Shows / This Is Why
This Is Why
The world’s a pretty confusing place right now – so how do you make sense of it all? This Is Why takes one story every day, explains how we got here and why it matters to you. Sky News’ Niall Paterson speaks to experts and correspondents from around the world, getting simple answers to some complex questions. Available every weekday afternoon. This Is Why is a Sky News podcast – if you have a question, contact us: why@sky.uk
Episodes
This Is WhyThe Mafia’s most wanted man
One of the biggest mafia trials in Italian history is expected to deliver its verdict in the coming weeks. Prosecutors have asked for sentences totalling more…
This Is WhyPrigozhin "dead", what next for Putin and Ukraine?
Russians have been paying tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin after it was reported the Wagner leader was among ten people who died when a private jet crashed near…
This Is WhyPrigozhin crash: Military analyst Sean Bell on what the footage tells us
Russian aviation authorities say Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was among ten people killed in a plane crash near Moscow on Wednesday. Earlier this summer, the…
This Is WhyFukushima nuclear plant: Is flushing out wastewater safe?
Japan is due to start releasing treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, despite opposition from neighbouring countries…
This Is WhyScotland's drug epidemic - would decriminalisation solve it?
New data published on the rate of drug deaths in Scotland show they have decreased, after decades of constant rises, but the number is still higher than the…
This Is WhyLucy Letby: Should the guilty be forced to face their victims in court?
Britain's worst child serial killer Lucy Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison. But the former neonatal nurse refused to appear in court to hear…
This Is WhyBritain's most prolific child killer: Nurse Lucy Letby found guilty
Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies while working on a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June…
This Is WhyIs Sarina Wiegman the manager who'll win a World Cup for England?
With six wins and a place in the World Cup final under their belt, the Lionesses have a fighting chance of bringing football home for England. But who is the…
This Is WhyA-levels: Is the uni intake of 2023 'the unluckiest year'?
Students waiting for their A-level results this year are the "unluckiest cohort" in recent years, according to one education expert. Pandemic disruption…
This Is WhyLooking for answers – The Hawaii wildfires
The deadliest wildfires to hit the US in over a century have turned vast swathes of the island of Maui to ash and taken the lives of at least 99 people. The…
This Is WhyWhat 'small boats week' tells us about migration policy
It was billed as 'small boats week' – a series of government announcements designed to show progress on the issue of cross channel migration. But the reality…
This Is WhyWhy is Britain still obsessed with the Great Train Robbery 60 years on?
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery, one of Britain's most notorious crimes, which involved the hijack of a London-bound Royal…
This Is WhyWorld Cup: Will the ambition of equal pay be realised?
Football’s world governing body FIFA wants pay and prize money for men and women to be the same by the next tournaments. But how it gets there is a little less…
This Is WhyHollywood strikes: Are writers right about AI?
It’s been 100 days since Hollywood writers went on strike over concerns artificial intelligence (AI) will take their jobs - as well as disputes over working…
This Is WhyThe Niger coup and how it will impact global security
Niger had been a lone bastion of democracy in West Africa while neighbouring countries were taken over by the military - but it is now also in a crisis…
This Is Why'Useless white male pilots': The RAF discrimination claims
The Royal Air Force has admitted to discriminating against white male candidates in a hiring policy aimed at increasing diversity. In a Sky News exclusive…
This Is WhyDirty Work: Episode Three - Life Sentence
In this episode, Sahar Zand goes back to speak to Brian Glendinning about his experience in Iraqi jail, and the harrowing impact of his unforeseen arrest. But…
This Is WhyLockdown children: The long-term damage for a generation
COVID lockdowns may seem a distant memory with everyday life very much back to the pre-pandemic norms. But for children, it seems we may only just be getting a…
This Is WhyInterest rates up - focus on savers and renters
The Bank of England has increased its base rate of interest by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.25% - which is lower than some economists had predicted. On…
This Is WhyCampaigns and court appearances: How could Donald Trump's 2024 play out?
