BYD’s advance raises questions about the retreat from electric vehicles announced by other carmakers

Are fears about microplastics overblown? Why is the assisted dying bill stuck in the house of lords? And what's going to happen when ChatGPT rolls out its new ‘Erotica' feature?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer's Patricia Clarke, Jeevan Vasagar and Jess Hayden to battle out who can pitch the story that should lead the news.   **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: Casey Magloire and Amalie Sortland   Executive Producer: Matt Russell & 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 journalist

The distiller is battling to revive its fortunes amid a shift in drinking habits, which have fallen to their lowest level in decades

Does Keir Starmer need to rethink the UK's approach to America? What does the Brooklyn Beckham bombshell tell us about the relationship between celebrities and the press? And will China put a man on Mars?    Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer's Jon Ungoed Thomas, Cat Neilan and Andrew Butler, as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.    Buy tickets to the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 29th of January HERE    **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk   

Inventor’s company was paid £2.2m in post-Brexit scheme that critics say unfairly rewards wealthiest landowners while small farmers miss out

In this special episode looking at the first year of US President Donald Trump's second term: What will the impacts of Trump's cuts to USAID be? How has Trump reshaped global politics? Is Trump's power threatened more by grassroots activism than pushback from institutions?   Jeevan Vasagar is joined by The Observer's Deputy Comment Editor, Erica Wagner, Head of Data and Graphics, Katie Riley, and Chatham House's Senior Research Fellow for the Latin America, US and North America Programme, Chris Sabatini.    Buy tickets to the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 29th of January 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: Jeevan Vasagar   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  

Survivors of Hurricane Helene recall the storm that was ‘so much worse than anybody thought was possible’

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: 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: Casey Magloire    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 Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

Chief Dan Labbad doubled profits with offshore energy projects and navigated a royal scandal – all while studying for a master’s in computer science

The exceptional Category 5 hurricane that struck Jamaica was made four times more likely by human-induced climate change.   Host: Ada Barume Writer: Jeevan Vasagar  Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Sophia Fenton Executive producer: Rebecca Moore

Developed countries are vieing for control of the materials essential for green technologies, while mineral-rich nations pay the human cost

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.   

The government’s decision to take a stake in Octopus’s software arm is part of efforts to curb homegrown success stories listing in New York

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.   

From the ‘Barbie pig’ to the brittle star, fears are growing that the American plan to speed up mining applications in the Pacific will endanger marine life

Why are there calls to return British art like the original Winnie-the-Pooh doll from America to the UK? Trump and Zelensky have finally signed the US-Ukraine mineral deal, but who is the real winner? With wedding season approaching, what lengths are people willing to take to look slimmer on the big day? Rebecca Moore is joined by Jeevan Vasagar, James Tapper and Vanessa Thorpe, as they battle to pitch the top story of the day.

The government auction has boosted renewables but questions remain over bills and connectivity

As thousands of households are still without water in Kent and Sussex, South East Water may face cross-examination over pattern of failures

People in Kent and Sussex have been left collecting water to flush their toilets as regulator launches two investigations into South East Water

Trump has had it out for the Fed chair for months

Now Venezuelan oil is on the table, the firm faces tough decisions before its new CEO arrives

Chemical synthesis of the breakthrough drugs creates lakes of hazardous solvents that are set to grow as Wegovy pills hit the market. Now a UK startup is exploring a biological solution

The Norwegian CEO of the world’s largest sovereign wealth is confident we don’t face a crisis to rival the dotcom crash

The world is more resilient to disaster but disasters have become all too frequent

City firms, banks and even smaller companies buoyed by focus on growth measures, with the FTSE close to an all-time high

As the Earth approaches its tipping points, Pacific islanders are applying to become climate refugees

Petro-states are blamed for weakening agreement as conference in Brazil comes to a disputed close, reports climate editor Jeevan Vasagar

Missed decarbonisation targets, high prices and political uncertainty are seeing Labour’s bid to make the nation a clean utility ‘superpower’ drift off into the ether