This Is Why

With conflicts continuing in Ukraine, Africa and the Middle East, the global economy being held to ransom and the old world order seemingly up-ended, is there any role left for the United Nations? Founded in the shadow of two world wars, the UN used to be considered the guardian of international law and order. But is it now little more than a toothless talking shop? Niall is joined by Sky News' di...

As The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in cinemas, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Anna Wintour is back in the news – but who is she? The sequel to the 2006 film is widely perceived to be based on Ms Wintour's formidable and abrasive management style. However, the world of fashion and the magazines that follow it has changed a lot since then. So, has she maintained her grip and influence on the mult...

The war in Iran has led to fears of food shortages and fuelled forecourt price hikes – but is your summer holiday also in jeopardy? The price of jet fuel has soared higher than any other oil product, including petrol, since the Middle East conflict led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It means major airlines – including Qatar, Etihad and Lufthansa – have started cancelling flights...

The party drug ecstasy is usually associated with packed nightclubs and panicked politicians talking about the dangers involved in taking it. However, a former head of the UK’s armed forces believes the drug’s active ingredient, known as MDMA, could be key to treating veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. General Sir Nick Carter is now calling on the government to relax restricti...

Iranian intelligence services are suspected of actively recruiting in the UK, using AI and social networks to entice potential sign-ups. Sky News has uncovered evidence of how apparent Iranian networks are using the chat platform Telegram to target recruits. It follows an increase in attacks on Jewish communities across the UK – with authorities suggesting that some perpetrators may have been taki...

Why keeping the King safe is Trump's top priority King Charles's trip to the USA is still going ahead, despite a gunman attempting to storm a dinner attended by President Trump on Saturday night. It's the first state visit to the country by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. Charles is also due to emulate his mother by addressing Congress. Officials from both sides of the Atlantic...

Donald Trump is preparing to roll out the red carpet for the King’s all-American state visit next week – despite the fact the US president has been highly critical of the UK over its refusal to join the war in Iran. Trump’s public rebukes for Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s armed forces and even Prince Harry have put the so-called special relationship under greater strain than ever. So, can the King u...

Prince Harry has warned the world not to grow “numb” to Russia’s war in Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv. The former British army captain also called on the “American leadership” to honour its international obligations, a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump. The fighting rages on in Ukraine, while much of the world’s attention is focused on the war on Iran. The US has been a key backer of K...

AI giant Anthropic has chosen not to release its latest model, Mythos Preview, to the public. The product was pulled after testing showed its unprecedented strengths in hacking. Instead, Mythos has been made available to a small number of big tech companies including Amazon and Microsoft to help protect their software, rather than pick it apart. So, has the day arrived which many have feared – whe...

Sir Keir Starmer's relationship with the civil service has broken down following the sacking of Sir Olly Robbins. The former top civil servant at the Foreign Office told parliament there was a "dismissive approach" to security vetting from No 10, but the prime minister maintains it was Robbins who made "an error of judgement". So, what's at stake when the inner workings of government grind to a ha...

First it was Venezuela, then Iran. Is Cuba next on Donald Trump's hit list? The US navy has been anchored off the Caribbean coast since the start of the year, preventing supplies of oil and food from the outside world. As a consequence, the island has been brought to its knees - with electrical blackouts, food rationing and fears for the future. Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay joins Nia...

Top civil servant Olly Robbins has been sacked after his department did not inform the prime minister that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting for the role of US ambassador. Opposition parties are calling on the prime minister to resign but Sir Keir Starmer is insisting he wasn’t told, in an "unforgivable" omission. He's due to speak to MPs in parliament on Monday, and address the accusatio...

A multi-billion-dollar Saudi-backed golf tour is reportedly close to collapse – so could this spell an end to the Gulf state’s interest in sport? The controversial LIV Golf Tour is just one strand of the Saudis’ sporting portfolio. Footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo plays there, while the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also owns English Premier League team, Newcastle United. But the P...

Another night, another post on Truth Social from Donald Trump criticising NATO. As other leaders try to persuade him to stay in the alliance, plans are being prepared in case the US goes through with its threat to walk away. At the same time, the UK government is in a muddle on defence spending – with criticism from current and former military chiefs - but no decisions yet on how and when to boost...

A decade on, you might have thought Brexit was done and dusted – but our relationship with the European Union is still in flux. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is proposing a reset that could result in the UK signing up to EU rules without the need for a normal parliamentary vote, under what are known as Henry VIII powers. But in pushing for closer ties with the continent, is he risking a return t...

After 16 years in power, Hungary's Viktor Orban has been defeated by Peter Magyar, whose Tisza party has won a huge parliamentary majority. Magyar campaigned to break the country away from Russia's grip and re-establish closer ties to the European Union, in a setback for both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. But is this a genuine turning point and a strategic win for Ukraine's war efforts? Niall s...

Donald Trump's war in Iran has been polling badly among many of the groups that voted for him in 2024, and that matters as crucial midterm elections are just over six months away. These elections take place two years into the presidential cycle, with voters able to choose who runs Congress. Currently, the Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, giving the president fr...

Kanye West is one of the 21st Century’s most talented musicians, but his controversial remarks are just as famous as his music – and his antisemitic comments have now got him banned from the UK. Wireless festival, which he was due to headline in London this summer, has been cancelled as a result. Since he burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s, Ye, as he is now known, has been breaking the...

Donald Trump has claimed a ‘complete victory’ in his war in Iran during a phone call to Sky News just hours after the two sides agreed a temporary ceasefire. But Iran is also declaring a win as it handed over a 10-point plan which includes maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz and full US military withdrawal from the Middle East. So will the ceasefire last? Is that the end of free passage th...

The Artemis II crew are on their way back to Earth after a record-breaking mission to the far side of the moon. They reached a distance of 252,756 miles from our home planet - the furthest in history. The ultimate aim of NASA's Artemis programme is to get crewed missions to Mars. So what did US space experts learn from this mission and how will it help the next stage of the programme, which could...

Matt Brittin, a former Google boss and ex-Olympic rower, will become the new director-general of the BBC in May. He wouldn't have expected a quiet life in the highly-scrutinised role. After all, the broadcaster is facing a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from Donald Trump. But the aftermath of the sacking of Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills will be one of the first big issues Mr Brittin will have to deal...

Donald Trump has kept the world guessing over whether he will launch a ground invasion in Iran. However, the arrival of thousands of US paratroopers in the region might be the clearest indication yet of the disrupter-in-chief’s thinking. A month of airstrikes is one thing but the deployment of troops is quite another - so how would it work? Has Trump learned nothing from Iraq and Afghanistan? Nial...

"Go get your own oil!" Donald Trump has served notice on his allies, telling them the US won't necessarily help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And oil is important... for everything. The global economy needs 100 million barrels a day to function. The war in Iran means we're only producing 80 million. Those missing barrels are having a huge impact on diesel and petrol prices – but that's just the...

The cost of your weekly shop is about to go up – as the war in Iran squeezes the supply of synthetic fertiliser. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz had already caused a spike in energy prices - and is now expected to hit kitchen cupboards in time for summer. It also presents a fresh challenge for a farming industry growing used to having to dig deep for profits. So, what foods will be i...

Artemis II is NASA's next big mission to the moon – the first in over 50 years. It's part of the space agency's long-term plans to build a space station called Lunar Gateway, where astronauts will be able to live and work. It is also America's best effort to beat the likes of China in the space race to return to the moon. Niall speaks to Tom Clarke, our science and technology editor, and Thomas Mo...