Latest from Sky News
Sky News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Donald Trump weighing up many risks before possible US strike on Iran
This is the most significant statement from the US president in days, though it still keeps everyone guessing. In a message conveyed through his press secretary, he is giving diplomacy up to two weeks to work. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Karoline Leavitt quoted him as saying. It is not clear what "whether or not to go" entails. 0:40 We know that he has been given a spectrum of different military options by his generals and we know that the Israelis are pressuring him to use American B2 bombers with their bunker-busting bombs to destroy Iran's nuclear facility at Fodow. The Israelis are encouraging no delay. But against that, he is weighing up many risks, both military and political. Militarily, it is not clear how successful a bunker-busting strike on Fordow would be. Experts have suggested it would require several of the massive bombs, which have never been used in combat before, to be dropped on the site. It is not as simple as one clean strike and job done. Politically, the president is under significant pressure domestically not to get involved in Iran. 2:40 Within his own MAGA coalition - influencers, politicians and media personalities are lining up in criticism of involvement in the conflict. One of those leading the criticism, his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who maintains huge influence, was seen entering the White House on Thursday. His press secretary reiterated to us that the president always wants to give diplomacy a chance and she confirmed that his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has spoken to the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. European leaders, including the UK foreign secretary David Lammy, who is in Washington, are meeting Mr Araghchi in Geneva on Friday. The two-week window - assuming it lasts that long - also gives space to better prepare for any strike and mitigate against some of the other risks of US involvement. There are 40,000 troops in bases across the Middle East. It takes time to increase security at these bases or to move non-essential personnel out. It also takes time to move strategic military assets into the region. The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its support vessels were redeployed from the Indo-Pacific on Monday. Their last known position was the Strait of Malacca two days ago. The Nimitz Carrier Group will overlap with the USS Carl Vinson group which was deployed to the Middle East in March. The potential two-week window also allows for more time for a 'day after' plan, given that the Israeli strategy appears to be regime change from within. Since the Israeli action in Iran began last week, the worst-case scenario of mass casualties in Israel from Iranian attacks has not materialised. The president is said to be surprised and encouraged by this. "Israel has exceeded a lot of people's expectations in their abilities," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The Israeli success, the absence of a mass casualty event in Israel, and the lack of any sustained counterattack by Iranian proxies in the region remove reservations that previous presidents have had about taking on Iran.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Air India suspends some long-haul flights after fatal crash and reduces the frequency of others
Air India has confirmed it is suspending some of its long-haul flights from Saturday, including routes using the same type of Boeing aircraft which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. The decision follows last Thursday's fatal crash involving a Boeing 787-8 flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick. All but one of the 242 people on board were killed, with around 30 fatalities on the ground, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the sole survivor, a British national, had left hospital. Most temporary reductions will last until at least mid-July, affecting both 787 and 777 aircraft types, and includes routes to Gatwick. The firm said in a statement it was cutting international services because of "enhanced pre-flight safety checks" and to accommodate "additional flight durations arising from airspace closures in the Middle East". Routes between Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-Gatwick and Goa-Gatwick are being suspended entirely. 0:34 The frequency of other services will also be reduced from Delhi, Bengaluru and Amritsar to certain destinations in North America, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Europe - including Heathrow and Birmingham. The route between Ahmedabad and Gatwick remains unaffected. Air India has apologised and promised to contact affected passengers to offer alternative flights or refunds. The airline's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran on Wednesday insisted the Boeing 787-8 aircraft had a "clean history". "The right engine was a new engine put in [in] March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and was due [its] next maintenance check in December 2025," he told the Indian channel Times Now.. Meanwhile, India's aviation regulator has issued warning notices to Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue checks on emergency slides and for being slow to address the issue, according to news agency Reuters. The warning notices and an investigation report were not in any way related to last week's crash and were sent days before that incident. The government has also said there has not been any decision yet on where the flight data recorders, also called black boxes, will be analysed. Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported that they were due to be sent to the US so the data could be extracted, as they had suffered fire damage and could not be analysed in India. The government said in a statement that India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) would decide where the recorders would be examined after making a "due assessment" of all technical, safety and security considerations. Black boxes have two components - the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - and provide crucial insights for crash investigators. They include altitude, airspeed, the status of controls and pilot conversations which help determine probable causes of crashes.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
