quiz

The week around the world in 20 pictures
Christmas in Kyiv, destruction in the West Bank, the funeral of Mani and the winter solstice at Stonehenge: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
Jim Powell
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/dec/26/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures

2025.12.26

Conservative and Christian? US right champions psychedelic drugs
Texas governor among those to call for expanded access to ibogaine, said to help with treating veterans with PTSD
Mattha Busby
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/26/us-right-champions-psychedelic-drugs

A child is born: Italians celebrate village’s first baby in 30 years
Feted birth of bambina Lara in Pagliara dei Marsi highlights sticky national debate over country’s ‘demographic winter’
Angela Giuffrida in Pagliara dei Marsi
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/italian-village-first-baby-in-30-years

‘Weapons of mass construction’: the US ‘craftivists’ using yarn to fight back against Trump
Fiber artists across the US are using their craft to protest against everything from national guard deployments to rollbacks on abortion rights
Cecilia Nowell
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/26/knitting-craft-activists-against-trump

Pig organ transplants could one day be superior to human ones, says expert
Surgeon leading xenotransplantation trial aimed at solving shortage of human organs says edits can lessen risk of rejection
Nicola Davis Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/26/pig-organ-transplants-could-one-day-be-superior-to-human-ones-says-expert

‘Keeps your mind alert’: older Swedes reap the benefits of learning for pleasure
Retirees with ‘fantastic hunger for education’ taking part in university organised events in record numbers
Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/26/older-swedes-reap-benefits-late-life-education

My weirdest Christmas: it was our first year in Sweden – but I insisted on having a big British celebration
When my family emigrated to Malmö, I wanted to stick to our traditions, but my husband was keen to embrace the local customs. Why were we butting heads?
Kerry Hudson
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/26/my-weirdest-christmas-sweden-big-british-celebration

I’m watching brain surgery to see if Alzheimer’s can ever be cured (Paywalled?)
James Gallagher
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4dnwky48wo

Year in review: Sahan Journal’s best photos of 2025 captured celebration, community and struggle
The year in photos included moments that captured Minnesota’s joy, resilience and love of food in 2025.
by Aaron Nesheim
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/top-10-photos-minnesota-2024-2/

2025.12.25

Happy Christmas!

From Lily Allen to six-seven: it’s the 2025 bumper pop culture quiz of the year
Did you watch KPop Demon Hunters? Have you listened to Rosalía? And do you know who ‘fedora guy’ is? If you answered yes to all these, this is the quiz for you
Sian Cain and Steph Harmon
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/24/2025-pop-culture-quiz-of-the-year

Around the world in 50 countries: the globe-trotting Christmas travel quiz
From the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to Donald Trump’s territorial wishlist, test your travel knowledge. Every answer is the name of a country (Not automagical!)
Gavin McOwan
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/25/around-the-world-in-50-countries-globe-trotting-christmas-travel-quiz

‘Freedom is a city where you can breathe’: four experts on Europe’s most liveable capitals
From Copenhagen’s cycle lanes and Vienna’s shared parks to Barcelona and London’s unfulfilled potential, better living is close at hand
Ajit Niranjan
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2025/dec/24/four-experts-on-europe-most-livable-capitals

Why are drug prices so high in America? Trump doesn’t have the right answer
Susi Geiger and Théo Bourgeron
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/24/is-trump-lowering-drug-prices

Falling price of cocaine forces drug traffickers to reuse narco-submarines, say Spanish police
Previously vessels would be sunk once they had completed their cargo runs from South America to Europe
Sam Jones in Madrid
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/25/cocaine-forces-drug-traffickers-narco-submarines-spain

The 12 days of Trump-mas
What has Donald Trump given us in his second term? We look at some of the numbers
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/the-12-days-of-trump-mas

Into the void: how Trump killed international law
The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
https://www.theguardian.com/law/ng-interactive/2025/dec/25/how-donald-trump-killed-international-law

How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history
Robin Buller
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/25/protests-effective-history-impact

Blood test could predict who is most at risk from common inherited heart condition
Exclusive: Scientists find a way to forecast hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which affects millions worldwide
Andrew Gregory Health editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/25/blood-test-predict-risk-inherited-heart-condition-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy

