This Is Why

After Israel launched strikes on Iran for the first time since April – against US wishes – are the cracks beginning to show between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu? The episode is another sign of the growing friction between the US and Israeli leaders, following reports of heated disagreements behind closed doors. Is Washington’s influence over Israel starting to wane? And as Netanyahu ramps u...

The idea of two princesses living in luxury while the King pays their rent may have seemed normal in days gone by – but surely not in 2026. Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of former prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, have been enjoying that very arrangement despite being non-working royals. So, who are Beatrice and Eugenie? How have they navigated the scandal over their parents' links to Jeffre...

He was already the richest man on the planet. Now Elon Musk's wealth is about to go stratospheric. The SpaceX founder will become the world's first trillionaire when he launches the company on the US stock market next week. One trillion seconds amounts to a staggering 31,700 years. One trillion dollars would give Musk almost unimaginable influence. What are the dangers of him – and other tech gian...

Moscow may have hit Ukraine with one of its biggest attacks of the war so far - but is it Russia’s economy that’s starting to crack? Businesses are closing while bills and taxes are on the rise – as the growing cost of the conflict is felt on the high street and in homes as much as the battlefield. With his hometown under attack from Ukrainian drones, what does Vladimir Putin fear most - losses on...

Is the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak a new low for the police - or an excuse for political point scoring? Henry was handcuffed as he lay dying after being stabbed, having been falsely accused of racially abusing his Sikh killer, Vickrum Digwa. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claims this is yet another example of 'two-tier policing', where white people are treated differently to ethnic minorities...

A year on from publishing a plan to make the UK's military fit for purpose, the government still hasn't said where the money's coming from. It now admits the long-delayed defence investment plan is still weeks away from being published. The prime minister has committed to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence by 2035 - but is Sir Keir Starmer willing to sanction cuts elsewhere, from welfare or the NHS...

A Blue Origin rocket explosion during a test launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida could have huge implications for Jeff Bezos' ambitions in space. His company had just won a big NASA contract to deliver lunar landers to the moon using his New Glenn rockets which are specifically designed to carry cargo. The failure will also affect NASA's moon plans, which already included little margin for error....

At least eight teenagers have died after getting into difficulty in open water during the UK’s record-breaking heatwave. The tragedies have caused the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to warn of the dangers of “cold water shock”, as many try to cool down in the baking heat. The deaths have also happened days before the official start of summer - so what can be done to keep people safe in...

The head of the GCHQ intelligence agency has warned that Russia is going after critical infrastructure and democracy in the UK. Anne Keast-Butler also used the inaugural GCHQ annual lecture at Bletchley Park to say the threat of this "daily hybrid activity" leading to a wider conflict is as "high as I’ve ever seen it". Her warning comes days after an RAF jet carrying the UK's defence secretary Joh...

Three teenagers who avoided jail over the rape of two girls in Hampshire will now have their sentences reviewed after a judge initially said he wanted to "avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily". One of the victims described the ruling as being like a "rock straight in my face". The attorney general, Lord Hermer, has announced that the Court of Appeal will review the sentences. His offic...

In all corners of the United Kingdom, parties that back independence are now in charge. The SNP retained control in Scotland and Plaid Cymru took power in Wales for the first time following the May elections. And, with Sinn Fein becoming the biggest party in Northern Ireland back in 2022, it now means all three devolved legislatures in the UK are led by nationalist parties. So, what's behind their...

Thomas Tuchel is England’s first German-born manager. He has led some of Europe’s biggest clubs, from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich to Chelsea, where he won the Champions League. But he has rarely stayed long in one place; Tuchel has had fraught relationships with club owners and executives. Now, as he announces his squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America, some of his selection decis...

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Britain has sanctioned Moscow’s economy in an attempt to weaken Putin's war machine. But this week, the UK introduced a new exemption allowing diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil to enter Britain via third countries. So, has Britain quietly relaxed its sanctions on Russia? And more broadly, have Western sanctions actually worked? Niall is joined by Tom Keatinge,...

President Xi Jinping's hopes of putting China at the centre of a new world order have been given a boost by back-to-back visits of two of his fellow world leaders. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump both had the red carpet rolled out but the US president left without securing any major deals, while Putin has signed at least 20 deals and significantly a joint declaration on establishing a multipolar w...

Tech titan and X owner Elon Musk has seen his high-profile lawsuit against the boss of OpenAI Sam Altman thrown out of court. Musk accused his rival of making OpenAI, which created the increasingly popular ChatGPT, a profit-making company after he had donated $38 million to it. The jury may have ruled against Musk, but the feud between the two tech tycoons is likely to continue – and could define...

A new strain of Ebola virus has been declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organisation. More than 300 suspected cases have been identified – with at least 80 deaths reported. The outbreak is mostly confined to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but two cases have already spread to Uganda. Plus, a number of American citizens have also been exposed to the virus. N...

The constituency of Makerfield has been a Labour safe seat for generations, but in the May elections, Reform UK won nearly every seat that was up for grabs at the local council. So how much of a gamble is it for Andy Burnham to try to stage a Commons return here? In his favour is his personal popularity in Greater Manchester and the fact he grew up in the area. Against him is the momentum of Refor...

On Thursday lunchtime, Wes Streeting resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government. The now-former health secretary said he had “lost confidence” in the PM’s premiership – the first cabinet minister to jump ship. But what he didn’t say (yet) is that he will challenge Starmer for the Labour leadership – and with it, the keys to Number 10. So, why hasn’t Streeting fired the starting gun on a contest h...

The UK is providing jets, drones and our only operational Type 45 destroyer – HMS Dragon – as part of a multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Thousands of tankers and cargo ships remain stranded after the Strait was closed at the end of February due to the Iran war. Defence Secretary John Healey has stressed the deployment is a defensive measure to secure freedom of navigation – bu...

Keir Starmer is on the brink, as more and more Labour MPs and ministers call for his resignation – less than two years after he walked into Number 10. He remains defiant (for now), but whatever the fate of the prime minister, his predicament is one we've seen repeated over the past decade in a seemingly never-ending cycle of chopping and changing leaders. Since David Cameron's resignation in 2016...

Despite a disastrous set of local and national election results, the prime minister has vowed to carry on regardless. But dozens of Sir Keir Starmer's Labour MPs have now called on him to resign – or at least set out a timetable for when he will leave Downing Street. Surely choosing a replacement – or even triggering a leadership contest – should be straightforward? However, even though there are...

The annual Victory Day parade in Moscow will be a much smaller affair this year, without an intercontinental ballistic missile in sight. Why? Well, the threat of a Ukrainian drone attack is certainly one reason. But is there any credibility in reports of another threat - this time against Vladimir Putin himself? An anonymous European intelligence agency has claimed the Russian president is spooked...

The emergence of the United States as an energy superpower has reshaped the global economy. Good news for its allies, right? Well, not necessarily... In Texas, fracking has turned America from a major importer into the world's biggest energy producer, effectively creating "another Saudi Arabia" almost overnight. But as Europe looks to the US to plug the energy gap caused by wars in Ukraine and the...

Millions of people are preparing to head to the polls across Britain on Thursday. They'll be voting for thousands of local council seats in England - while people in Scotland and Wales will elect members of their respective devolved parliaments. But the results could have a huge impact on national politics. So, what happens to the prime minister if Labour loses as badly as expected? And does a goo...

It's the small Baltic state that's no stranger to being invaded - having been occupied by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But while many hope it will never happen again, there are fears in NATO and beyond that Estonia is next on Vladimir Putin's hitlist. So how is the country preparing for the threat from Russia? And could Estonia really be on the front line of a future war in Europe? Nial...