This Is Why

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 he can actually do? And why was this scheme introduced in the first place?

Niall Paterson is joined by home affairs commentator and former adviser to Yvette Cooper, Danny Shaw.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

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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 taking place, what other celestial wonders might you witness if you make a habit of gazing up at the night sky?

Niall Paterson is joined by Dr Jenifer Millard, co-presenter of the Awesome Astronomy podcast.

To find your nearest eclipse event, click here.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

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 can there ever be peace in Gaza with him in power?

Niall Paterson is joined by Middle East expert Dr H. A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk

Artificial intelligence is already changing how we work, communicate and find information. But could its biggest impact be on science?

Demis Hassabis is one of the most influential figures in AI. An artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur, he is the co-founder of Google DeepMind, having recently stepped down as chief executive to become the company's chair and chief scientist at its parent company Alphabet.

His is also co-founder and CEO of Isomorphic Labs, and an AI adviser to the UK government.

DeepMind has used AI to predict the structure of proteins, a breakthrough that helped Hassabis win a Nobel Prize and could accelerate the development of new medicines. And the ambition goes much further: using AI to tackle some of the biggest unanswered questions in biology, physics and beyond.

Niall Paterson speaks to Sebastian Mallaby, journalist and author of The Infinity Machine, about the extraordinary ambition behind DeepMind, why its approach to AI is different from some of its Silicon Valley rivals, and whether the technology could ultimately become the world's smartest scientist.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us at: why@sky.uk. You can also watch This Is Why on YouTube.

UEFA has said it is not lifting its boycott of the World Cup after FIFA president Gianni Infantino held a crisis meeting in Morocco. This appears to be in defiance of the letter issued by FIFA at the end of the meeting, which said it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity".

The letter said Infantino had continued to have the support of everyone who attended the meeting, but some of FIFA's management team who had been critical of him were not there.

For now, he seems determined to hang on to power, but with UEFA also not backing down, is his position still under threat?

Mhari Aurora is joined by Rob Harris, Sky News' sports correspondent, to discuss what happens next.

Have you got a question for Niall? Email us: why@sky.uk