MinnPost’s Year in Photos 2025
The best photos of 2025 by MinnPost photojournalist Ellen Schmidt.
by Ellen Schmidt
https://www.minnpost.com/galleries/2025/12/minnposts-year-in-photos-2025/

It’s turkey time! The 12 worst films of 2025
This year has brought us some great movies – and also at least a dozen dire-one star disasters. Here are the Guardian’s critics on the pick of the year’s cinematic calamities
Guardian film
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/25/its-turkey-time-the-12-worst-films-of-2025

2025.12.24

Gov. Tim Walz expects an increase in immigration enforcement over the next two weeks, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. “Walz said the Trump administration is not sharing any information with the state about this month’s ‘Operation Metro Surge’ but he said he was expecting an increase as early as Christmas Eve.” Via MinnPost
https://www.startribune.com/walz-frey-carter-ice-targeting-us-citizens-mn/601551872?utm_source=gift

‘Tis the Season for:
Visa ban for European critics of online harm is first shot in US free speech war
Dan Milmo Global technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/24/visa-ban-for-european-critics-of-online-harm-is-first-shot-in-us-free-speech-war

Is Trump mentally OK? A look back at the president’s unusual behavior in 2025
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/24/trump-mental-health-speech-address-2025-review

Truth in fantasy: what Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials taught us over its 30-year run
The ‘religious atheist’ author held a reputation as CS Lewis’s opposite. But his two trilogies – which came to a close this year – were a celebration of humanity and imagination
Matthew Cantor
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/24/philip-pullman-his-dark-materials

The 10 best folk albums of 2025
Jennifer Reid sang workers’ songs, Malmin plumbed gnarly Norwegian hinterlands and Quinie rode across Argyll on a horse
Jude Rogers
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/24/the-10-best-folk-albums-of-2025

Interview
‘That’s a rare find!’ The casting genius who plucked this year’s biggest TV star out of 600 auditions
Stuart Heritage
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/24/shaheen-baig-casting-director-interview-adolescence-peaky-blinders-sherwood

How we eat and gather is central to who we are: the diaspora at Christmas
Our personal and shared communal traditions across food and drink play a dominant role in festive celebrations
Dipo Faloyin and Morgan Ofori
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/dec/23/how-we-eat-and-gather-is-central-to-who-we-are-the-diaspora-at-christmas

Christmas Eve swims and an underground mass: photos of the day – Wednesday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Matt Fidler
https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2025/dec/24/christmas-eve-swims-and-an-underground-mass-photos-of-the-day-wednesday

Happy Holidays!

2025.12.23

Just when the holiday travel season is upon us, flu cases have begun to surge, KSTP reports. “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported nearly 1,900 cases and 558 hospitalizations in its latest weekly update, with the highest cases among children aged 4 and younger and adults 65 and older. Seniors accounted for most hospitalizations.” Travelers should be aware if they are sick and need to fly, and handwashing and mask-wearing can help to stave off the virus as well as protect others. Via MinnPost
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/flu-cases-in-minnesota-spike-just-as-holiday-travel-begins/

Do you live on a property with a private well? If so, it might be worth testing it for safety. MPR News reports on a free water screening clinic that “are put on by the Minnesota Well Owners Organization, Mayo Clinic, Freshwater Society, the United State Geological Survey and the Minnesota Groundwater Association. … Recent research from Mayo Clinic shows a significant reliance on well water use in the Midwest and unanimous support for the need for further well water testing information and resources for patients and their clinicians.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/22/private-well-owners-in-minnesota-encouraged-to-test-for-arsenic-other-contaminants

Number of people in ICE detention hits record high, data shows
ICE held more than 68,400 people as of 14 December, breaking previous high set at beginning of December
Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/ice-detentions-record-immigration

US regulators approve Wegovy pill, first oral medication to treat obesity
Food and Drug Administration’s approval hands drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge in the race to market an obesity pill
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/us-regulators-approve-wegovy-weight-loss-pill

Trump administration plans to promote loyal diplomats after recall of 30 ambassadors, sources say
Move comes as union representing US diplomats said it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the process, which could ‘politicise’ foreign service
Andrew Roth, global affairs correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/trump-administration-recalls-30-ambassadors-promote-loyal-diplomats

