Category Archives: Photography

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

2025.12.25

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!

2025.12.14

‘Like a mini Louvre’: two generations of Rothschilds fight over treasure trove of artworks
Baronesses Nadine and Ariane de Rothschild at odds over future of Swiss chateau’s priceless contents
Kim Willsher in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/14/like-a-mini-louvre-two-generations-of-rothschilds-fight-over-treasure-trove-of-artworks

Two girls, 9 and 11, awarded $31.5m after sister’s California torture death
Arabella McCormack, 11, died after being tortured and starved by adoptive family and police and church failed to intervene
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/13/adopted-girl-torture-death-california-settlement

Review
The Revenge Club review – this starry divorce caper makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time
Martin Compston and Meera Syal are among the names in this tale of divorcees hitting back at their exes. It’s a thriller, comedy and psychodrama all at once – but could maybe do with being more simple
Lucy Mangan
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/12/the-revenge-club-review-this-starry-divorce-caper-makes-you-want-to-laugh-and-cry-at-the-same-time

Washington state flood waters receding after days of rescues and evacuations
No fatalities reported in flooding, which prompted Trump to approve emergency declaration request from governor
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/13/washington-state-flood-waters-recede

Psychedelic treatments show promise for OCD while cannabis doesn’t, review finds
Psychiatry professor theorizes that the difference is related to how the substances interact with areas of the brain
Hannah Harris Green
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/13/psychedelics-ocd-treatment-psilocybin

The Geminid meteor shower and hundreds of Santas: photos of the weekend
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Arnel Hecimovic
https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2025/dec/14/the-geminid-meteor-shower-and-hundreds-of-santas-photos-of-the-weekend

Bondi — It was heading for 100 degrees fondly Fahrenheit, the only time I’ve been to Bondi Beach. No shooters, though. FYI: It’s pronounced BOND-EYE Beach, not Bondy Beach. Who knew?

2025.12.13

The great outdoor freezer has roared back to life! Stay warm!

Subzero temperatures are on their way to the Twin Cities this weekend, and it could be the coldest December day in decades. If “the temperature drops to -11 or colder Saturday night, that will be the earliest we’ve seen that kind of reading or colder since 1996. If we can slip to -12 or colder, that bar is even farther back, 1989,” according to Bring Me The News. And while that’s cold, it’s also worth noting that we had much colder Decembers in decades past: “December as a whole has warmed an eye-popping 5.5 degrees in just 50 years, our fastest warming winter month.” 
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-weather/deep-freeze-could-bring-cold-the-twin-cities-hasnt-felt-this-early-in-30-years

There’s finally a plan for George Floyd Square. The Minneapolis City Council approved the “flexible-open” option for the intersection of 38th and Chicago, KSTP reports. This option “will keep Chicago Avenue open to traffic — including buses — but will allow for temporary closures for special events.” 
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/minneapolis-city-council-finalizes-plan-for-george-floyd-square-that-allows-through-traffic/

If you’re willing to brave the cold, Racket offered their weekly compendium of free things to do this weekend. You’ll find plenty of holiday-related activities to do gratis. 
https://racketmn.com/freeloader-friday-163-free-things-to-do-this-weekend

The level of disfunction in Twin Lakes has grown such that many townsfolk are calling for the city government to be dissolved, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. “The shouting, threats and sarcastic barbs have been flying for months at city meetings in this town of 130 near the Iowa border. There are complaints about tap water running black, fights over city hiring and multiple allegations of misdeeds. … In a small-town smackdown, 34 residents have signed a petition to take Twin Lakes off the map by dissolving the city government.” This piece reads with all the intrigue and tension of a reality TV drama. Via MinnPost
https://www.minnpost.com/glean/2025/12/calls-to-dissolve-twin-lakes-city-government/

Counterpoint: Ranked-choice voting didn’t fail Minneapolis
RCV has ensured majority winners, given voters more meaningful choices, eliminated low-turnout primaries and opened the political process to a broader, more diverse field of candidates.
by Michael Minta
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2025/12/counterpoint-ranked-choice-voting-didnt-fail-minneapolis/

House Republicans propose healthcare plan with no extension of tax credits
With insurance premiums set to rise sharply for at least 22 million Americans, Mike Johnson unveils alternative
Guardian staff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/12/house-republicans-health-insurance-plan

