The Team of the Year is a public vote at the Sports Personality of the Year awards – here’s one option…

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  

The appetite for women’s sport seems voracious, but what matters now is retention

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.   

Billed as the game no one wanted, the result is an ugly sign of how deep the crisis is in Welsh rugby

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.  

Drenched, aching and bruised, I witnessed something special: the All Blacks at work

What does the sacking of Peter Mandelson mean for Keir Starmer? Does Vladimir Putin want war with NATO? Is the UK at risk of an uptick in political violence? Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer's Jessica Hayden, Katie Gunning and Bernard Gray as they each try to pitch the top story of the day.  

Many former players watching the rise of the women’s game will be doing so through the haze of neurodegenerative diseases caused by the repeated head impacts they sustained from playing rugby. Their stories are a warning.

More than 1.5 million people in the UK now use weight-loss injections like Mounjaro. But as official prices rise by as much as 140%, illegal trade is growing too.

The greatest sign of a game on the rise is it becoming impossible to ignore

A High Court injunction, granted to Epping Forest District Council, will mean the end of asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel.  Writer & Producer: Amalie Sortland with additional reporting from Xavier Greenwood Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Rebecca Moore

Red Roses produce dominant performance to sweep aside Canada and become world champions for third time

Women’s sports stars are receiving more abuse than men, but can’t afford to leave social media

Sport has always been a proxy battleground, a place where gains can be celebrated even as losses mount elsewhere

Why are TV audiences for women’s sport falling? Was the Nato summit a victory lap for Donald Trump? And who is Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic progressive running for New York City Mayor? Giles Whittell is joined by Katie Riley, data editor at The Observer; Jessica Hayden, The Observer’s assistant sports editor and author of The Red Roses: Behind the Scenes with the England Women’s Rugby Team; and Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to Nato and foreign policy advisor to President Obama. **Join us at the News Meeting Live: LIVE from the Observer Newsroom on Tuesday 29th July - with Charlene White and Kehinde Andrews Follow us on Social Media: @ObserverUK on X @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky Host: Giles Whittell, deputy editor-in-chief at The Observer Producer: Poppy Bullard 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 If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact hello@tortoisemedia.com

Olympic winner and mother-to-be soared over conventions at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials

Red Roses’s brutal pack and squad depth will have to contend against a pacy, controlled Canadian side

The new range is an uneasy collaboration – and relentlessly focused on sex appeal

Red Roses battle past spirited France to seal a place in the World Cup final

Lack of replica kits is a serious missed opportunity to capitalise on the World Cup

International rugby governing body will use data to create guidelines for each position

The tennis superstar has swapped her racket for a syringe. Other athletes may now follow

Ellie Kildunne’s footballing brilliance gets tournament off to near perfect start

As they head into another championship season, the Red Roses’ 2022 loss to New Zealand still feels fresh. In this excerpt from her book about the team, Jessica Hayden recounts that emotional day

Upcoming World Cup on home soil is an opportunity to put women’s rugby at the heart of the national sporting conversation

The Nobel prize winner launches new firm to invest in teams and show girls that they can win equality

Too many female athletes are forced to armour themselves daily against attacks – the solution is to financially empower them