This Is Why - podcast cover

This Is Why

Sky Newswww.skynews.com
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
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Crypto casinos: the new 'Wild West' hooking gamblers

Sky News has uncovered how online streamers may be breaking UK gambling laws by promoting crypto casinos - and there are questions over whether the casinos are doing enough to monitor this. Crypto casinos are similar to 'normal' online casinos, offering virtual versions of popular games like slot machines. The difference is they use digital currencies: players convert pounds, euros and dollars into virtual cash such as Bitcoin to gamble with. This type of casino is illegal in the UK, with the Ga...

Sep 19, 202318 min

Russell Brand investigation: Hear from one of the team behind it

Actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse in a joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. Brand says he "absolutely" denies the allegations. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Head of Investigations at The Times, Paul Morgan-Bentley, about the allegations Brand faces and the latest on the investigation. Plus, Alice Enders, head of research at Enders Analysis, discusses if the entertainment industry...

Sep 18, 202325 min

‘Dam of death’: How a Libyan city was washed away

Rescuers are calling for more body bags to be sent to a Libyan city hit by catastrophic flooding - as fears of waterborne diseases grow. More than 11,300 people are known to have died - and this could reach up to 20,000, with a further 10,100 missing. Meanwhile, attempts to coordinate humanitarian aid have been hampered by Libya's fractured government - caused by years of political instability and civil unrest. Today on Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks with Sky News Africa correspondent You...

Sep 15, 202320 min

UK economy: Making sense of the numbers with Ed Conway

Important figures on employment, wages, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have been released this week; all tell a story about how the UK economy is performing. The Sky News Daily's Niall Paterson sits down with our economics and data editor Ed Conway to find out what the numbers mean. Podcast Producer: Soila Apparicio Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku Editor: Adam Jay

Sep 14, 202320 min

The spike in school suspensions

Every day more than 3000 pupils miss school because they have been suspended. It’s a record number that has shot up since the pandemic, especially for girls, who are being sent home at twice the national rate. It’s raised concerns these suspended students are slipping through the cracks, but leading teachers say a national shortage of alternative forms of education is putting unprecedented demand on the system. Today’s Sky News Daily episode features Nick Martin on his investigation into this gr...

Sep 13, 202321 min

Putin and Kim Jong Un meet, but why?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has crossed the border into Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. This is the first time since 2019 that Kim has left North Korea – and a lot has changed since then. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson sits down with security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke and Sky’s Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay to unpick what each leader is looking to gain from this meeting, plus how their alliance will impact global security. Producer: Alex Edde...

Sep 12, 202323 min

Should we be worried about the new COVID variant?

The emergence of a new COVID variant, BA.2.8, has pushed forward the winter vaccination programme, with the rollout starting on Monday in England for older adult care home residents and immunosuppressed people. All over-65s will be offered the jab during the next few weeks. The other nations are also beginning their vaccination programmes this month. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), to disc...

Sep 11, 202320 min

One year of King Charles: What has he achieved?

It's been one year since King Charles took to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. In this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, royal correspondent Laura Bundock takes to the presenter chair to reflect on the first year of King Charles's reign. She is joined by the broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a close friend of the King, plus historian Sir Anthony Seldon, the headmaster of Epsom College. Producer: Alex Edden Promotions Producer: David Chipakupaku Editor: Wendy Pa...

Sep 08, 202322 min

Prisoner manhunt: How was a terror suspect able to escape?

Terror suspect Daniel Khalife's escape from HMP Wandsworth – believed to be by strapping himself underneath a delivery lorry - led to a police manhunt involving all 43 forces in England and Wales. The 21-year-old ex-soldier was on remand charged with collecting information which might be useful to an enemy, understood to be Iran. The justice secretary, Alex Chalk, has told MPs that an independent investigation will take place, while suggestions have been made that cuts to the Prison Service and ...

Sep 07, 202320 min

Could my council go bust?

Birmingham City Council, Europe's largest local authority, has effectively declared bankruptcy, confirming in a statement that all new spending except for protecting vulnerable people and statutory services, must stop immediately. But how does a council go bust? On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our politics and business correspondent Mhari Aurora, as well as Iain Murray from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, who explains how a council can run out of mon...

Sep 06, 202318 min

The Chinese economy is faltering – should the rest of the world worry?

China's economy has slipped into deflation as consumer prices declined in July for the first time in more than two years. Ballooning local government debt, weak import and exports, challenges in the housing market, and growing youth unemployment are all contributing to the country's downturn. On the Sky News Daily Dominic Waghorn speaks to our Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith about why China's economy is running out of steam. Plus, George Magnus, economist and associate at Oxford University's ...

Sep 05, 202319 min

Concrete crisis and the Gillian Keegan rant

MPs returned to Westminster after their summer break, but the same can't be said for thousands of children expected in classrooms for the Autumn term – due to the crumbling concrete crisis. More than 100 schools stayed shut on Monday due to safety fears about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - or RAAC – while the education secretary Gillian Keegan was caught on camera complaining about not being thanked for doing a "f***ing good job" over it all. On the Sky News Daily, Rob Powell speaks to...

Sep 04, 202321 min

"Evil" but "a people person" - Saddam Hussein according to the soldier who guarded him

It's been 20 years since the Iraq war and the capture of dictator Saddam Hussein. Once Saddam was found, he was kept prisoner in his palace with 12 US soldiers guarding him. Saddam proved to be great company and the troops developed a strong friendship with him - they would play chess with him, exercise with him, and talk about their lives. One soldier, Specialist Adam Rogerson, has spoken to the Sky News Daily podcast about his very personal experience guarding Saddam Hussein until his death. P...