Trump attacks old foe Biden – but presidential parallels hard to avoid
US president finds himself shouldering same burdens of affordability crisis and the inexorable march of time
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/13/trump-biden-rivals

Epstein Pr0n
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2025/dec/12/jeffrey-epstein-released-photos

Our 25 favourite European travel discoveries of 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/dec/13/travel-writers-top-25-favourite-travel-discoveries-europe-2025

Not automagical and quite hard:
Dorothy Parker ‘fwowed up’ in a 1928 review of which children’s classic? The Saturday quiz
From demon, equal and encyclopedia to The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz
Thomas Eaton
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/13/dorothy-parker-fwowed-1928-childrens-classic-book-review-saturday-quiz

A Quiz for the Rest o’ Us
Why do moths eat clothes and how old is the universe? The kids’ quiz
Five multiple-choice questions – set by children – to test your knowledge, and a chance to submit your own junior brainteasers for future quizzes
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/13/why-moths-eat-clothes-how-old-universe-kids-quiz

Automagical Quiz and hard:
Weekly quiz: Which countries said they would boycott Eurovision?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j9867wppxo

2025.12.04

MPR News looks at how many Somalis in Minnesota could be impacted by a planned federal operation that would target those who have final orders of deportation. Out of the approximately 80,000 Minnesota Somalis, “[l]ocal advocates estimate that a few hundred people statewide could be directly affected by such an operation. This comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s recent call to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals, a move that could similarly affect several hundred more.” There are currently 705 Somali migrants in the U.S. with TPS. Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/03/how-many-somalis-in-minnesota-could-be-impacted-by-federal-intervention

With the 100th anniversary of the Heights Theater coming up, the Columbia Heights icon has been sold, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Longtime owner Tom Letness is passing the baton to the group that runs Chicago’s Music Box Theater, “a similarly vintage yet adventurous movie house with a good reputation. They intend to keep a lot of the current film programming in place and add a lot more.”  Via MinnPost
https://www.startribune.com/heights-movie-theater-columbia-minneapolis-sold-chicago-music-box-theater-wurlitzer-organ/601538558?utm_source=gift

‘Never seen anything like this’: alarm at memo from top US vaccine official
Vinay Prasad memo said at least 10 children had died from Covid vaccination – but offered scant evidence for claim
Melody Schreiber
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/04/us-vaccines-vinay-prasad-memo

Detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ facing ‘harrowing human right violations’, new report alleges
Amnesty International finds immigrants at Florida facility were shackled and left outside in metal cage for up to a day
Richard Luscombe in Miami
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/04/alligator-alcatraz-human-right-violations-amnesty-report

New England warming faster than most places on Earth, study finds
Pace of area’s temperature rise, outpaced in US only by Alaskan Arctic, apparently increased in past five years
Oliver Milman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/03/new-england-warming

How an invasion of purple flowers made Iceland an Instagram paradise – and caused a biodiversity crisis
Nootka lupins, introduced in the 1940s to repair damaged soil, are rampaging across the island, threatening its native species
Patrick Greenfield
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/04/invasive-species-flowers-iceland-nootka-lupins-lupines-aoe

‘Biggest band that ever lived’: inside the Grateful Dead art show
As the band celebrate their 60th anniversary, a California exhibition draws attention to the unique psychedelic artwork that has long told their story
Matt Shaw
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/04/grateful-dead-band-art-show-california

Interview
Ballet star Matthew Ball on gruelling roles and getting ogled on Instagram: ‘I don’t feel precious about my body’
Lyndsey Winship
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/dec/04/matthew-ball-dancer-interview-royal-ballet-mayara-magri-dance

Interview
Paul Anka on his incredible, star-studded career: ‘Revenge is a motivator like you wouldn’t believe’
Jim Farber
The musician, who wrote My Way and Puppy Love among others, talks career longevity, shrewd business and which star bullied him in his youth
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/03/paul-anka-musician-career-interview

Indian scientists spot Milky Way-like galaxy from 12 billion years ago
Geeta Pandey
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmdk7wkmz4o

Almshouse’s 15th Century painting sells for £5.7m
Curtis Lancaster
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxgy49qgvvo

2025.11.18

The origins of Bemidji’s iconic Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues
The prototypical “roadside colossus” inspired dozens of other Midwest cities to create similar works in the decades that followed.
by Jennifer Kleinjung
https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2025/11/the-origins-of-bemidjis-iconic-paul-bunyan-and-babe-the-blue-ox-statues/