Why Iranian strike that damaged Israeli hospital could have big impact on the war
As I approached Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel, I could still see the smoke rising in the heart of the city after an Iranian missile strike. At the gates, stunned-looking patients were still emerging. Among them, Jummah Abu Kush, who was inside the building when it was hit. "Suddenly we heard an enormous explosion," he told me. "We knew it was close. All sorts of things fell from the roof. The doctor was injured and others in the room were hit by the debris too. "The building opposite was on fire. It was very dangerous, very worrying and very scary." Shai Nunu, a doctor at the hospital, said he felt a huge force after the warning sound rang out. "The siren stopped and then we heard a huge explosion. We were thrown backwards from the blast," he said. Around the back of the hospital, I saw the roof of one building had collapsed. In another, windows were blown out - bits of metal and plastic hanging precariously from rooms. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said they hit a military site nearby and the Soroka Medical Centre was not a direct target. Despite the extent of the blast, there were only minor injuries reported. But the impact on this war could be great. The Israeli leadership was quick to attend the site. First came President Isaac Herzog, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who declared, "We love Donald Trump", as he called for the annihilation of Iran. The Israeli government is framing what happened at the medical centre as a "war crime", vowing Iran would "pay a heavy price" and saying they were in the "process of achieving a tremendous victory". What that victory could look like is very uncertain and Iran shows no sign of backing down. Three days ago, Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah in Iran was also damaged by the shockwaves of a missile strike. The Israel Defence Forces claimed it wasn't a target. Whether intentional or not, healthcare facilities are once again at the centre of the story. The civilian number of fatalities remains far higher in Iran than Israel. More than 600 people have died so far, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. But an internet blackout has made it very difficult to get images or information out of the country. The last 24 hours have felt like a sea change in rhetoric and potential action. The drumbeat of war is sounding louder, with Israel using the attack on the medical centre to frame the argument for more intense attacks to come. The question is whether America will buy that argument enough to join the fight.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Could there be another Post Office scandal?
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 The Horizon scandal gained international exposure after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. And now, more faulty Post Office accounting software has been uncovered, in what some are calling a second Post Office scandal. Today, the government has announced details of a compensation scheme for postmasters who suffered through using Capture in the 1990s. In today's episode, Sarah-Jane Mee is joined by news correspondent Adele Robinson, who has unearthed new evidence to show the system was faulty and speaks to families devastated by the scandal.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer's artificial intelligence adviser steps down
Sir Keir Starmer's artificial intelligence adviser is standing aside after six months for family reasons. Matt Clifford continues to have a good relationship with Downing Street, and Sky News understands he would potentially be open to a return to help the government in the future. A government spokesperson told Sky News: "Matt Clifford is stepping down from his role as the prime minister's AI opportunities advisor for personal reasons. "The prime minister has thanked him for his dedicated work to deliver and implement the AI opportunities action plan. We will be building on this work to bolster AI expertise across government and cement the UK's position as a world leader in AI." Mr Clifford told Sky News: "It's been a privilege to spend the last year first writing and then implementing the AI opportunities action plan. "I'm grateful to the prime minister and the government for this opportunity to serve and am hugely optimistic about the UK's potential to be an AI superpower. "For family reasons, I will step back from my role as the prime minister's adviser on AI opportunities at the end of July, but I'm delighted that this important work will continue across government." Mr Clifford was the lead reviewer of the AI opportunities action plan, as well as being a member of the AI Safety Institute advisory board. As part of his backing of AI, Sir Keir accepted all 50 recommendations made by Mr Clifford in the action plan. 8:55 Mr Clifford has worked across Number 10 and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. He was appointed as Sir Keir's AI opportunities adviser in January 2025. His remit included advising on policy to grow the UK AI sector, including supporting uptake. Mr Clifford was also working to help on strategies to attract AI talent and entrepreneurs to the UK. He worked with the previous Conservative government on setting up the AI Safety Institute and setting up the 2023 AI Safety Summit.
