This Is Why

Kanye West is one of the 21st Century’s most talented musicians, but his controversial remarks are just as famous as his music – and his antisemitic comments have now got him banned from the UK. Wireless festival, which he was due to headline in London this summer, has been cancelled as a result. Since he burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s, Ye, as he is now known, has been breaking the...

Donald Trump has claimed a ‘complete victory’ in his war in Iran during a phone call to Sky News just hours after the two sides agreed a temporary ceasefire. But Iran is also declaring a win as it handed over a 10-point plan which includes maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz and full US military withdrawal from the Middle East. So will the ceasefire last? Is that the end of free passage th...

The Artemis II crew are on their way back to Earth after a record-breaking mission to the far side of the moon. They reached a distance of 252,756 miles from our home planet - the furthest in history. The ultimate aim of NASA's Artemis programme is to get crewed missions to Mars. So what did US space experts learn from this mission and how will it help the next stage of the programme, which could...

Matt Brittin, a former Google boss and ex-Olympic rower, will become the new director-general of the BBC in May. He wouldn't have expected a quiet life in the highly-scrutinised role. After all, the broadcaster is facing a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from Donald Trump. But the aftermath of the sacking of Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills will be one of the first big issues Mr Brittin will have to deal...

Donald Trump has kept the world guessing over whether he will launch a ground invasion in Iran. However, the arrival of thousands of US paratroopers in the region might be the clearest indication yet of the disrupter-in-chief’s thinking. A month of airstrikes is one thing but the deployment of troops is quite another - so how would it work? Has Trump learned nothing from Iraq and Afghanistan? Nial...

"Go get your own oil!" Donald Trump has served notice on his allies, telling them the US won't necessarily help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And oil is important... for everything. The global economy needs 100 million barrels a day to function. The war in Iran means we're only producing 80 million. Those missing barrels are having a huge impact on diesel and petrol prices – but that's just the...

The cost of your weekly shop is about to go up – as the war in Iran squeezes the supply of synthetic fertiliser. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz had already caused a spike in energy prices - and is now expected to hit kitchen cupboards in time for summer. It also presents a fresh challenge for a farming industry growing used to having to dig deep for profits. So, what foods will be i...

Artemis II is NASA's next big mission to the moon – the first in over 50 years. It's part of the space agency's long-term plans to build a space station called Lunar Gateway, where astronauts will be able to live and work. It is also America's best effort to beat the likes of China in the space race to return to the moon. Niall speaks to Tom Clarke, our science and technology editor, and Thomas Mo...

The market in counterfeit goods – fake handbags, knock-off trainers or not-quite-designer clothes – is now worth more than double the illegal drug trade in the UK. So, it’s easy to see why organised criminal gangs are concentrating on selling fake fashion, both on the high street and online. And they’re being helped by an army of influencers – who, knowingly or otherwise, are encouraging their fol...

Lots of people enjoy a flutter – but have you ever considered betting on a US strike on Iran? Or when Russia will take control of a village in the Donbass? Or what day a head of state might be killed? It’s a macabre thought for even the most compulsive gambler – but punters are betting millions of dollars on prediction sites like Polymarket and Kalshi, which both have links to Donald Trump Jr. Hig...

Four Jewish ambulances were set on fire in North London on Monday morning, in the latest incident to be treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the police. Sadly, it is just a further example of the increase in violence towards the Jewish community in the UK since the October 7 attacks in 2023. The Jewish charity, the Community Security Trust (CST), said that last year saw the second-highest annua...

Last week, Iran tried to target the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia – more than 2,000 miles away in the Indian Ocean. That attack failed but it led an Israel military spokesperson to suggest London could be vulnerable to an Iranian ballistic missile strike. With Keir Starmer now allowing the use of British air bases for US operations against attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, is Iran capab...

Saturday Night Live has launched the careers of Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell among many others in its 50 year long run on NBC in the US. It’s now coming to the UK with Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed hosting the first shows. As in the US there’s an ensemble cast of comedy players so how important could SNL UK be for the comedy scene? Niall speaks to the creator and host of the Satu...

Nearly half of young adults are turning to low or non-alcoholic drinks - with the number nearly doubling since 2018. To understand why Gen Z has been making this clear-headed decision you need look no further than the “sober curious” movement - with social media influencers promoting the benefits of a booze-free lifestyle. Excessive drinking was once seen as a right of passage in early adulthood –...

Should the US have predicted there would be a siege at the Strait of Hormuz? Why wasn’t the UK better prepared for this conflict? This Is Why has been asking for your questions about the Iran war and in this special episode they are about to be answered. From the delay in the departure of HMS Dragon, to whether Donald Trump would now be less likely to offer the UK military support – this wide-rang...

Sir Keir Starmer is promising help for working people whose energy bills are going up because of the Iran war. The last energy bailout after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine cost £40bn, and on top of the costs of support during the COVID pandemic it means the UK's national debt is now around 100% of GDP. Repaying that debt costs as much as the education budget. With a new YouGov poll for Sk...

A school pupil and a university student have died in Kent and 11 other people are seriously ill following a meningitis outbreak. Meningitis can kill a person in less than 24 hours if it is not treated quickly. But outbreaks like this have been rare in recent years. Vaccination programmes have helped but anyone over the age of 10 will not have been offered a vaccination against MenB by the NHS. How...

Timothee Chalamet – movie star and tabloid regular – had been the firm favourite to take home the Best Actor statue at this weekend’s Academy Awards. So why have the former Hollywood favourite’s fortunes fallen so dramatically? The press campaign for his movie Marty Supreme , as well as some ill-timed controversial comments about opera and ballet, have led to a backlash. Why has public opinion tur...

One of the world's most valuable AI companies is suing the US government after it was designated a "supply chain risk" by Pete Hegseth's Department of War. It's an unprecedented legal fight – after Anthropic refused to allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. Now, other tech giants – including Google, Microsoft and Apple – have swung their support behind Anthrop...

The first batch of the Mandelson files have finally been released – but even though there’s still more to come, there are already serious questions for the prime minister. What was the vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the United States? How much was known about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein? And could more have been done to prevent a five-figure payo...

After a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump announced the US could ease oil sanctions on some countries to combat the rise in prices brought about by the Iran war. It wasn’t clear whether Russia would be included, but such a move could signal a significant shift for the country, which has been isolated since the start of the war with Ukraine. Could Russia be finding its way back to the wo...

A "continuity candidate" or the ultimate "nepo baby"? Iran’s new supreme leader is Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric and son of the previous ayatollah. Khamenei was once described as "the power behind the robes" in his father's regime - but very little is known about him. So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei, and how was he chosen? What does his selection mean for the future of the Iranian regime and...

The warship HMS Dragon is now not expected to leave for the Mediterranean until next week to begin its mission to defend a British military base in Cyprus from attacks by Iran. The ship is one of six Type 45 air defence destroyers in the Royal Navy and one of three that aren’t currently out of service. It is well-equipped to deal with Iran’s Shahed-type drones, so why has it taken so long to send...

Most people have had a bad experience on holiday – but not many will have seen their destination turn into a war zone. That’s been the case for thousands of British travellers in places like Oman and Dubai following the start of the conflict with Iran. The UK’s first repatriation flight was branded a “total shambles” - so what is the government doing to help both holiday makers and expats caught i...

The United States may have launched strikes on Iran this week, but Donald Trump also found time for a war of words. This time, it was with the prime ministers of the UK and Spain – after they refused to allow America access to their airbases ahead of the attack. Keir Starmer and Pedro Sanchez have responded with some tough words of their own – so why are they and other European leaders finally sta...