Donald Trump has been criminally charged with trying to ‘defraud the United States’ over the 2021 riots at the US Capitol. It’s the most serious legal threat…
This Is WhyWill Labour allow 'wedge issues' to define the next election?
A general election is still a long way away, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears to already be laying out the Conservative attack lines, focusing on…
This Is WhyZelenskyy warns war is coming to Russia - as Putin teases path to 'peace'.
President Zelenskyy has said war is coming to Russia after suspected Ukrainian drones hit skyscrapers in a wealthy Moscow neighbourhood. President Putin…
This Is WhyDirty Work: Episode Two - Hijacked
Sky News has a new podcast series called Dirty Work - investigating Interpol red notices, which allow police forces to flag their most wanted persons at…
This Is Why'This is how I die': British fighter tortured by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine
British man Aiden Aslin joined the Ukrainian marines in 2018, but following the Russian invasion in February 2022, he was called up to the frontline in…
This Is WhyIs climate change scepticism hotting up?
Multiple climate reports have been published this week all saying a similar thing: that the UK and wider world are experiencing record temperatures, that…
This Is WhyStrip searches in police custody and fallout to Nigel Farage's row with Coutts
Police at a station in Greater Manchester have been accused of unnecessary and invasive strip searches of women, without explanation, behind cell doors. Sky…
This Is WhySaving cinema: Why chains can't just rely on blockbusters and bad weather
Barbie and Oppenheimer have put the smiles back on the cinema chains after the difficult years during the pandemic, but could the glow soon wear off? For the…
This Is WhyRhodes on fire and is the UK cooling on net zero policies?
Evacuation orders due to wildfires on the Greek island have seen tens of thousands of residents and tourists fleeing the flames. And while wildfires in the…
This Is WhyDirty Work: Episode One - Russian Roulette
Sky News has a new podcast series called Dirty Work which we wanted to share with Daily listeners in our feed. Reporter Sahar Zand has been investigating…
This Is WhyGetting ready for an election: What three by-elections can tell us
The Conservatives suffered two heavy defeats in a night of three by-elections, but narrowly held on to former PM Boris Johnson's old Uxbridge seat. Labour made…
This Is WhyInvestigating Interpol
Niall Paterson welcomes the team behind a new Sky News podcast onto the Daily. Reporter Sahar Zand and producer Heidi Pett have been investigating Interpol red…
This Is WhyIs Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘doomed’?
Senior Ukrainian military officials believe Russia is planning a massive attack in the northeastern Kharkiv region, in a bid to draw Ukraine's efforts away…
This Is WhyHeatwaves happen - but why so many at once?
Temperatures across Europe soared to over 44C this week, with the heatwave expected to continue and reach record highs. Hot weather has also been recorded in…
This Is WhyStuart Ramsay in Myanmar: What leaders don't want the world to see
Sky’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his team have witnessed the deadly realities of a civil war, which Myanmar’s leaders claim isn’t happening. Few…
This Is WhyThe knee injury keeping players out of the FIFA Women's World Cup
As the Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand, up to 30 players won't be playing due to the same knee injury. Star players, including…
This Is WhyWestminster Accounts: What are MPs doing with your cash?
A Sky News investigation has found Northern Research Group (NRG) MPs received political donations from a private donor to help them with campaigning - weeks…
This Is WhyHuw Edwards named but should the last few days have been different?
There had been days of widespread speculation and increasing pressure on the suspended BBC presenter to reveal his identity but now, Huw Edwards’ wife has…
This Is WhyThe Ukraine foreign fighters come home, and pressure on BBC presenter
More allegations about the unnamed BBC presenter have been published by The Sun, claiming that the star broke COVID rules to meet a 23-year-old. Now that the…
This Is WhyBBC presenter: New claims as boss Tim Davie faces questions
The unnamed BBC presenter at the centre of claims involving sexually explicit photos is now facing allegations from a second young person – that he sent them…
This Is WhyExtra episode: BBC presenter claims - new details emerge
On an extra Sky News Daily, Kimberley Leonard discusses new developments to the accusations that a BBC presenter paid a teenager thousands of pounds for…
This Is WhyBBC presenter claims: Questions over trust and transparency
The BBC is under fire over its handling of accusations that a high-profile presenter paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photographs. The…
This Is WhyMortgages are going up, why aren’t savings?
