The News Meeting

It has been a busy year! The Epstein files were released, Prince Andrew is no longer a prince, The Lionesses won the Euros and Ozempic has taken hold of Hollywood. And they are just a few non-Donald Trump related headlines.Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Jeevan Vasagar, Poppy Bullard and Jessy Parker Humphreys, as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the year. **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and [email protected]‬ on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell  Producer: Casey Magloire & Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: Rebecca Moore To find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will European countries decide to give billions of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine? What did we learn about Trump’s White House from Vanity Fair’s 11 months of reporting? How should the government respond to the Palestine Action hunger strikers?Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Senior Producer Katie Gunning, Data and Graphics Editor Katie Riley, and Data Reporter Hannah Schuller as they battle it out for the top story of the day. Find the team’s must reads:All Cock, No Wok**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and [email protected]‬ on bluesky Host: Giles WhittellProducer: Poppy BullardExecutive Producer: Rebecca MooreTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a huge year for British sport: the Lionesses roared to victory in the Euros this summer, the Red Roses won the Women's Rugby World Cup and Lando Norris won Formula 1 drivers' championship.In such a record-breaking year across the sports, who deserves to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year? This year’s contenders are: Hannah Hampton, Chloe Kelly, Ellie Kildunne, Luke Littler, Rory McIlroy and Lando Norris.Andrew Butler is joined by The Observer’s Assistant Sports Editor Jess Hayden, alongside sports reporters Jessy Parker Humphreys and George Simms, as they go head-to-head to debate who deserves to take home SPOTY.Vote for who you think should win here: https://www.smartsurvey.com/t/observersport/ **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and [email protected]‬ on bluesky Host: Andrew ButlerProducer: Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: Rebecca MooreTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the shooting attack at Bondi Beach, Sydney, an act of terrorism and anti-semitism. The Washington Post has introduced AI-generated podcasts, and pro-democracy Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of national security offences.Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s technology reporter Patricia Clarke, senior researcher Serena Cesareo, and our very own producer Casey Magloire, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day. **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and [email protected]‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca MooreProducer: Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: Jasper CorbettTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Iranian leader said the water problem in the capital “cannot be solved” and has suggested evacuating the city’s nearly ten million residents. Iran and Egypt, two countries that criminalise homosexuality, were picked to play the World Cup’s Pride Match in Seattle. And some councils are now regularly paying more than £250,000 a year to support children with special educational needs.Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer reporters Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Jessy Parker Humphreys, and Fronts Editor Evan Moffitt, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day. **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and [email protected]‬ on bluesky Host: Rebecca MooreProducer: Amalie SortlandExecutive Producer: Gary MarshallTo find out more about The Observer:Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentHead to our website observer.co.uk Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.