It’s deer hunting season, and if you’re heading to the woods, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants your help in fighting a disease impacting deer. KTTC reports “chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious fatal brain condition that affects deer. … Hunters in affected areas must provide CWD samples if it’s in a mandatory sample requirement area.” Via MinnPost
https://www.kttc.com/2025/11/17/minnesota-dnr-asks-hunters-help-fight-chronic-wasting-disease/

Jeffrey Epstein’s emails reveal a disdain for morality among the elite
Moira Donegan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/17/jeffrey-epstein-emails-elites

Doing your own research isn’t a bad thing, I tell my patients. But just how will they spot the fraudulent papers?
Ranjana Srivastava
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/19/doing-your-own-research-isnt-a-bad-thing-i-tell-my-patients-but-just-how-will-they-spot-the-fraudulent-papers

The wild old wicked gang: great Irish writers – in pictures
Edna O’Brien on her sofa, Joseph O’Connor in his garden, Seamus Heaney surrounded by books … British photographer Steve Pyke on capturing the greats of Irish literature
https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2025/nov/18/edna-o-brien-seamus-heaney-steve-pyke-irish-writers-in-pictures

‘Fights for our material survival’: documentary goes inside the battle for trans rights
In Heightened Scrutiny, the fight driving activist and lawyer Chase Strangio is backgrounded by a deep dive into how the media has helped to push an anti-trans agenda
Veronica Esposito
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/17/heightened-scrutiny-trans-documentary-sam-feder

Legendary game designer, programmer, Space Invaders champion, and LGBTQ trailblazer Rebecca Heineman has died
News
By Ted Litchfield published 15 hours ago
Shamelessly stolen from Andrew Ducker
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/legendary-game-designer-programmer-space-invaders-champion-and-lgbtq-trailblazer-rebecca-heineman-has-died/

2025.07.08

Texas pediatrician ‘no longer employed’ after post about pro-Trump flood victims
Physician made a post wishing that Maga supporters in Kerr county ‘get what they voted for’ amid flash flooding
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-pediatrician-maga

‘Deep rooted’ camp tradition continues in Texas despite flood devastation
Mothers say it is important to return to normalcy after deadly floods in which 27 campers and counselors were among those killed
Edward Helmore in Kerrville, Texas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-campers-children-continue-camp

Floods are swallowing their village. Trump’s EPA cut a major lifeline for them and others
The administration has wiped over $2.7bn in climate grants, hitting underserved communities across the US the hardest
Ames Alexander for Floodlight
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/07/trump-administration-epa-grants-floods

‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees
Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too
Phoebe Weston
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/08/record-us-bee-colony-dieoffs-climate-stress-pesticides-silent-spring-aoe

The life swap dream – or a marketing gimmick? The Italian towns selling houses for €1
Frustrated with my life back in the US, I was captivated by the idea of a new home – and new life – for less than the price of an espresso. So I travelled to Italy to find out whether it was too good to be true
By Lauren Markham
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/08/the-life-swap-dream-or-a-marketing-gimmick-the-italian-towns-selling-houses-for-1

Studios are rewriting movies steered by Reddit. A dangerous development – or long overdue?
Ben Child
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/08/spider-man-no-way-home-director-jon-watts-reddit

Is the New York Times trying to wreck Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid?
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/07/is-the-new-york-times-trying-to-wreck-zohran-mamdanis-mayoral-bid

Review
Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes review – eye-opening snapshot of New York’s queer scene
Documentary celebrates the American photographer who lived, breathed and captured the shimmering fever dream of NYC’s gay culture in the 1940s and 50s
Leslie Felperin
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/hidden-master-the-legacy-of-george-platt-lynes-review-eye-opening-snapshot-of-new-yorks-queer-scene

A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer
On retiring at 56, Michelle Jackson needed a big new challenge. So she picked up her first proper camera and was soon spending 20 hours a week in the field, and winning awards
Paula Cocozza
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jul/07/new-start-after-60-quit-job-bought-camera-became-successful-wildlife-photographer

First malaria treatment for babies approved for use
Dominic Hughes
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e872jdjxo

2025.06.23

‘Swedes like generous, personal, lived-in spaces’: The Scandi homeware style that Swedish people love
Dominic Lutyens
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250620-the-true-scandi-style-that-swedes-love

How the Grateful Dead built the internet
Allegra Rosenberg
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250618-how-the-grateful-dead-shaped-social-media