Heads of the UK’s biggest banks have been summoned by the UK's financial watchdog over concerns interest rates on savings are too low. Higher Bank of England…
This Is WhyZuckerberg v Musk: Will Threads 'kill' Twitter?
Meta launched its new microblogging app Threads on Thursday, with boss Mark Zuckerberg reporting 10 million sign ups in the first seven hours. But can the tech…
This Is WhyCould AI make this podcast?
As artificial intelligence becomes more and more advanced, fears are growing about companies replacing human staff with computers. Businesses from energy…
This Is WhyNHS at 75: What’s the story for maternity services?
On 5 July 1948, the NHS was born, promising post-War Britons health support from cradle to grave, free at the point of delivery. Seventy-five years later, and…
This Is WhyWhy has a teenager’s death triggered riots in France?
A week after police shot dead a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, named as Nahel Merzouk, as he drove away from a traffic stop, riots continue across…
This Is WhyNarendra Modi: Why India's leader is being courted by the West
Narendra Modi has been doing the rounds on the international stage – most recently meeting US president Joe Biden in Washington, where he received a 21-gun…
This Is WhySex, Lies and Police spies: The Met’s undercover police scandal
The first report from a seven-year inquiry into undercover policing in England and Wales has been published, finding that undercover policing deployments were…
This Is WhySewage, leaks and hosepipe bans: Should our water companies be nationalised?
The revelation that ministers are considering bringing Thames Water into temporary public ownership has reopened the fierce debate over the privatisation of…
This Is WhyCOVID Inquiry: Why were we not prepared for a pandemic?
The COVID inquiry has started, with the first part looking into how resilient and prepared the country was for a pandemic. Former Conservative prime minister…
This Is WhyWagner mutiny: What’s next for the war and Putin’s Russia?
President Putin's hold on power in Russia has been shaken following a brief mutiny over the weekend led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the private military…
This Is WhyRoe v Wade one year on
Saturday 24 June marks a year since the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade ruling, ending a federal right to abortion access. In 14 states, most…
This Is WhyThe tragedy of the Titan submersible and the dangers of diving down to the Titanic
Search and rescue efforts to locate a missing submersible with five passengers inside has become a recovery mission after the US Coast Guard determined there…
This Is WhyWindrush: Sir Trevor Phillips assesses the impact 75 years on
On 22 June 1948, HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK. The ship carried 1,027 passengers and two stowaways on a voyage from Jamaica to London. Of these, more…
This Is WhyThe far-right is on the rise in Germany, but could it go mainstream across Europe?
Right-wing extremism is the greatest danger to democracy in Germany, according to the country’s domestic intelligence agency. The Alternative for Germany…
This Is WhyWhat will 6% mortgages do to the housing market?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out help for homeowners after the average fixed two-year mortgage rate hit 6% for the first time this year. More than…
This Is WhySky’s Diana Magnay on reporting from Putin’s Russia
In a speech made to a business forum in St Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin denied Russia is isolated from the rest of the world. But as foreign companies…
This Is WhyThe ‘ghost children’ problem: why so many are still missing school
Since the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of children in England haven't returned to school. They’re known as “ghost children,” and in the first term of this…
This Is WhyBoris Johnson report: Brutal, damning, but can he really say ‘vindictive’?
Boris Johnson lied to parliament over Partygate allegations, according to a report from MPs. The House of Commons Privileges Committee recommended a 90-day…
This Is WhyThe challenges of getting to a net zero world
Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium - six materials we couldn't do without. But is it possible to fulfil our sustainability goals in building renewables…