This Is Why

JD Vance is the latest senior member of Donald Trump's administration to say the US will walk away from peace talks if there isn’t a yes from both Ukraine and Russia.      But the US plan to recognise Russia's claim to Crimea would be a breach of Ukraine's constitution and so not something President Volodomyr Zelenskyy can agree to even if he wanted to keep the talks alive.     On today's Sky News...

Delegations arrived in London on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine after the discussions were downgraded from the very top level. Officials, including the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been expected to attend, but that’s now not happening. The downgrading in the level of diplomacy is in contrast with an intensification in th...

As Catholics around the world continue to mourn the death of Pope Francis, the process to elect a new pope will begin soon.     But what direction will the new pontiff take? Will the cardinals pick a reformer or go with a traditionalist? And how will the church deal with waning congregations in the global north in comparison with the growing numbers in the south.      Niall Paterson speaks to Fred...

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, a day after appearing in the Vatican’s St Peter's Square to wish worshippers a happy Easter Sunday.     Earlier this year, he was treated in hospital for five weeks with an infection, but had been discharged.  The Argentinian pontiff, who ushered in a swathe of reforms over his 12-year papacy, symbolised to many an increasingly modern, progressive, and inclu...

El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele was welcomed into the White House by President Trump earlier this week. The pair have recently become close allies after Trump began sending Venezuelan immigrations to a prison in El Salvador.   On this Sky News Daily host Niall Paterson finds out who the self-proclaimed "world's coolest dictator" actually is. He speaks to chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay abou...

The definition of a woman is based on biological sex, according to the UK’s most senior judges.      As part of the decision, Lord Hodge, one of the judges, said: “We counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not."      Nevertheless, campaigners who brought this case to the courts cheered and hugged as the judges left...

Jury selection begins on Tuesday in the retrial of the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, where the original charges of rape and sexual assault will be heard again.     Last year his convictions on those charges were overturned due to concerns the judge had made improper rulings.      The accusations against the Hollywood mogul were first published seven years ago - sparking the #MeToo movement....

British Steel's Scunthorpe steelworks are now effectively under government control after the business secretary said Chinese owner Jingye had decided to stop buying enough raw materials to keep the blast furnaces going.  Jonathan Reynolds said the government took the action as steel "is vital for our national security". But with Chinese companies owning hundreds of billions of pounds worth of infr...

On today's Sky News Daily, we're sharing the latest episode of Electoral Dysfunction.  Donald Trump has pressed pause on his higher tariffs... but not before he unleashed absolute chaos on the global economy. It all came down to the bond market - which you might remember from Liz Truss's time as prime minister...  Alongside most countries, the UK still has the base level of 10% tariffs on exports...

It's been five weeks since the Birmingham bin strikes began over a long-running dispute between workers and the council. The city's residents have complained that mounting rubbish is a risk to public health, with rotting food attracting foxes, cockroaches and rats.   Tom Cheshire speaks to Sky's Midlands correspondent, Shamaan Freeman-Powell, who's been in the city finding out how residents are de...

Donald Trump has raised trade tariffs on China again - up to 125% and that's effective immediately. At the same time, he's ordered a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for dozens of countries. If it wasn't a trade war between the world's two biggest economies before - it is now.  On this episode, Mark Austin examines if China will keep on retaliating against Donald Trump. Its tariffs on US imports had...

Unannounced Prince Harry arrived at the court of appeal in London on Tuesday, as part of a last-ditch attempt to overturn the Home Office decision to remove his UK state funded security, something he calls an “injustice”.     It overshadows the King and Queen’s state visit to Italy which comes at a time of geopolitical and diplomatic delicacy as Trump’s tariffs upend world order as we know it.   O...

Today has seen chaos on global stock markets, with price plunges reminiscent of the famous Black Monday crash of 1987. Back then, the causes were unclear, whereas today there's no doubt - Trump's "liberation day" tariffs have spooked the markets.      In 1987, people feared Black Monday was a sign of a global recession. They were wrong. Are we right to have the same fears today?      Tom Cheshire...

The leader of France's far-right National Rally party Marine Le Pen has had her dreams of becoming the president of France thwarted.   It comes after a court found her guilty of embezzling European Union funds. She's now been banned from running for political office for five years.    She has the support of Elon Musk, and Donald Trump who publicly backed her after the conviction, and this weekend...

President Donald Trump has imposed immediate tariffs of 10% on all British exports to the United States.  He did this as he announced a "declaration of economic independence" for the US.      On his self-declared "Liberation Day", Mr Trump described the tariffs as reciprocal and said he was going to be "kind" by charging half of each country’s total "anti-US" measures.  Niall Paterson talks to Sky...

China's economy is already struggling. Growth has slowed dramatically in recent years and there is high youth employment. Since the beginning of March, there's also been a tax of 20% on any goods sold to the US.      Ahead of President Donald Trump’s "liberation day", what effect are tariffs already having on the Chinese economy?       Niall Paterson speaks to Sky's Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Sm...

From 1 April, household bills are going up. The cost of everything from energy to phone bills, council tax, and broadband is increasing. You can calculate how the increases will impact you here.    So, is there any way you can beat the hikes?       Daily host Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s business correspondent Paul Kelso to look at why costs are going up, and gets some advice on how to limit...

Last week, Prince Harry quit as patron of a charity he co-founded in memory of his mother, Princess Diana.     Over the weekend, the charity's chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka told Sky News' Trevor Philips the prince had been "the number one risk" to the charity and accuses the Duke of unleashing "the Sussex machine" on her and Sentebale's staff.    A source close to the former trustees of the charity h...

US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene hit the headlines this week when she told Sky's US correspondent Martha Kelner to "go back to your own country ".     It was the latest controversy in a political career for the Republican firebrand - a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.       But who is she and how influential has she become?    ...

President Trump has announced a 25% tax on all car imports and car parts to the US - they're due to come on 2 April along with tariffs on many other goods in what Trump is calling "Liberation Day".     Rachel Reeves says the UK won't impose retaliatory tariffs yet, in hopes of a deal being struck between the two countries.       Niall Paterson talks to Professor David Bailey about how British car...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out her plans for the UK economy during her spring statement in the House of Commons.     It came as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - which monitors the government's spending plans - unveiled its latest economic forecasts.     Liz Bates is joined by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby, and economics and data editor Ed Conway, to pick through the detail an...

The world is bracing itself for what Donald Trump is calling 'Liberation Day' when on 2 April he's promised tariffs will be placed on most countries trading with the US.      The UK is already feeling the effects of Trump's protectionist policies after tariffs were imposed on its metal industries.      On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to economics and data editor Ed Conway who has been...

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Turkey, following the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu – the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.    Opposition leader Mr Imamoglu is a popular politician and is a 2028 presidential nominee – but last Wednesday he was detained and later formally arrested for corruption, a move he believes is politically motivated.     On Sky News Daily, Liz Bat...

Heathrow Airport has been shut all day after an "unprecedented" fire hit a nearby substation. Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into the blaze, with thousands of people affected by plane cancellations and power cuts.     On the Sky News Daily, Rob Powell talks to The Independent’s travel writer Simon Calder about how airports prepare for an emergency. He also talks to Sky's da...

Prince William is in Estonia to visit British troops but also to show the UK's support for the NATO country which borders Russia.   The King's invitation to Donald Trump to come to the UK for a state visit was seen as a key part of British diplomacy to keep the US president on side. And the King and Queen are due to go to Italy soon with a focus on UK-Italian defence co-operation.    On the Sky Ne...