The Observer Daily: Before the red ink disappears

The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom View in browser Before the red ink disappears The best of The Observer, from across our newsroom Erica Wagner • Thursday 26 June 2025 Dear friend, "But what is it like?" That is the question the best journalism can answer, and Sana Nassari's piece on "the daily dilemma of Iranian artists trying to breathe, to write, to paint while their surroundings burn" paints a vivid portrait of creativity in conflict. Nassari is a British-Iranian poet, writer, translator, and art historian based in London. Her work comes to us via WritersMosaic, an online magazine and developmental resource focused on UK writers of the global majority. Click here to read more → "The enemy of nonsense" – George Orwell Also in The Observer Should the Parthenon marbles be given back to Greece? Few topics create as much debate as to whether the Parthenon marbles should remain at the British Museum, or return to where they were removed in the 1800s. In this week's disagreement, Conservative peer Michael Dobbs argues the move would not create a precedent for "the ­ransacking of our museums" but instead "an artistic and cultural ­partnership that would be almost unique". Writer and broadcaster Trevor Phillips asks whether it is "more likely that a person of Greek heritage is going to see the marbles in Athens or in London", saying authenticity is "a slippery concept, which people deploy to their advantage when they feel like it". Click here to read more → Out of left field by Xavier Greenwood      Record-breaking donations, decades of political experience and favourable polling meant that many expected Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic primary to be New York's next mayor. Xavier Greenwood explains why New Yorkers instead chose a 33-year-old legislator and socialist who supports rent freezes, free buses and city-owned grocery stores. This piece is part of The Sensemaker. It features calm and clear analysis on what's driving the news across tech, geopolitics, finance and culture. To get the full newsletter sent to your inbox every morning, sign up here. Click here to read more → 'People say actors should keep their noses out of politics, but life is political' by Olivia Ovenden       "It's about humanity; it's about survival; it's about justice and freedom." Maxine Peake often takes on striking political roles, telling the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Ahead of the release of Words of War, where she plays a Russian journalist who was shot dead in 2006, Peake tells Olivia Ovenden why she believes taking roles like these can still bring about real change, and why even though some actors are "earning huge money", there's still a misconception about wages in the industry: "It doesn't trickle down." Click here to read more → Nigel Slater's midweek dinner At The Observer office, we're between heatwaves. This reprieve from the warmth feels like the ideal time to get back into the kitchen and cook up something hearty. Thankfully, Nigel Slater has once again come to the rescue with his recipe for cod and peas in a tarragon sauce. It's a delight.       Click here to read more → Listen Daily Sensemaker Will the victims of grooming gangs ever get justice? The UK government has launched a new inquiry and national criminal investigation into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs Click here to listen → Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow.    Erica Wagner Contributing editor, comment The Observer   My Account To manage your newsletters, track tickets and more, go to the 'My account' page on the Observer website: Manage my newsletters Follow Follow The Observer on social media on your preferred platform:   The Observer     The Observer Food Monthly The Observer Magazine The Observer New Review   Listen Listen for free in the Tortoise app or wherever you get your podcasts: Want to change how you receive these emails? Update email preferences Copyright © 2025 Tortoise Media. All rights reserved. Did this email get caught in your spam filter? Add editor@newsroom.tortoisemedia.com to your address book to never miss an email again. No longer want to receive this newsletter? Unsubscribe here.