Sep 01, 202320 min

UK's new defence secretary and what it means for Ukraine

Former transport and energy secretary Grant Shapps has been named as the new head of the Ministry of Defence after Ben Wallace stood down from the role on Thursday morning. Mr Wallace had overseen one of the biggest international responses to the war in Ukraine - with the UK behind only the US in terms of support since the war began, having committed £4.6bn in military assistance. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by our international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn and military ana...

Aug 31, 202321 min

#SeAcabó: How the World Cup kiss sparked Spain's MeToo moment

Since their World Cup victory, the Spanish team's success has been overshadowed by Spanish football president Luis Rubiales non-consensually kissing player Jenni Hermoso. Hermoso described the actions of Rubiales as an "impulse-driven, sexist out-of-place act without any consent". Rubiales denies this and says it was "spontaneous" and "mutual". The kiss has caused a backlash across football and in Spain, where protesters have called for action "to demand a sport free of sexist violence". On the ...

Aug 30, 202322 min

Air travel chaos: Could it happen again?

The travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people were thrown into chaos on one of the busiest days of the year for airports, as the UK's air traffic control systems suffered a "technical fault". UK airports are still struggling to recover from the hours-long failure of processing flight plans – with warnings delays could last for days. Downing Street has ruled out a cyberattack, but there is speculation that an incorrect flight plan filed by a French airline could be to blame. On the Sky News...

Aug 29, 202318 min

The 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 than 4,000 years in jail for hundreds of alleged ‘Ndrangheta collaborators. One prosecutor of the ‘Ndrangheta, Nicola Gratteri, cannot travel without a heavy police escort, nor see his children for more than a few hours every couple of months. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson is joined by our Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins,...

Aug 25, 202315 min

Prigozhin "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 Moscow on Wednesday. President Putin has praised his former ally as a “talented businessman” who worked “with good results” in Russia and across Africa, but also said he had “made serious mistakes in his life”. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson takes a deep dive into what it means for President Putin’s hold on power, the war in Ukraine a...

Aug 24, 202320 min

Prigozhin 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 mercenary group leader led a short-lived mutiny against Russia’s top brass. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Sean Bell as they examine what we can glean from footage of the private jet falling to the ground, reaction to the crash, and Prigozhin’s relationship with President Vladimir Putin. Podcast produce...

Aug 24, 202311 min

Fukushima 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. A 9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's east coast in 2011, killing 18,000 people and displacing a further 150,000 from an exclusion zone around the plant. Some 1.34 million tonnes of water - enough to fill 500 Olympic-size pools - have been stored in tanks since a tsunami destroyed the plant, but space is now running out. The water will be r...

Aug 23, 202320 min

Scotland'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 rest of Europe. Just over 1,000 people in Scotland died as a result of drug misuse in 2022, the lowest number since 2017. On the Sky News Daily with Niall Paterson, our Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies combs through the latest figures, while Professor Catriona Matheson, an expert in substance misuse from the University of Stirling, desc...

Aug 22, 202321 min

Lucy 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 either the victim statements or the judge hand down a whole-life sentence. One of the baby victims' mothers has called Letby's defiance a "final act of wickedness from a coward". On the Sky News Daily, Sky News‘ home editor Jason Farrell discusses if defendants should be forced to face their victims in court. He speaks to legal commentator Jos...

Aug 21, 202317 min

Britain'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 2016. The 33-year-old nurse was also convicted of seven counts of attempted murder following a trial that lasted nine months. Families of her victims sobbed and comforted each other in court as the jury delivered their verdicts over several days. On the Sky News Daily, we hear from some of the relatives as host Niall Paterson is joined by our ...

Aug 18, 202333 min

Is 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 woman at the helm? Manager Sarina Wiegman took over as Lionesses manager in 2020 and is the first non-Brit to lead the team, originally from the Netherlands. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Rob Harris, our sports correspondent, to talk about Wiegman's career history, and Jeanet van der Laan, the England manager’s former T...

Aug 17, 202317 min

A-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, rising grade boundaries, and a larger than average number of people applying for university places have all placed pressure on A-level grades. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Grace Brookes, who picks up her A-level results on Thursday, about the challenges she's faced since the pandemic. The vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam U...

Aug 16, 202321 min

Looking 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 governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, has warned that the number killed will rise as only 25% of the affected area has been searched so far. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson hears from our US correspondent Martha Kelner, who is in Maui, about the devastation she's seen there and the questions being asked by locals about a sophisticated warnin...

Aug 15, 202321 min

What '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 of the last seven days has got in the way. The 30 or so migrants who had been moved on to a housing barge off Dorset had to be moved out after Legionella was found onboard and Thursday also saw the highest daily number of people crossing the channel this year On the Sky News Daily, Rob Powell asks Peter Walsh, from the Migration Observatory...

Aug 14, 202322 min

Why 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 Mail train and the theft of millions of pounds. Bruce Reynolds planned the robbery with a 15-strong gang of thieves, crooks and conspirers, becoming one of the most notorious criminals in British history. Bruce's son said he never realised his father was a criminal. On the Sky News Daily, presenter Sally Lockwood is joined by Nick Reynolds, t...

Aug 11, 202322 min

World 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 clear. On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood is joined from Australia by our sport correspondent Rob Harris and Lioness Lucy Staniforth, who was on standby for the World Cup squad. They discuss the financial disparities in the sport, as well as reaction to the tournament so far and – of course – England's chances of World Cup success ahea...

Aug 10, 202318 min

Hollywood 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 conditions and claims of dwindling pay. The looming cloud of AI hangs over all industries, but are writers and actors right to be worried about being stripped of their creativity? On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood is joined by Lisa Holdsworth – a TV and theatre writer, and chair of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain – as well as Dr Alex...

Aug 09, 202322 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android