Trump’s attacks on Somali community are eroding inroads that boosted GOP in 2024
Some Somalis who voted for Trump are rethinking their alignment with the Republican Party after the president’s targeted attacks on their community.
by Atra Mohamed and Shubhanjana Das
https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/somali-republicans-trump-vote-ice-target/

‘For the first time, she could tell people who she was’: Ireland’s gender recognition decade
Ireland’s 2015 Gender Recognition Act was born in an era of optimism and consensus, but as gender-critical activism grows so does debate whether it can hold
Libby Brooks
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/23/ireland-gender-recognition-act-decade

Are sweet potatoes healthy?
This holiday staple is also one of the world’s oldest crops – here’s what to know about adding sweet potatoes to your diet
Adrienne Matei
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/dec/19/are-sweet-potatoes-healthy

‘I want that escape route’: Americans seek dual citizenships under Trump
Some US citizens, grappling with issues from LGBTQ+ rights to the economy, are looking to the countries their families once left behind
Jessica Furseth
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/us-families-dual-citizenship-under-trump

2025.12.22

‘Miracle’ of Zealandia: chick is born to rare takahē pair thought to be infertile
Unexpected arrival is a boon for birdlife in New Zealand, where there are only 500 takahē left
Eva Corlett in Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/21/takahe-chick-rare-born-new-zealand

A mildly subversive gift guide: 10 banned books for curious and rebellious US readers
Gift a banned book to the defiant reader in your life this holiday season. Our picks by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and others have all faced US challenges or bans
Ruth Minah Buchwald
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us/2025/dec/21/banned-books-gift-ideas-guide

From Dr Seuss to All Quiet on the Western Front: 19 books to help you find hope, sense and resistance in difficult times
Writers, activists and politicians on the books they turn to for wisdom and perspective – and to restore their faith in human nature
Paul Daley
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/21/from-dr-seuss-to-all-quiet-on-the-western-front-19-books-to-help-you-find-hope-sense-and-resistance-in-difficult-times

The kindness of strangers: a boy picked up my spilled shopping when I was too pregnant to reach the ground
I’d turned around for a second but that was all it took for my trolley to start rolling away. Before I could react, it tipped over
Nicki Wright as told to Katie Cunningham
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/22/kindness-strangers-spilled-shopping-pregnant

I’m a Grinch and my husband is like Buddy the Elf – here is how we found a Christmas compromise
Polly Hudson
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/21/im-a-grinch-and-my-husband-is-like-buddy-the-elf-here-is-how-we-found-a-christmas-compromise

Sea change: the drive to restore millions of oysters on the Norfolk coast
The first ever mass deployment of mother reef bricks aims to rebuild habitats – and could reshape the North Sea
Amelia Hill
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/21/norfolk-coast-oysters-project

Mayo Clinic has closed six rural health clinics across the state, MPR News reports. The cities of St. Peter, Montgomery, Wells, Belle Plaine, Caledonia and Mankato’s Northridge clinic have all closed this month. “Mayo Clinic Health Systems, a global medical behemoth that raked in close to $20 billion in revenue last year and reported a $1.3 billion operating profit, has cited the difficulty and expense of staffing and maintaining the medical facilities as reasons for the closures.”  Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/19/mayo-clinic-closes-6-rural-minnesota-health-clinics-more-may-follow

Can battery-operated brain implants treat bipolar disorder?
A Q&A with the University of Minnesota’s Ziad Nahas, who leads a team of researchers experimenting with brain stimulation to alleviate symptoms of severe bipolar disorder
by Andy Steiner
https://www.minnpost.com/mental-health-addiction/2025/12/can-battery-operated-brain-implants-treat-bipolar-disorder/

Revealed: how big businesses are rolling back public support for Pride
Guardian analysis of 20 major companies in UK and US shows mentions of Pride on social media have fallen substantially in past two years
Chris Osuh, Raphael Boyd and Geneva Abdul
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/22/revealed-how-big-businesses-are-rolling-back-public-support-for-pride

I thought an edible would take the edge off family Christmas. I spent the day on the floor
Bunny Banyai
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/22/edible-take-edge-off-family-christmas-day-on-floor