lsanderson | 2025.12.29

Munich’s surfers foiled again after city thwarts effort to restart river wave
Authorities remove beam placed on Christmas Day to recreate Eisbach wave, which vanished in October
Agence France-Presse in Berlin
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/28/munichs-surfers-foiled-again-as-authorities-remove-access-to-famous-river-wave

‘It would drive some people crazy’: Victoria’s French Island remains remote, and that’s how most like it
Just 70km from Melbourne yet only accessible by ferry, the island’s isolation is the source of its appeal and its biggest drawback
Stephanie Convery with photography by Penny Stephens
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/28/it-would-drive-some-people-crazy-victorias-french-island-remains-remote-and-thats-how-most-like-it

Interview
‘What other silences filled my childhood?’: Tareq Baconi on excavating his queer and Palestinian identities
Emma Graham-Harrison
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/dec/28/tareq-baconi-fire-in-every-direction-interview

The photographs that defined 2025 – and the stories behind them
As wars in Ukraine and Gaza continued, anti-government protests erupted around the world. Amid the violence, there were moments of humanity, sporting glory and stunning natural beauty. Photographers reflect on the moments behind the pictures
By Sarah Gilbert and Emine Saner
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/29/photographs-defined-2025-stories-behind-them

My big night out: I woke up on a llama farm in Germany – hungover and lying beside a naked punk
At 20, I went on a European road trip for the summer, where a chance encounter in Cologne taught me the importance of friendship
Dylan B Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/29/my-big-night-out-woke-up-llama-farm-germany-naked-punk

The very next day, you gave it away … how to get rid of an unwanted Christmas gift without getting caught
Eleanor Limprecht
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/30/how-to-get-rid-of-an-unwanted-christmas-gift

Weather tracker: Polar wind set to end warmth in US south and midwest
Ollie Lewis for MetDesk
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/29/weather-tracker-polar-wind-set-to-end-warmth-in-us-south-and-midwest

‘Too important not to fight for’: Spain’s wine industry seeks infusion of new blood
Rural depopulation compounding challenges of climate emergency and changing technologies in drawing young people to sector
Sam Jones in La Seca
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/too-important-not-to-fight-for-spains-wine-industry-seeks-infusion-of-new-blood

Passengers on cruise ship that ran aground off PNG to be flown home after refloat efforts fail
Coral Adventurer, being investigated for allegedly leaving behind passenger who died, ran aground with 124 people on board on Saturday
Andrew Messenger
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/29/passengers-on-cruise-ship-that-ran-aground-off-png-to-be-flown-home-after-refloat-efforts-fail