Some beaches closed in Hennepin County after water test results
By Kilat Fitzgerald
https://www.fox9.com/news/beaches-closed-hennepin-county-water-test-results

Thousands still without power, cleanup continues after severe storms in northern Minnesota
Andrew Krueger
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/22/thousands-without-power-cleanup-continues-severe-storms-northern-minnesota-bemidji

‘Perpetual crisis mode’: how Trump uses emergency declarations to push radical agenda
President’s dubious claims of ‘emergency’ threaten civic and political norms in authoritarian style, experts warn
Peter Stone in Washington DC
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/23/trump-emergency-declarations-politics-law

‘I’m scared to death to leave my house’: immigrants are disappearing from the streets – can US cities survive?
Heavily immigrant towns and cities in California resemble ghost towns as fear of Ice raids grip local residents
Cindy Carcamo, Dianne Solis and Alfredo Corchado in Santa Ana, California
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/23/immigrants-disappearing-us-cities

First images of distant galaxies captured by ‘ultimate’ telescope
Stunning pictures from Vera C Rubin observatory in Chile released at start of 10-year survey of cosmos
Ian Sample Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/23/first-images-of-distant-galleries-captured-by-ultimate-telescope

Rich Americans flock to apply for New Zealand’s ‘golden visas’ after rules relaxed
Coalition government loosened requirements for its Active Investor Plus visa in bid to boost flagging economy
Eva Corlettin Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/23/americans-new-zealand-golden-visas-trump

Free buses, more housing, taxing the rich: how Zohran Mamdani has gone viral in the New York mayor’s race
He was 30 points behind former governor Andrew Cuomo just months ago, but now he’s surging in the contest to lead the largest US city
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/23/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-mayor-race-viral

Travels in Moominland: summer in Tove Jansson’s Finland
The children’s book author spent the precious long Nordic days in simple, off-grid cabins on small dreamy islands – a tradition many Finns still follow
Ailsa Sheldon
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/jun/23/summer-in-tove-jansson-finland-moomins

2025.06.21

Harvard hired a researcher to uncover its ties to slavery. He says the results cost him his job: ‘We found too many slaves’
When the extent of the university’s involvement with slavery was unearthed, a scholar tracking descendants of enslaved workers was suddenly fired
Michela Moscufo
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jun/21/harvard-slavery-decendants-of-the-enslaved

The Minnesota shootings illuminate the character of the Trump era
Sidney Blumenthal
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/21/minnesota-shootings-trump-mike-lee-vance-boelter

Social success not about who you know – it’s about knowing who knows whom
Knowledge trumps popularity in the long haul of trying to be influential, researchers say
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/20/social-climbing-stanford-university-research

Why the summer solstice is a ‘celestial starting gun’ for trees
Research suggests longest day is a cue for beeches and other species to launch their growth strategies
Linda Geddes
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/21/trees-summer-solstice-celestial-starting-gun

Week in wildlife: acrobatic dolphins, a lost baby raccoon and a pair of Bambis
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
Joanna Ruck
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/jun/20/week-in-wildlife-acrobatic-dolphins-a-lost-baby-raccoon-and-a-pair-of-bambis

Summer reading: the 50 hottest books to read now
From dazzling debuts to unmissable memoirs, prize-winning novels to page-turning histories … Plus our pick of paperbacks and children’s fiction
Justine Jordan, David Shariatmadari, Imogen Russell Williams and Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2025/jun/21/summer-reading-the-50-hottest-books-to-read-now

Ghibli’s midlife crisis: as beloved Japanese studio turns 40 will the magic fade?
Much of Studio Ghibli’s success is down to one man: 84-year-old Hayao Miyazaki, a master animator whose presence towers over the studio’s output
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/21/ghiblis-midlife-crisis-as-beloved-japanese-studio-turns-40-will-the-magic-fade

‘In every theatre, people would leave’: How ‘gay cowboy movie’ Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood – and the US
Nick Levine
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250620-how-gay-cowboy-movie-brokeback-mountain-challenged-hollywood-and-the-us

‘Miners showing solidarity at Pride 40 years ago was significant’
Miriam Barker
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqnzp278lvo

China has millions of single men – could dating camp help them find love?
Helen Bushby
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e0p9eg6gyo

Parties, pyres and pharaohs: Africa’s top shots
Natasha Booty
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly2r4lnwgwo