Our reporters, including Sandra Laville, Anna Isaac, Helena Horton and Jasper Jolly, have spent a long time exposing the extent of the broken water industry in England and Wales, from debt-ridden monopolies to rivers and beaches soiled by human waste. This week, the sector faced its day of reckoning with a long-awaited report that will see the abolition of water watchdog Ofwat and the introduction of more intense scrutiny to try to get a grip on huge sewage spills and prevent more companies following the fate of Thames Water. Nils Pratley argued the reforms should have happened 20 years ago.
On Wednesday, the international court of justice issued a landmark advisory opinion which stated countries must prevent harm to the climate system and that failing to do so could result in their having to pay compensation and make other forms of restitution. The court said a clean, healthy and sustainable environment was a precondition for exercising many human rights and UN secretary-general António Guterres hailed the decision as a “victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference”. Damian Carrington revealed the extent to which crucial talks on a global plastics treaty have been captured by industry lobbyists and petrostates.
As Donald Trump sues the Wall Street Journal for its reporting on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Callum Jones profiled the president’s complicated relationship with its owner, Rupert Murdoch, and explored how the media mogul attempts to tread a line between newsman and businessman. Margaret Sullivan’s column looked at why Trump worked so hard to kill the story, and how the Journal’s reputation for legally bulletproofing explosive stories could make this lawsuit a more challenging and different beast to what Trump is used to. Politics Weekly America saw the launch of the first part of a fantastic three-part series on Trump and his family. Is he building a political dynasty, asked Jonathan Freedland. Chris Michael and Lauren Hurrell put together a powerful and informative Instagram explainer on how Ice agents in the US are getting away with their aggressive and secretive tactics.
In this exclusive report, Alice Speri took an in-depth look at Harvard’s controversial decision to cancel an entire academic journal about education and Palestine, speaking to authors and editors involved in the special issue who say it’s an example of the “Palestine exception” to academic freedom.
Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok and Kate Lamb reported on the fatal clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops along a disputed section of their border, with both countries accusing the other of provocation. Rebecca explained the background to the long-simmering tensions.
Luke Harding was on the streets of Kyiv as the biggest anti-government demonstrations broke out since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with thousands turning out to protest at president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies. Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk wrote that, even during wartime, some red lines must not be crossed.
Nesrine Malik wrote an insightful Long read on how Qatar has become so central to global diplomacy, as a mediator for peace talks and hostage negotiations related to conflicts on every continent. Also in the Long reads section, Barbara Speed wrote a remarkable account of the rise and fall of the British Christian cult, the Jesus Fellowship, and the story of the women who helped expose the astonishing scale of the abuse committed by the organisation. Barbara began reporting this piece in 2022, and has followed the story ever since.
South Australia’s toxic algal bloom is twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory, has killed 13,800 animals and is filling even the experts with dread. Tory Shepherd and Lisa Cox, as well as our video team, explored the causes and impact of “one of the worst marine disasters in living memory”.
Pippa Crerar’s interview with the UK’s deputy prime minister Angela Rayner at the end of a very bumpy few months for Labour was an insight into the government’s long-term plans as it heads into summer break. Reporters in the Guardian’s business team have travelled around the UK to hear how the decline of heavy industry is creating fertile ground for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and its growing list of promises. Our final report came from Bridgend in south Wales, where the closure of a Ford engine plant has left deep scars in a community that never recovered from the pit closures.
I’ve been captivated by the Women’s Euro 2025, a great advertisement for women’s football. Suzanne Wrack has been there for every second, including England’s heartstopping semi-final win over Italy and appeared with Faye Carruthers on some lively episodes of Women’s Football Weekly. Jonathan Liew was typically brilliant on England’s match-winners in the semi: breakthrough star Michelle Agyemang and the reborn, fearless Chloe Kelly. Joseph Harker was delighted by the win but argued against their decision, in the face of some racist abuse, to stop taking the knee. Sophie Downey was in Zurich to watch a moment of magic from Aitana Bonmatí, the world’s best player, as Spain booked their own place in the final.
The death of Ozzy Osbourne, just weeks after Black Sabbath’s triumphant farewell gig, generated a staggering amount of interest from our readers. Alexis Petridis’s brilliant tribute dug into quite how revolutionary he and the band were, and our coverage culminated with exclusive – and highly emotional – tributes from metal legends including Anthrax, Lamb of God and Gojira, speaking to Ben Beaumont-Thomas and Dave Simpson.
I enjoyed Helen Pidd’s colourful piece asking if her home city of Manchester has been “Londonified”, as she leaves her post as North of England editor (and hundreds of commenters gave their two penn’orth below the line); Paula Cocozza’s interview with Paul Foot about the comedian’s recovery from mental illness and abuse; and novelist Gary Shteyngart, who, having left the Soviet Union for a new life in America as a boy, never imagined he would live under another authoritarian regime. Then Trump got back into power ... Is it, he wrote, time to move again?
One more thing:
I’ve been lucky enough to go to the National theatre in London twice in the past week, to see two top British actors, Adeel Akhtar, in The Estate, and Rosamund Pike, in Inter Alia. Both were exciting, surprising plays showing the exuberance of contemporary British theatre.
