Judges have been accused of virtue-signalling for awarding Kalu the Turner prize. But both critics and supporters fail to put the art before the artist

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: 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: 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

From a songless summer to ‘Big Album Autumn’, the music industry is adjusting to the sudden drop

In one of the most audacious art crimes in history, masked thieves raided the Louvre and escaped with France's crown jewels. Host: Casey Magloire Writer & Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Rebecca Moore

This month Frieze and, across the Channel, Art Basel are locked in a battle for domination of the global art fair market

Do new oil projects in the Gulf of Mexico signal the end of an international consensus on climate change? Will the Home Office's new plans to curb protests backfire? Six months on from the Supreme Court ruling, why are the public expected to police each other's gender? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Jeevan Vasagar, Ada Barumé and Evan Moffitt as they pitch their top stories of the day.   

Top collectors are waiting it out while galleries cope with a market course correction

Once remote, Uzbekistan is on a national charm offensive, seeking to attract tourists by promoting the arts

A collector plans to float his Dutch masters on the stock market, letting thousands of investors take stakes in the collection

With millions cut from research funds, scientists fear impact of US health secretary’s ‘anti-science ethos’

For more than 50 years LGBTQ+ communities have gathered to both party and protest. As    London prepares for its 5 July march we look at celebrations elsewhere

Two companies are thriving thanks to the surge in arrests of suspected illegal immigrants

A board game re-enactment of the US Capitol riots is a twisted form of catharsis for disaffected liberals