This Is Why

Next week, millions of people across North America will be able to see a total solar eclipse, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.  A total solar eclipse - where the moon moves in front of the sun - happens about every 18 months. However, it rarely takes place over land, so next week's is an incredibly rare opportunity for scientists and amateurs alike to witness the phenomenon. On the Sky Ne...

Three former Supreme Court justices have warned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.     They are among over 600 lawyers and academics who are signatories of a 17-page letter, which also urges ministers to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza and resume funding to the UNRWA aid agency.  It comes as civil servants overseeing arms exports cou...

The UK spends more than £50bn a year - 2.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - on defence, but government documents shared with Sky News show the country has no preparations for a nuclear war.     In January, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the country is approaching a pre-war era and that in five years' time the UK could be looking at conflicts with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.     S...

Aid group World Central Kitchen says seven members of its team have been killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza. The charity said the volunteers had just unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea. The foreign nationals killed were from the UK, Australia, Poland, and a dual US-Canadian citizen.      Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari...

It’s the height of lockdown, 19-year-old Ellie Williams claims on social media she's been raped and exploited by an Asian grooming gang across the north of England. Photos of her alleged injuries add to the outrage and the post goes viral - shared more than 100,000 times.   Social media rumours lead to attacks on Asian men and businesses in her hometown of Barrow-in-Furness. But when she's arreste...

The amount of raw sewage being spilled into England’s waterways has hit a record high – more than doubling since last year.    Water companies are allowed to do this, but only in exceptional circumstances to prevent sewage washing back up into our homes.   But, there’s growing evidence sewage is being routinely dumped by water firms when it’s not needed, polluting England’s waters more to the poin...

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a cargo ship leaving the US city of Baltimore catastrophically struck a major bridge. The entire middle section of the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River.    The ship lost power as it left the port, but the crew had enough time to make a mayday call so officials on the bridge were able to shut it to most traffic. Two peop...

Four men have been charged with carrying out an attack at a concert in Moscow on Friday that killed more than 130 people. They all appeared in court on Monday heavily bruised with swollen faces and black eyes – with one attending in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown.    The Islamic State group said it carried out the attack on the Crocus City Hall, but President Putin has insisted Ukraine was i...

The US has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the first time as secretary of state Antony Blinken lands in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An American-sponsored resolution demanding a truce was rejected by the UN Security Council. The US policy change comes amid fears the Palestinian territory could be on the brink of famine. On the Daily, Niall Paters...

The Princess of Wales has issued a personal message revealing that she has been diagnosed with cancer following her abdominal surgery earlier this year and that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. The news comes after many weeks of speculation about the health of the 42-year-old future queen, who has not been seen on official duties since Christmas. On the Sky News Daily, Jonathan Samuels...

Thousands of women should get payouts because of the way changes to the state pension affected them, according to a watchdog. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said the women who were born in the 1950s didn't get their pension when they expected because they didn't know about the reforms.    The PHSO report added that they are "owed" money by the Department for Work and Pension...

The resignation of Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has come as a shock. He suffered defeats in two referendums earlier this month, where the public voted against the government's plans to remove "sexist" language from the constitution. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Ireland correspondent Stephen Murphy to look at Varadkar's legacy as both the youngest and openly gay Taois...

More than half of people in the UK have seen online conspiracy theories about why the Princess of Wales has been absent from public life, but it hasn't dented trust in the Royal Family, according to Sky News polling.       Speculation on social media about Kate's health and whereabouts have been rife in recent days – despite Kensington Palace announcing she would be recovering from abdominal surge...

A new Sky News series 'Faultlines' covers in-depth and immersive reports exploring contemporary social challenges across the UK.       This episode asks 'is our housing market in crisis?', with not enough homes and expensive rentals forcing an increasing number of people into homelessness.     In 2021/22, just 7,528 new social homes were delivered. Nowhere near enough for the 1.1 million people on...

As Russians go to the polls, the outcome is certainly already written as Vladimir Putin runs pretty much uncontested in his bid for a fifth term in office.    Opposition candidates were banned from standing, fled the country or are dead - like Putin's most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny.    So, what will another six years of rule mean for Russians, the war in Ukraine and the world?   On the Dail...

In the early months of the Iraq war in 2003, around 88 British troops were deployed to the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant to provide round-the-clock security.  What the soldiers didn't know was that while on duty, they were being exposed to a carcinogenic chemical used to maintain the pipes in the plant. Ten ex-soldiers have now spoken out for the first time after suffering a range of health pro...

The prime minister has resisted calls to hand back £10m donated to the Conservative Party by businessman Frank Hester.  Speaking in the Commons, Rishi Sunak condemned Mr Hester's reported remarks about MP Diane Abbott as "racist" and "wrong" but insisted he had shown "remorse".  Labour is calling on the Conservatives to give the money back.    Today on the Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Labour MP...

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the imposition of sanctions on the country meant direct exports of British-made luxury vehicles fell to zero. However, Sky News analysis shows that hundreds of millions of pounds worth of luxury cars are being sold to Russia through neighbouring countries.    Notably, Azerbaijan on Russia's southern border, where Britain recorded an unprecedented increase in c...

The Princess of Wales has apologised "for any confusion" after she admitted "editing" a Mother's Day image of her and her children.      Major international picture agencies told media outlets to "kill" the photo from their systems 12 hours after the picture was released by Kensington Palace on Sunday. AP told Sky News the photo broke their manipulation rules as it shows an "inconsistency in the a...

The biggest night in Hollywood promised glitz and glamour, but there were no surprises when it came to the big Academy Award winners. Oppenheimer took home seven awards, including best picture, best actor and best director for Britain’s Christopher Nolan, with Emma Stone winning best actress for her role in Poor Things.    Sky News Arts and Entertainment correspondent Katie Spencer and Arts and En...

Freddie Scappaticci was Britain's most highly prized IRA informant.    His codename was 'Stakeknife' and the unit he led - ironically in charge of hunting informants like him - was called the 'nutting squad' as it shot people in the head after abducting and torturing them.  Scappaticci never faced trial and lived under witness protection in England until his death last year, aged 77.  Now, a seven...

After cutting national insurance for the second time in yesterday's Budget, the prime minister has said it's his "long-term ambition" to eventually scrap the tax. As only those in work pay it, it's seen by many – including the Chancellor - as an unfair double tax on those in the workforce. But, completely abolishing it would cost the government £46bn. Labour have criticised the plans, saying the m...

It was a budget of few surprises. As promised, the chancellor cut the rate of National Insurance tax by 2p in every pound but admits the overall tax burden is still higher than it has been in the last 70 years. The cuts have been labelled "Tory con" by Labour, which leaves people paying "more for less". On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by data and economics editor Ed...

For most of us, our council tax bills are going up - with nearly every local authority in the country increasing it by the maximum amount. Nottingham City Council is the latest to declare itself bankrupt and has already approved huge cuts. Today, councillors in Birmingham consider whether to do the same. On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined from Birmingham by Midlands co...

As the country gears up for the general election, Wednesday's budget may be the last before the voters go to the polls. Hailed as "a budget to save the Tory party", speculation has been mounting that the chancellor will cut taxes as a last-ditch attempt to boost the Conservatives' plunging support. To afford the move, funding to public services could be slashed - but Jeremy Hunt has insisted any c...