The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

What is the mood in Iran’s capital? Are people still protesting in the streets? What is the regime saying about what happened? Richard Engel is in Tehran for NBC News and tells Yalda what he is seeing and what officials are telling him. Because of the internet issues in Iran, Richard’s connection dropped off halfway through. Yalda then speaks about her exclusive interview with FIFA boss Gianni Inf...

How does the Iranian regime use technology to control its people? How has AI and misinformation been used in the current wave of protests? The Iranian regime just implemented the longest internet shutdown in its history. For over two weeks, very little information was getting in or out of the country as security forces cracked down hard on protestors. Shutting off the internet is something the reg...

It's been a month since a wave of protests spread across Iran, followed by a brutal government crackdown. With the country under an internet blackout, it's still unclear how many have been killed - Richard and Yalda discuss what the death toll could be and we hear from one woman who shares what life is like inside Iran. With Trump’s Board of Peace now established, Richard and Yalda explain what it...

Why does Donald Trump want Greenland so much? How is Europe reacting? Yalda is at Davos where the president insisted that America must have Greenland. He has announced a framework has been agreed with NATO, but that the details still need to be worked out. Yalda has been speaking to officials in Davos, who told her how betrayed they felt by the president. Yalda also speaks to foreign policy expert...

What does the Iranian diaspora want America to do? Do they want intervention? And what do they think is next for Iran? As protests continue across Iran and President Trump warns of consequences if the killing continues Yalda Hakim sits down with two Iranian American women to hear the views of the Iranian diaspora. In this extra episode of the World, she speaks to Azadeh Afsahi, a human rights acti...

US President Donald Trump says "help is on its way" to the protesters in Iran – but what does he mean? Will the president strike Iran? And what could actually happen if the regime falls? Protests in Iran have been spreading across the country for nearly two weeks. Why are tens of thousands of people out on the street? Richard and Yalda take stock of the fast-moving situation in Iran and try to mak...

What is the real reason that Trump wanted to remove Nicolas Maduro? Could he be about to do the same thing in other countries? And why is he saying he “needs” Greenland? After the audacious events in Venezuela which saw President Nicolas Maduro removed by American special forces and taken to New York to face trial, Richard and Yalda discuss what could happen next in the region. Richard is in Colom...

In this special Christmas episode, Richard and Yalda answer your questions. After a huge year in international news, the two reflect on the year that has been and what might be coming up in 2026. Questions include: What was the defining story of 2025? If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be? And how do you adjust to life after covering conflict? They also answer some more light hearted ques...

What's next for Australia after the deadly Bondi Beach terrorist attack?  Yalda grew up in Sydney and tells Richard about why Bondi is such a special place for her and Australians, as well as sharing how the country might recover after the horrific events.   Yalda has also been speaking exclusively to the sons of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who gi...

What is the truth behind that deepfake of Yalda? Why was it so inflammatory?   A deepfake of Yalda and her guest went viral after it made the two women say something completely false. Yalda tells Richard exactly what happened and why these types of videos can be so dangerous.   Yalda also gets to grips with the new powers granted to Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir with the help of j...

 Is Pakistan slipping into military rule? Why is the UN sounding the alarm about new changes to the country’s constitution?  Will Imran Khan ever be released?    Yalda breaks down exactly what is going on in Pakistan and speaks to one of Imran Khan's close advisors Zulfi Bukhari to get the latest on the former Prime Minister.    Richard is in Ukraine and has an update...

What is actually in the detail of the Ukraine plan? Will Russia agree to the EU and Ukraine's amendments?   The leaked 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine which emerged last week was seen by many as capitulation to Russian demands. In response, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted their counter demands.   Richard has been at the peace talks happening in G...

Is this Mohammed bin Salman’s comeback tour?   Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, also known as MBS, is returning to the White House for the first time since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the country's consulate in Istanbul.  US intelligence concluded that the crown prince approved the...

Donald Trump has moved a large amount of US military force to the Caribbean, but why? Trump recently referred to Colombia's left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, as "an illegal drug leader" and has ordered even more troops to the region. The US military has been bombing alleged "drug-boats" suspected of taking illegal drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl to the US, but are drugs just one part of the s...

What does Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York mayoral race mean for America? Will the Democrats embrace him? What will Donald Trump do?   The youngest person in 100 years has just been elected the city's mayor and Yalda and Dominic Waghorn - stepping in this week for Richard - assess what's happened.   While young people voted overwhelmingly for Mamdani, yo...

Sophy Ridge and Wilf Frost bring you the Cheat Sheet to the day’s news in 10 minutes.  On this first episode, they look at the Huntington mass stabbing and hear from an eye witness. Sophy’s spoken to the sole survivor of the Air India crash which killed 241 people back in June. And Wilf’s heard from the US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, who wants the UK to keep drilling for oil and gas...

Could civil war be about to erupt in Gaza?    As all the remaining living hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, are freed, and almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel are released, Yalda and Richard are in Tel Aviv to debrief on a momentous day for the Middle East.    But with outbreaks of violence between Hamas and rival militias in Gaza, could the Strip be about to descend into civil...

Will Hamas agree to disarm? Will the bodies of all the hostages in Gaza be recovered? Will Israel keep up its side of the ceasefire deal?     In this bonus episode of The World podcast, Richard and Yalda are recording from Jerusalem reviewing the last few days.    Live on air, Yalda got a text from a source inside the negotiating room who gave her the heads up an agreement was coming sooner than e...

How close is a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas? Just how badly does Donald Trump want the Nobel Peace Prize? Why has Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to this deal now?     Richard and Yalda are both in Israel, two years on from the October 7 Hamas attacks, in a week where a ceasefire could be close between the two sides.     Both Richard and Yalda have been speaking to the family members of hosta...

A new US-brokered deal is on the table: Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza is endorsed by Benjamin Netanyahu and awaiting Hamas's response. It promises hostages freed, aid flowing, and Gaza rebuilt under international oversight.  But who really gains, and who gets to decide Gaza's future? Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim break down the proposal and speak to key players about whether peace is final...

What was Donald Trump’s message to the world in his UN speech? Will his position on Gaza ever shift? Will the UK’s recognition of a state of Palestine actually do anything for the Palestinians in Gaza?   Yalda is recording from New York where the United Nations General Assembly is taking place. All the most prominent world leaders are there to talk about global politics and diplomacy. Yalda talks...

What do you do when the President of Ukraine tells you he wants an interview? You get on a plane and go.    Yalda is recording in Kyiv just after she sat down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who agreed to an exclusive interview the day before Donald Trump's state visit to the UK. He also agreed to a rare walk with Yalda around bombed-out Kyiv to show her the extent of the Russian damage.    What was his...

How significant is Israel’s airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar? And, with Russian military drones being shot down in Polish airspace, what will NATO do?    Richard and Yalda debrief on the international reaction to the latest from the Middle East and Europe.    Also featuring interviews with the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and NATO general secretary Mark Rutte.   To watch the whol...

Why has France just lost its fourth prime minister in two years? Why is its debt spiralling out of control? Is the EU going to have to bail it out?    Yalda is in Paris answering all these questions as she covers the fall of Emmanuel Macron's latest prime minister.    Thousands say they will descend on the streets, while opposition politicians call for Mr Macron to stand down. But will he go?    R...

Has Vladimir Putin traded Donald Trump for Xi Jinping?   Yalda and Richard are back from their summer break and unpack the summit in Beijing. The leaders of Russia, India and North Korea are all there - but what is going on? And what will President Trump make of it?   Richard is recording from Israel where hundreds of thousands of people have been out on the streets protesting against the war in G...