Russian spy ship near the UK

A Russian spy ship has directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots monitoring its movements near UK waters. What is President Vladimir Putin trying to achieve with this latest provocation? Scotland has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Can this rare moment of sporting joy help unite the nation? Meanwhile, councils are weighing up the sale of youth and community centres. What consequences could these closures have for local communities? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Assistant Sports Editor, Jessica Hayden, Data and Graphics reporter, Becky Pinnington, and Contributing Editor on National Security, Bernard Gray, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day. Get your ticket for the News Meeting Live here: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-6 **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 Whitell Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore 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 Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Denmark is inspiring Shabana Mahmood’s new asylum policies

The Home Secretary has announced a raft of tough immigration controls to make the UK a less attractive destination for illegal migrants. The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh was sentenced to death, how is the UK connected to alleged corruption in her regime? And why does President Donald Trump suddenly want to release the Epstein files? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Cat Neilan, Bex Sander and Serena Cesareo, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day. Listen to our Londongrad podcast series: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/londongrad/id1625862285 Get your ticket for the News Meeting Live: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-6 **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: Rebecca Moore Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Katie Gunning 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 Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Donald Trump and the Epstein emails

Twenty thousand documents from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been released. Could emails referencing Donald Trump divide his loyal MAGA base? Has a No. 10 briefing warning backbenchers about a possible coup exposed a vulnerability in Keir Starmer’s leadership? And Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion, but is that even possible? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Alexi Mostrous, Chloe Hadjimatheou and Poppy Bullard, as they battle it out and pitch the top stories of the day.

Zohran Mamdani takes on President Trump

Why are so many prisoners being released from prison by mistake? What happens if Arts Council England goes under? And what can the Democrats learn from Mamdani’s New York City mayoral election victory? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Deputy Sports Editor, Andrew Butler, Arts and Media Editor, Vanessa Thorpe, and reporter Jon Ungoed-Thomas as they pitch their top stories of the day. Must Reads: Days of wine and noses: the life of a critic: https://observer.co.uk/style/food/article/days-of-wine-and-noses-the-life-of-a-critic **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: Rebecca Moore Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producers: Matt Russell and 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 Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

Sudan’s civil war: reports of mass killings

Will there be any voter suppression in Tuesday’s US elections? Why did a British university prevent one of its academics from researching human rights abuses in China? Are Sudan’s rebels using British-made equipment on the battlefield? Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s Data and Graphics editor, Katie Riley, Senior Audio Producer Katie Gunning, and Senior Researcher Serena Cesareo as they pitch their top stories of the day Must Reads: She Was Ready To Have Her 15th Child. Then The Felony Charges Began. The Great Ghosting Paradox The Cocaine Kingpin Living It Large In Dubai Assata Shakur Obituary **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 Whitell Producer: Poppy Bullard 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 Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

The deadly police raid in Brazil

What do we do with the knowledge that climate change made Hurricane Melissa worse? Why was there such a deadly police raid in Brazil? And why isn’t hospice care treated as an essential part of healthcare?  Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Data and Graphics editor, Katie Riley, and reporters James Tapper and Rachael Healy, as they pitch their top stories of the day. Must Reads: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/03/some-people-cant-see-mental-images-the-consequences-are-profound https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/relationships/a63915627/political-beliefs-dating-app-experiment/ https://www.premierleague.com/en/ **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: Rebecca Moore Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Matt Russel

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in the Caribbean

The storm caused widespread damage in Jamaica and is making its way to Cuba; is climate change to blame for its power? What - or who - is behind Donald Trump’s obsession with Venezuela? Is it good news that a cargo ship has made it through the North East Passage for the first time? Jeevan Vasagar is joined by the Observer’s Erica Wagner, Jessica Hayden and Chloe Hadjimatheou as they pitch their top stories of the day, live from the Observer newsroom.

What Amazon’s outage reveals about who runs the internet

Which international peacekeeping forces might be present in Gaza, and what will their role be? Is the fact that kids on free school meals do worse in their GCSEs a symptom of a failed state? Does the Amazon outage show that the internet is too reliant on a small number of companies? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer’s Stephen Armstrong, Bex Sander and Ruth Michaelson as they pitch their top story of the day.

Is Vladimir Putin outsmarting Donald Trump?

Trump imposed what he called “tremendous” sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies. What’s next for the Trump-Putin rollercoaster? President Trump is planning to demolish the East Wing of the White House as early as this weekend. Who will pay for this 99,000ft ballroom? Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed for gross misconduct following their appearance in a BBC Panorama undercover investigation that caught serving officers making racist and misogynistic comments. Giles Whittell is joined by journalist and author Ari Shapiro, former US representative to NATO and foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama Ivo Daalder and The Observer’s Jessica Hayden, as they pitch their top story of the day.