CATEGORIES

How Miss Universe became a symbol of defiance

When Sheynnis Palacios was voted Miss Universe last month it came as a bolt of good news in Nicaragua. Joyous crowds took to the streets of Managua for the first time since mass protests in 2018 that were put down with lethal force.

Under watch Exiled activist still fears China’s surveillance

In August this year, Agnes Chow crossed into mainland China filled with fear. The young activist was in the company of five national security police, taking her from her home in Hong Kong, on what she said was a “propaganda tour” organised by authorities in return for her being allowed to study overseas.

‘We kept going’ Indie publisher marks 25 years of telling tales

When the Zimbabwean editor Irene Staunton and her husband Murray McCartney set up their publishing business in 1998, it seemed natural to call it Weaver Press. Their modest HQ, in the back garden of their home in Emerald Hill, a northern suburb of Harare, looked out on the many intricate nests of the weaver bird that peppered the landscape.

Revealed: 1,000-plus unmarked graves along EU borders

Refugees and migrants are being buried in unmarked graves across the European Union at a level unprecedented outside war. The Guardian can reveal that at least 1,015 men, women, and children who died at the borders of Europe in the past decade were buried before being identified.

Help support refugees torebuild their livesin Safety

As we launch the Guardian and Observer's 2023 charity appeal, we are in the middle of a winter crisis of destitution among refugees on the streets of the UK, and a passionate debate over the strength of Britain's commitment to providing refuge to people fleeing war and persecution.

Dismay over visa plans where 'only the rich may fall in love'

Families fear proposals to more than doublethe earnings threshold could force separation and exile

Conflict without end The urge to annihilate the Hamas monster now risks feeding it

When will it end? Some ask that question in despair, willing an end to the pictures of crushed buildings and destroyed lives, the succession of bleak images that come out of Gaza every day.

Diplomacy Secretary general vows not to give up on Gaza ceasefire

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has vowed he will not give up on seeking a ceasefire in Gaza after the US vetoed the move at the Security Council last Friday, leaving the UN without a clear route to prevent the conflict from lasting many months.

I just keep asking myself how I'll die' Khan Younis residents in fear

As the battle against Hamas escalates in the south of Gaza, the Israeli military has launched a relentless bombardment of the city, which it claims is the organisation's command centre

Evasive Action Can Trump Really Have It Both Ways On Abortion?

A few months ago, the former president Donald Trump accused the Republican party of speaking "very inarticulately" on abortion.

Power dressing

The miracle baby of a Holocaust survivor, who married a prince then became a hugely successful and influential fashion designer, reflects on her 'folkloric' life

Rape is rape, whatever your view of the war.To trivialise it is wrong

There is no such thing as a perfect victim, but a million ways to be an imperfect one. She was drinking.

Parthenon marbles spat is a gift for a PM with troubles at home

For Britain, renewed demands by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece's prime minister, to relinquish the Parthenon marbles brings the country face to face with its colonial past.

Berlin is Kyiv's new best friend.What a difference a war makes

Olaf Scholz, Germany's safety-first chancellor, has been harshly criticised for foot-dragging on military assistance for Ukraine.

Last love

Mary and Derek weren't the first couple to get together at Easterlea Rest Home. But those other relationships had been more like friendships-and this was something else entirely

TOO MUCH STUFF

ONE FREEZING COLD MORNING, I drove past the outer edge of Denver, Colorado, past Buckley Air Force Base, past the suburban neighbourhoods huddled at the edge of the Great Plains.

Why esteem for Kissinger transcended political divisions

One of the few things that still brings the Republican and Democratic political establishments together is their shared reverence for Henry Kissinger.

"This is war' Māori treaty rights at risk from new government

More than 180 years after Mäori leaders gathered near the banks of the Waitangi River to sign the treaty that became New Zealand's founding document, their descendants fear the rights afforded to them in the agreement may be under attack.

Landmark marriage brings joy for same-sex couples

The dancing continued until the early hours. Family and friends and Suru the dog gathered in western Nepal to mark the joyful end to what had been a historic day for Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey.

Gaza conflict reignites tensions with the US

A salvo of machine gun fire, customary during funerals, illuminated the night sky as dozens of men converged in a dimly lit, unpaved alley on the edges of the sprawling slums of Sadr city to pay their respects.

How Chile became a voice for Palestine

The Andean nation has the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East andthe ongoing hostilities in Gaza are being felt deeply

Sellafield nuclear site hacked by groups linked to Russia and China

Exclusive Malware may still be present and potential effects have been covered up by staff, investigation reveals

'Heartbroken' Muslim mayor takes stock of Wilders' win

Soon after news broke that the populist Geert Wilders and his anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) had won the most votes of any party in the Dutch elections, Ahmed Marcouch found himself comforting his distraught eight-year-old.

Why young Europeans are turning towards the far right

Housing, health and economic fears, not cultural factors, are pushing many younger voters towards political extremes

The classic children's books that Putin could not destroy

There it is, on a wintry morning: charred masonry, gnarled metal, glass shards, rubble and dust.

Families reunited as hostages return home from Gaza

Pornsawan Pinakalo's three great aunts would not have missed his return for the world.

'We just wish to be killed' Fear returns as truce ends

Last Friday morning, Reham Shaheen had a rare chance to talk to her husband, Muhanad, who had been sheltering with their family in Deir al-Balah, in the southern half of Gaza, shortly after Israel's military restarted its campaign of bombing.

Will Israel win the battle but lose the war against Hamas?

The scene is one familiar from many conflicts.

Oil and water? Sultan Al Jaber, the host fanning flames of the fossil fuel debate

Cop28 is taking place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates - one of the world's largest exporters of oil and gas.

Dubai's net zero gains

The city-state is offering the UN's global climate conference access to its oil-industry networks in the hope of boosting its soft power brand. But who stands to benefit most?