As another momentous year draws to a close we take a moment to look back in this, the last edition of the Guardian Weekly in 2024.
This was a year in which billions of people living in more than 80 countries had the right to cast their democratic votes in elections. But with democracy around the world under ever-greater threats – from attacks on freedom of speech, equality of participation and plurality of media to name a few – how did the election process bear up? Jonathan Yerushalmy and Oliver Holmes find reasons for hope amid the pressure.
The Guardian’s global development reporters often tread a path to less visited parts of the world, but there they meet some of the most inspiring individuals to be found anywhere. Our rundown of their heroes of 2024 makes for unmissable and uplifting reading.
There are brilliant pictures of the year’s biggest moments from the agency photographers of the year, and fantastic destinations that the Guardian’s travel team came across in 2024.
Then it’s on to the best films, music and television of the year, the latter selected by the Guardian Weekly’s crack team of channel surfers.
The Guardian Weekly now takes a break until the new year – our next edition will be on 3 January. If you mark a holiday at this time of year, we hope it is a peaceful one.
Gift a subscription to the Guardian Weekly this Christmas
***
Essential reads in this week’s edition
1
The big story | France and the shadow of the Pelicot trial
The mass rape case, in which verdicts and sentencing are expected this week, has horrified the world. But this is not French society’s first attempt to confront a sexually abusive culture, writes Kim Willsher, who has witnessed the harrowing proceedings in Avignon
2
Spotlight | How Ukrainian power plant workers keep the country running
As winter closes in, Shaun Walker visits a Soviet-era coal-fired thermal installation to explore how it has held up to Russian attacks
3
Opinion | After the fall of Assad, the least Syrians deserve is our optimism
With the tyrannical dynasty gone, it’s important not to impose a negative script on what comes next. Syrians deserve support and hope, argues Nesrine Malik
4
The shamelessness of Fifa’s process in awarding the 2034 tournament to Riyadh was a display of contempt for governance, democracy and good sense, writes Barney Ronay
***
What else we’ve been reading
With France on its fourth prime minister in a year and Germany facing a snap election in February, Paris and Berlin correspondents Jon Henley and Deborah Cole explain why the driving forces of the European Union are in the doldrums. An excellent primer to understand what will be a shaky start to next year for European politics. Isobel Montgomery, deputy editor
***
Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Does Google’s ‘mindboggling’ new chip bring quantum computers any closer?
• Video | ‘The Syrian regime hit us with chemical weapons: only now can we speak out’
• Gallery | Pointless jobs: the unbearable ennui of office life
***
Get in touch
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
***
Follow us
Get the Guardian Weekly magazine delivered to your home address
