{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6447cb7391dbd3001135bccf/68d575fc136216b12f4156b7?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Why are top comedians performing at a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6447cb7391dbd3001135bccf/1758819352791-587b3115-009e-4a5a-839b-e00b22e840cf.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>This weekend marks the first-ever Riyadh Comedy Festival, with Jimmy Carr, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle on the bill. It’s being reported they are each being paid upwards of $375,000 to perform in a country which severely restricts freedom of speech. What does Trump’s cryptic “good luck to all” at the UN really mean for Ukraine - and should we be worried? Is the breakthrough on Huntington’s disease The News Meeting’s first genuinely good news story?&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer’s International Editor, Steve Bloomfield, and reporters Rachael Healy and James Tapper as they pitch the top story of the day</p><p><br></p><p>** Listen to The Observer’s new culture podcast We Have Notes <a href=\"https://shows.acast.com/we-have-notes-with-liv-little-and-miranda-sawyer\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>HERE</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p>**Join us at the next News Meeting Live <a href=\"https://observer.co.uk/our-events\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>HERE</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p>Follow us on Social Media:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>@ObserverUK on X&nbsp;</li><li>@theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok</li><li>@theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Host: Giles Whittell, Deputy Editor-In-Chief</p><p><br></p><p>Producer: Amalie Sortland</p><p><br></p><p>Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore</p><p><br></p><p><strong>To find out more about The Observer:</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content</p><p>Head to our website <a href=\"http://observer.co.uk/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">observer.co.uk</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Download the Tortoise app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists</p>","author_name":"The Observer"}