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

**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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.