2 w. ago How the climate crisis showed up in Americans’ lives this year: ‘The shift has been swift and stark’

Guardian US readers share how global heating and biodiversity loss affected their lives in ways that don’t always make the headlines The past year was another one of record-setting heat and catastrophic storms. But across the US, the climate crisis showed up in smaller, deeply personal ways too.Campfires that once defined summer trips were never lit due to wildfire risks. There were no bites where fish were once abundant, forests turned to meadows after a big burn and childhood memories of winter wonderlands turned to slush. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago 'I cheated on my husband for a year and ate my lover alive but now I feel awful'

JUST JANE: Today our agony aunt Jane O'Gorman is dealing with a new issue from a Daily Star reader who romped her way through 2025 with a secret lover but now regrets cheating on her unsuspecting husband

Society

2 w. ago Killer couple and other court cases which shocked Your Local Guardian readers in 2025

Killer couple and other court cases which shocked Your Local Guardian readers in 2025  Guardian Series

Events

2 w. ago ‘I tried. I felt everything’: readers tell us how they would use their last chance to send a letter

With the Danish postal service ending its letter deliveries, we asked what you would put in your final envelopeAt the end of December, the Danish postal service will deliver its last letter, focusing on packages, citing the “increasing digitalisation” of society.While the public will still be able to send letters through the distributor DAO, it made us think about how we would use that last chance to send a letter. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘A bat’s head’: the best and worst gifts 11 people have ever received

Can we learn anything from the experiences of these Guardian readers? Exchanging gifts is delightful. It can also be fraught. How do you choose something the receiver will enjoy or find meaningful? And must you act pleased if you receive a tub of anti-cellulite cream?With the holidays fast approaching, 11 Guardian readers shared the best and worst gifts they have ever received. Can we learn anything from their experiences? Perhaps not: “Don’t just give something that appeals to you,” writes one, and “Always gift something you want,” writes another. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘It contains the greatest song ever about an ice cream truck’: readers’ favourite albums of 2025

The beautiful despair of Cameron Winter, the perfectly imperfect life of Lily Allen, the maximalist R&B of Dijon and more: here’s what our readers have had on heavy rotation• The 50 best albums of 2025The production is uniquely rhythmic and layered, the instrumental performances are all pretty bulletproof, and Cameron Winter’s writing is just ridiculously good. He is able to show us beauty and despair, and the beauty in despair and the despair in beauty. The best track to me is Islands of Men, which builds over this hypnotic instrumental while Winter sings about isolation and self-illusion. Other highlights would be the title track and Half Real, which feels like a dizzy, intoxicated folk song. Geese are the next big thing. Freddie, 18, Surrey Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago ‘I’ve waited for this movie my whole life’: Guardian readers’ best films of 2025

From the surreal fairytale The Ice Tower to the revenge western Tornado, our readers share the films that had the biggest impact on them this yearThe 50 best films of 2025Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the yearMore on the best culture of 2025I still can’t get over Sinners. It’s what the cinema was made for. It looked amazing; its sound was so rich and textured; and the juke joint dance sequence was a genuine WTF surprise that could have been grim but was utter genius. And if you haven’t seen it, please stay for the scene that comes mid-credits: it has to be my favourite five minutes of film all year. Michael, Manchester Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago Guardian readers’ Christmas appeal donations surpass £500,000

Hope appeal is raising funds for five UK charities that build trust, hope and change at grassroots levelDonate to the charity appeal hereGenerous Guardian readers have so far raised more than £500,000 for the Hope appeal supporting inspirational grassroots charities that bring together divided communities, promote tolerance, and tackle racism and hatred.The 2025 Guardian appeal is raising funds for five charities: Citizens UK, the Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust, and Who Is Your Neighbour? Continue reading...

Economics