The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim

We’re introducing Sky News' new podcast – Russell Brand: On Trial

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What happened on Russell Brand’s first day in court as the trial process got underway? Sky News’ Martin Brunt and Katie Spencer take us through the day- inside and outside the court. It starts with queues of journalists arriving early to get a seat on the press benches of court 3 at Southwark...

Since 2025, NATO has had to scramble fighter jets about 400 times in response to Russian drones or missiles entering its territory. So, is Europe ready to defend itself against Russia?

Richard, recently back from observing NATO exercises in Latvia, speaks to Sky News’ defence and security editor Deborah Haynes about why some European governments are sending out instruction manuals telling people what to do in the event of an a...

Why is Pakistan so worried about Imran Khan?

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has been locked up since 2023 but now a huge planned march demanding his release has sparked a strong reaction from the government.

Three of Imran Khan's sisters have also been detained, roads into Islamabad have been blocked with shipping containers and thousands of police officers have been deployed.

On today's podcast, Yalda speaks to Zulfi Buk...

Space entrepreneur and former NASA scientist, Will Marshall, believes we're on the cusp of "the most profound choice humanity has ever made".

He tells Richard about the extraordinary potential of AI – and the risks it could pose to humanity.

Will, who is co-founder and chief executive of space company Planet, believes there could be a 50% or greater risk of humans losing control of AI if we continue on our current trajectory.

He...

Could AI really destroy humanity?

Nate Soares is a former AI scientist and author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. He has been warning for years about the dangers of building AI superintelligence.

Yalda speaks to Nate about what could happen if AI development continues unchecked. Are we past pressing "off" if we had to?

The two also discuss the AI race between China and America as well as Nate's bleak warning for the future.

...

It’s been said this year that Ukraine has had some successes on the battlefield thanks to its use of drone warfare.

But- is that progress starting to slow down as Russia catches up?

This week, Richard is joined by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO and Chairman of Google, and ex-chairman of the US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

He is now using his experience to advise Ukraine on its use of AI in drone war...

Tear gas, baton charges and hunger strikes.

Thousands of young people have descended on New Delhi to demand the resignation of the education minister and a complete overhaul of the education system.

Many of them march under the banner of the ‘Cockroach’ - a movement that started as a satirical joke, but which has now become the symbol of youth resistance. What began online has now moved to the streets.

Yalda talks to Nevil...

Richard has just returned from Iran, where he witnessed the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He shares what he saw inside the country, answers your questions about reporting from Tehran as tensions flared once again, and explains what the funeral revealed about the mood inside Iran after months of conflict.

Richard is also joined by Professor Robert Pape, one of the world's leading experts on war and military strategy.

They look ...

Communism, cigars and Cadillac cars.

A beautiful island that has been the thorn in the side of the U.S government for 67 years.

But what is it about this small island of approximately 10 million people and 90 miles off the coast of Florida that makes president after president so frustrated?

Yalda has just been in Havana, interviewing the president who rarely gives interviews to foreign press. He told her he was ready to give his bl...

America has lost the war with Iran and suffered their biggest strategic defeat in history.

That is according to Robert Kagan, a prominent foreign policy analyst and historian. He joins Richard on the podcast in this extra episode to talk about America’s position in the world following the start of the war in the Gulf.

Why did Trump get involved? What next for Israel? Can the Gulf States still count on America to defend them? Th...

Do all roads in the Middle East lead to Lebanon?

Journalist and historian Kim Ghattas thinks so. She argues that it is often the fate of small nations to be playgrounds rather than players.

Iran, America and Israel all have interest in the country. It is also now central to the Memorandum of Understanding that exists between Iran and America.

After months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and a bombing campaign by the Netanyahu...

The US and Iran have agreed a framework for peace talks, but Israel is deeply unhappy with the direction of travel.

With mixed messages from Donald Trump, growing scepticism in Israel and no guarantees the deal will hold, how fragile is this peace process?

Yalda Hakim and Richard Engel unpack the deal, why Vice President JD Vance has become its public face and whether he is being set up to take the blame if it fails.

Plus, Yalda...

Four months of fighting between America and Iran has led to this: a one-and-a-half-page agreement. But what does it actually mean?

The details are sparse, but the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, the US blockade will end and in the next 60 days there will be negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Trump says Iran can never have a nuclear weapon - will Iran agree?

This week, Yalda is joined by Ali Vaez, the Iran project ...

LEDs were supposed to be one of the great environmental success stories: a revolutionary technology that uses a fraction of the energy of traditional light bulbs. But have they really saved the world?

In our new podcast Stuff Matters, economics and data editor Ed Conway takes an object, cracks it open and reveals the world shaping forces hidden inside.

Each episode follows a trail of ideas that stretches beyond the object itself, unc...

Why did President Zelenskyy write an open letter to Vladimir Putin? Why did Putin say he was rude? And why are ordinary Russians complaining about the price of cucumbers?

In this episode of The World podcast, Yalda is joined by Sky’s Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett to find out what it's like reporting from Russia. They talk about Zelenskyy’s open letter, Putin’s reaction, and what Russians are saying about price...

In 2012, a former CIA analyst ran a war game between the US and Iran.

One of the first things he found was that Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz after America attacked. From there, his war game spiralled to a grisly end.

So why did the Trump administration expect a quick victory?

Fourteen years after the war game, Richard Engel sits down with Ken Pollack - the man behind the war game and now vice president for policy at the Middle Eas...

Will China ever produce an Elon Musk?

Kyle Chan, research fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on the AI race between the two superpowers thinks not.

He talks to Yalda about the new Cold War - the race for the best AI between China and America.

The two talk about Taiwan, Tehran and the different ways that each country approaches AI research and development. Could the Chinese government actually be holding progress back?

Yo...

Fully automated frontlines? Robots on the battlefield? Drones fighting drones?

The Ukraine war has been transformed from an old-fashioned trench war to a modern one in a matter of years. On this episode of the podcast, Richard talks to Professor Phillips O’Brien, a defence expert and head of international relations at St Andrews University - an expert on the Ukraine war.

He tells Richard how Ukraine's frontlines have develope...