The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

Sky News’ Yalda Hakim and NBC’s Richard Engel have covered world events for years. Now, they have teamed up to share their experiences from the frontline.     They debrief from global flashpoints and discuss their encounters with the biggest decision makers. They’ll also be joined by some of those key players to help make sense of world events.   From conflict in the Middle East, to the US electio...

Will recognising a Palestinian state help the people of Gaza? Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel does not accept certain conditions, including a ceasefire – but what will this actually mean?  Yalda thinks that there are better ways to pressure the Israeli government into allowing more aid into Gaza, and she tells Rich...

On this week's episode, Yalda and Richard talk about the growing international condemnation of Israel's war in Gaza, including from a usually staunch ally – the evangelical right wing of America. But what has made them voice a rare criticism? The two also talk about the shaky ceasefire that is currently in place in the southern Syrian city Sweida. This is the first real test for the new Syrian lea...

This week, Yalda and Richard discuss Donald Trump's big decision to send weapons to Ukraine through NATO. Why has he changed his mind? Yalda gives her take on the situation and why she thinks Trump is following a similar position to presidents before him when it comes to the Russian leader. The two also discuss the UK’s secret Afghan immigration scheme after a massive data leak and gagged media. B...

Richard is just back from Iran and tells Yalda what he saw at the Evin prison which Israel bombed.  The two also talk about Iran's crackdown on Afghan refugees and undocumented workers in the country, some of whom the Iranian government say were working as spies for Israel. But how true is this? Yalda reveals what her Mossad contact told her. They also ask how close a ceasefire in Gaza might be. T...

In this episode, Richard and Yalda lift the curtain on what life is actually like in Iran, as Richard details how he managed to get into Tehran this week - and what he's found out about a country still reeling from the ramifications of the war against the US and Israel. After President Trump announced on Tuesday night that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, we wait to see if Hamas ac...

The World will be in your feeds a little later than usual this week.  To get in touch or to share questions, email theworld@sky.uk 

In this episode, Richard and Yalda react to US President Donald Trump’s ‘they don't know what the f**k they're doing’’ comment on the White House lawn as the shaky Israel-Iran ceasefire comes into effect.  Yalda gives Richard her inside scoop on the phone call Trump had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop him from bombing Iran and further violating the ceasefire. They also ask e...

In this bonus episode, Richard and Yalda get together and talk about President Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran. Yalda is in Jerusalem and Richard is in Tel Aviv where both of them have been reporting all night long. Yalda reveals what her contacts are telling her about the extent of the damage done to the sites. They then ask, what could happen next? To get in touch or to sh...

In this episode, Yalda and Richard meet up in Tel Aviv as they are both in Israel reporting on the Israel-Iran conflict.   Yalda has been in Jerusalem since Israel launched its attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, military bases and top commanders.   She discusses with Richard the toll this new war is taking on the region and the people of both Israel and Iran. She also unpacks her interviews with th...

 Israel has attacked Iran and its operation will continue for "as many days as it takes", according to Benjamin Netanyahu – meanwhile, Iran's leader has vowed "severe punishment" in return.      In this extra episode of The World, Yalda Hakim is joined by Sky News' international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to ask why Israel decided to launch these attacks now and whether this is the start of so...

This week, Richard is in Ukraine, recording just hours after the country was hit with 500 drones from Russia. He is in Mykolaiv and brings Yalda up to speed with what the city is like, over two years into the conflict. Yalda then takes Richard behind the scenes of her headline-making interview with the Russian ambassador to the UK who blamed Britain for the Operation 'Spiderweb' drone attack. Then...

A bunker. A scenario. A group of former senior ministers, military chiefs and other experts. Russia knows our weaknesses – but do you?      Sky News' security and defence editor Deborah Haynes presents The Wargame – a major new five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise, set in the near future.  Launching 10th June.

This week, Richard and Yalda talk about ‘Operation Spiderweb' - the Ukrainian drone attack that is being described by some analysts as 'Russia's Pearl Harbor'.  How did Ukraine pull this unprecedented attack off? Where does this leave peace talks? And how might President Putin respond?  Richard and Yalda also reflect on the difficulties of not being able to report from inside Gaza. Israel has prev...

As international criticism of Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza mounts, Richard and Yalda ask how likely a ceasefire is in the coming weeks.   Also, one of Richard’s contacts tells him how Israel is using talking drones in Gaza which he describes as ‘like something from Black Mirror’. Yalda unpacks her interview with a Hamas official who has an interesting revelation about negotiations.  ...

Former GCHQ director Sir Jeremy Fleming joins Richard and Yalda for a wide-ranging conversation covering the war in Gaza, Donald Trump’s foreign policy, the threat of China and the dangers of AI. What does the former spy chief think will happen in the war in Ukraine? How close is a nuclear deal with Iran? What are the biggest threats to the UK’s national security? Sir Jeremy, who held the top role...

This week, Yalda is in Riyadh and Richard is back in Tehran as they discuss President Trump's trip to the Gulf states.  He hails a "Golden Age of the Middle East" and vowed to stop sanctions on Syria and repeats his desire for a nuclear deal with Iran. Richard also tells Yalda about his trip to Syria where he joined a search for American hostages killed by ISIS - and Yalda shares her concerns over...

In a special extra episode, Yalda talks to Sky News' India reporter and producer Neville Lazurus in Delhi on the roots of the latest hostilities between the two nuclear-armed countries and asks if this has the potential to escalate into a global conflict.

Former US national security adviser John Bolton talks to Yalda about his experience of being the target of an attempted assassination plot by a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Mr Bolton also discusses why he believes China poses an "existential threat" to the West - and why he describes working in Donald Trump's White House as like "living inside a pinball machine". Episodes of...

Yalda and Richard discuss whether there is any rationale behind President Trump's foreign policy or is he just winging it? They analyse the most recent volte-face on his attitude towards Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin and the impact on his popularity at home. Also, Yalda discusses her interview with Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif who admitted his country has been doing America's...

Richard reports exclusively from Tehran and discusses with Yalda whether the US can strike a nuclear deal with Iran. They also discuss the likelihood of war with Israel as well as Iranian women's rights. In addition, Richard and Yalda analyse President Trump’s broader foreign policy as he approaches the 100th day of his second term in office. To get in touch or to share questions for Richard and Y...

Richard and Yalda are joined by one of the world's most eminent historians and political commentators to discuss culture wars, trade wars and the possibility of World War Three over Taiwan.  Sir Niall says the US may be in the stage of "buyer's remorse" with the Trump presidency and predicts that by this time next year he could be "deeply underwater" in the polls. To get in touch or to share quest...

Following Donald Trump's recent interview with NBC's Meet the Press in which the US president said "there are methods" for serving a third term, Richard and Yalda discuss whether this is a reality or a pipe dream.  Also, continuing the theme of popular uprisings around the world, Yalda discusses claims that an illegal sonic weapon was used against protesters in Serbia and how she confronted the am...

This week, Richard and Yalda discuss what she calls the WTF?! moment when it was revealed that the most senior US administration officials had shared details of a highly classified attack on Yemen to a US journalist. And with large-scale demonstrations in Turkey and Tel Aviv against President Erdogan and Prime Minister Netanyahu, they discuss when - if ever - will the American people take to the s...

As well as this week's usual World podcast, Yalda can also be found on Tortoise's News Meeting this week. She debates with Giles Whitell, Patricia Clarke and Cat Neilan as they each pitch a story that they think should lead the news. They debate if the disruptions at Heathrow airport reveal key weaknesses in the UK’s infrastructure, if the US looking to pull out of Ukraine so it can focus on a pot...