The News Meeting

This episode is a sports desk takeover ahead of the World Cup. What’s going to happen when Iran plays their first match on US soil? Why is FIFA facing allegations of trying to sell tickets using unofficial platforms? And could England win the World Cup?

Andrew Butler, is joined by George Simms, Jessica Hayden and Rory Smith - as they battle it out to pitch the top World Cup story of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Andrew Butler

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head 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.

Why has Pope Leo written 42,000 words warning about the dangers of AI? Why is Britain at risk of ‘losing’ a generation of young people? And what does the European heatwave have to do with the fairness of tennis?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s John Simpson, Jessy Parker Humphreys and Erica Wagner as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Poppy Bullard

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head 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.

Married at First Sight UK has been pulled off air after allegations of rape during filming were made by former participants. What does this tell us about safeguarding in reality TV? Why might Rachel Reeves’s newly announced cuts on food tariffs negatively affect our health? And why has a football club admitted to spying?

Jeevan Vasager is joined by The Observer’s James Tapper, Madeleine Parr and Andrew Butler as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

Note: This episode contains mentions of sexual violence and suicide.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasager

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Poppy Bullard

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head 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.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announces he’s resigning from government in an attempt to force Sir Keir Starmer out of Downing Street. Has the Labour leadership contest officially started? What can we learn from US Donald Trump’s summit with China’s Xi Jinping? And why are young people facing a significant retirement crisis?

Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Cat Neilan and Caitlin Macdonald as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Giles Whittell

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Jasper Corbett

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head 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.

There are council elections in England and votes for the Welsh Senned and Scottish Parliament today. What could the results mean for Keir Starmer, Labour and for the future of politics in the UK? Where did the mysterious hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship come from, and what happens next? And has there been a coverup of Britain’s nuclear weapons testing programme in Australia and the Pacific during the 1950s?

Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer’s Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Poppy Bullard and Jess Hayden as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

**We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk

Follow us on Social Media:
@ObserverUK on X
@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok
@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky

Host: Jeevan Vasagar

Producer: Amalie Sortland

Executive Producer: Gary Marshall

To find out more about The Observer:

Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content
Head 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.