This Is Why

It was a hole-in-one for the republican cause – the US president using a trip to his golf course in County Clare to lend his weight to the fight for a united Ireland. The timing couldn’t have been better for the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as they met to discuss further cooperation in the campaign for independence. But despite Donald Trump’s insistence that he would “l...

As America marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, a row has erupted between the man who led New York through its darkest moments and the city’s current mayor. Rudy Giuliani became the face of New York’s resilience following the fall of the Twin Towers, but he warned Zohran Mamdani to stay away from official memorial events. Mamdani, the city’s first ever Muslim mayor, ign...

Don’t worry, AI’s not preparing to wipe out humanity with a Terminator-style nuclear Armageddon – that's just not its style. But could it develop a virus that does the job instead? Well, that seems more of a possibility.... And speaking of odds, both former and current employees of tech giant Anthropic put the chances of AI ending all human life at roughly 10 percent. They only differ on the times...

Less up, up and away... more stuck on the tarmac. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded after yet another critical collapse of the country’s air traffic control system. While a cyber-attack has been ruled out, it’s still the third time in four years severe disruption has affected airlines and travellers because of problems at NATS – a public-private partnersh...

Imagine your child has been the victim of a terror attack. Then imagine the most intimate details of their injuries being viewed and shared without your permission or knowledge. A Sky News and Health Service Journal investigation has uncovered the extent to which NHS staff are accessing patients’ medical records. High profile cases include the victims of the Nottingham and Southport attacks. But i...

We have become used to seeing protests against small boat arrivals in the UK, but the speed and size of those in Dover and Portsmouth over the weekend felt like something new. The demonstrations were led by a group founded by Daniel Thomas - a friend of far-right activist Tommy Robinson - who described the protests as "only the beginning". Local authorities were seemingly caught out by events. So,...

Lots of 30-year-olds are career-driven, ambitious types - but perhaps none more so than French far-right politician Jordan Bardella. The sharp-suited, clean-cut leader of France’s National Rally party is tipped as a future prime minister – or even president – of one of the UK’s closest allies. He’s also been the star of the show at the Reform party conference in Birmingham – signing a deal on smal...

Most taxi drivers tell tales about who they’ve had in the back of their cab. But how would you feel about catching a cab that doesn’t have a driver in the front? Autonomous taxis can now be ordered on London’s streets – in a move many would liken to something out of a sci-fi movie. In reality, the cars currently arrive with a human “safety” driver - but the plan is that fairly soon they won’t. So,...

Governments often tell people to live within their means - but can the new prime minister? Andy Burnham will need to try hard after the UK's long-term borrowing costs reached a 28-year high. It's a serious headache for a prime minister who faced his first PMQs on Wednesday. So why are the costs so high? And how will this impact chancellor John Healey's first Budget next month? Niall Paterson sits...

The leader of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt has been called "the most dangerous man in Germany". Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old former perfume salesman, is on course to be elected as leader of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. His victory would be the biggest win for a far-right party since the Second World War. So who is he and what does the AfD stand for? And what would...

Could artificial intelligence provide the key to finding true love? The chief executive of Bumble certainly hopes so as she plans to introduce an AI feature to the popular dating app. Whitney Wolfe Herd has already changed the world of dating by co-founding both Bumble and Tinder - so who is she? And why is she banking on AI being the future of matchmaking? Niall is joined by Mashable's associate...

Three years into Sudan's war, millions face hunger, displacement and violence. It was triggered by a power struggle between the army and a paramilitary organisation known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Britain could have a key role in ending the war as its ally the UAE has been accused of backing the RSF. Dominic Waghorn speaks to Sky's Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir, who has recently ret...

Bob Harris joins This Is Why to remember Dolly Parton. He interviewed her many times during her decades-long career and explains why she meant so much to people from every generation. Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died last year, according to a government-commissioned review – that's three to four times the rate of their peers. Nick Martin, our people and politics correspondent, has been following the journeys of people leaving the care system for many years. Joining Niall, he shares the stories of those who have lived in care. He tells us about the challenges young people fac...

The "glorification of dangerous driving for clicks and entertainment" was "utterly disgraceful" and such content should be removed, a spokesman for the prime minister has said. This weekend, five young men died in a car travelling down on the wrong side of the A66; two policemen also died in the collision. In Ireland, just a week before, five boys died in a crash after their car was driven the wro...

With his fuzz of chaotic grey hair and love of philosophy, Palantir boss Alex Karp isn’t your average tech bro. Not least because he recently published a pro-West manifesto that has been described as the “ramblings of a supervillain”. His highly-controversial data analytics firm is known by critics as “the world’s most dangerous tech company” - so what does it actually do and why does it sit right...

Six years after stepping back from royal life to live in California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to the UK this month. After years of public rows, explosive interviews and a bitter rift with his father and brother – King Charles and Prince William – could this be a chance for Prince Harry to rebuild relations? In this episode of This is Why, Tom Cheshire is joined by Sky News’ royal...

Donald Trump is threatening to scale back US military commitments in South Korea - at the risk of wider instability across Asia. At the same time, the US president reaffirmed his “good relationship” with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. So, why is Washington apparently willing to change its approach to diplomacy and security in the region? In this episode of This Is Why, Niall Paterson is joined...

"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer." This was the short and not-very-sweet response from the Russian Embassy, after it was confirmed British-made drones were used in recent Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia. Drone strikes have been used to great success by Ukraine recently, causing serious damage to military, economic and industrial infrastruct...

Where were you at 7pm on Friday? Wherever you were, it’s likely you heard a loud alert activated on millions of mobile phones. It was the biggest use yet of the government’s emergency alert system, warning of the dangers posed by wildfires across England and Wales. Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the use of the measure, encouraging the public to take it seriously. But was it more red herring...

If you thought wildfires were confined to the countryside, it's time to think again. Several homes have been destroyed across the West Midlands and Staffordshire as the country swelters in yet another heatwave. Scorching temperatures and a lack of rain mean most parts of the UK are at threat of fires. So what can you do to stay safe? And are the emergency services suitably prepared to deal with su...

As envelopes were ripped open up and down the country, university vice-chancellors were as eager to find out the results as hundreds of thousands of anxious students. So, a record number of undergraduates heading to campus this autumn might seem like good news for the higher education sector. But do frozen tuition frees, rising costs, and reduced investment for universities tell a different story?...

You do the crime, you do the time… or a third of it if you’re part of the early release scheme. The move has been controversial since it was first introduced two years ago - but public anger has been reignited over the scheduled release of two men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is now under huge pressure to ensure they remain behind bars - but is there anything...

In what might feel like a rare break from sunshine, the UK is preparing itself for the most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation. The cosmic phenomenon occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, meaning the country will be slowly plunged into darkness. So, how can you watch safely? What is it about an eclipse that fascinates us? And with the Perseid meteor shower also tak...

Some leaders have gone to extreme measures to save their jobs - but is allowing a deadly war to rage on indefinitely a step too far? That is what many believe Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing after he rejected Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza. The proposal was designed to end more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas - so why has Netanyahu rejected it? And c...