Sky News Daily

A year after COVID-19 was given its official name by the World Health Organisation, we ask what lessons the pandemic taught the planet.On the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, our special correspondent Alex Crawford and chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay reflect on their reporting of the devastation witnessed in countries from Italy and the US, to Brazil, Mexico and Yemen.Plus, Dermot is joined by Professor Krishna Udayakumar, economist Yael Selfin and Stefania Giannini from UNESCO as they discuss the impact on global health, economies and education.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesArchive – Nelly Stefanova Music - Steven Wheeler

Since COVID-19 reached UK shores, we have learnt a lot, not just about the science of the virus but about our society, public services and the UK government.But has what we've learnt actually changed how our country is run?In this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Dermot Murnaghan is joined by comedian and virologist, Ria Lina; Rowland Manthorpe, tech correspondent and data analyst; and Giles Whittell, editor at Tortoise media and closely involved in the Tortoise Covid enquiry.

Tigger Blaize knew from a young age that he was a boy. The problem? He was born a girl. As part of LGBT History Month on the Sky News Daily podcast, we hear about Tigger’s journey of transition in the UK as well as the issues faced by Andy and Mr C in China.Host Tom Cheshire is joined by Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, Dr Hongwei Bao – an expert in gay identity and queer politics in China.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast producer – Lauren PinkneyPodcast producer – Emma-Rae Woodhouse Interviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesArchive – Nelly Stefanova Music - Steven Wheeler

More than 12 million people have now received their first dose of a COVID vaccine – but how much more do we now know about the jabs?On the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we are joined by Professor Jeffrey Almond, visiting professor of microbiology at the University of Oxford who also advises the vaccine task force.We examine the differences between vaccines, dispel facts from fiction and discuss the possible benefits of having doses from two different manufacturers - with the help of a walnut analogy.Plus, we hear from nurse Delia Clarke who talks about the “emotional” experience of inoculating her first COVID vaccine recipient. Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesArchive – Nelly Stefanova Music - Steven Wheeler

After weeks of delay, and more than a year after the first COVID-19 case was reported, the World Health Organisation’s team of experts are in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the pandemic. Misinformation, conspiracies and conflicting theories are rife, and the conclusions of this report and future research could have major repercussions for China. But why has this research venture been so heavily politicised, and what can we expect from their findings? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Jayne Secker speaks to Tom Cheshire, Sky’s Asia correspondent, to discuss his own attempt to find answers in China; Dr Julian Tang, a consultant virologist at the University of Leicester, to discuss the science behind tracking down a virus; and we hear from WHO team member Dr Peter Daszak about their findings so far.

The stock market frenzy surrounding videogame store, GameStop seemed to come out of nowhere. Last week, armchair investors, armed with easy-to-use trading apps, used social media to drive up the share prices that multiple billion-dollar hedge funds had bet against. GameStop share prices rose over 1000%, and with that, hedge funds like Melvin Capital and Citron Research lost an estimated total of $19 billion. But what actually happened to cause such a massive hit to Wall Street? And why does this matter? Sky News Daily podcast host, Dermot Murnaghan speaks to economist and former trader, Gary Stevenson about why this stock market volatility could be a symptom of an unequal society and Peter Tuchman, the most photographed New York Stock Exchange trader, speaks from Wall Street to explain why trading like this to make a political statement can be a dangerous game to play.

On Tuesday 2 February, Alexei Navalny was sentenced to two years and 8 months in a prison colony. After years of leading the opposition party in Russia - campaigning against Putin, leading protests, undergoing numerous arrests and a poisoning - the Kremlin has now clamped down on its harshest critic. But what now for politics in Russia? Hosting the Sky News Daily podcast, Jonathan Samuels speaks to Ben Judah, Russia analyst and author of Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In And Out Of Love With Vladimir Putin. Also joining him to discuss accusations made about Putin regarding the so-called ‘Black Palace’ and corruption is Sergey Markov, Putin’s former spokesman.We also speak to a Navalny supporter, who explains why he will continue to protest.

More than two million people globally have died with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic – more than 100,000 of those in the UK.At the same time, NHS medics continue to save the lives of many others. Sky’s home editor Jason Farrell has been given access to staff at London’s Royal Free and Barnet hospitals as they treat patients who have contracted the virus.As part of our special Stranger Times series on the Sky News Daily podcast, we hear from intensive care and specialist teams as well as some of those being treated. Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersSpecialist producer – Liz LaneAssistant podcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesMusic - Steven Wheeler

The far-right has been expanding in the US for years, but since Donald Trump became president, we have seen the rise of groups such as QAnon, Proud Boys and the Boogaloo movement. Then, at the end of last year, Trump lost the election and after the infamous storming of the Capitol, his social media channels were silenced But what does this mean for the US far right? In this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Katerina Vittozzi is joined by Cas Mudde, associate professor in School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia and author of the book 'The Far Right Today’, to explain how the movement has evolved, Alex Martin, Sky News’ technology reporter to talk through the role of social media in mobilising the far right and Brian Trascher, senior partner at Gulf South Strategies speaking about his views on the legacy of Trump.

Brexit realities, a COVID vaccine row and ‘global Britain’ This weekend marks a year since the UK left the European Union and a month since the transition period came to an end. So how is it really going? In recent days, Britain has found itself embroiled in a row over the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine as the president of the European Council suggested Brussels should consider legal action following supply issues.On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we examine the teething problems and discuss the wider issues, plus what does “global Britain” actually look like?We are joined by our deputy political editor Sam Coates, Sky’s diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn and Naomi O’Leary, Europe correspondent for The Irish Times.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast apprentice – Lauren Pinkney Interviews producer – Tatiana AldersonPackage producer – Mark Thompson Archive - Simon WindsorArchive – Rob FellowesMusic - Steven Wheeler

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson expressed hope that it will be safe to reopen schools in England from 8 March at the earliest. But it’s not that straightforward. The full return of face-to-face learning is heavily dependent on the success of the vaccine rollout and a decline in COVID-19 cases. Teachers, parents and pupils have had to re-adjust to remote learning during this lockdown but could online lessons have a permanent place in the education structure in future? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast, teacher Mathury Jeganathan shares her experience of swapping the traditional school building for a virtual classroom. Host Jonathan Samuels is also joined by founder of My Online Schooling, Tom Crombie and Sky’s Laura Bundock as we examine the lessons learned.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersPodcast apprentice – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesMusic - Steven Wheeler

The sight of a single coffin during a funeral service is hard enough. Debbie Mountjoy and her family experienced the pain of three loved ones laid side-by-side in caskets.Her mum Gladys and two brothers Dean and Darren died less than a week apart after contracting COVID-19 in South Wales towards the end of last year. Debbie’s heart-breaking story and grief is shared by families here and around the world.On Tuesday, it was confirmed the number of people to die with COVID-19 in the UK had surpassed 100,000.On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, we are joined by Debbie and her wife Tina as they keep the memory of their loved ones alive and urge people to abide by coronavirus rules. Also, Professor Lorraine Sherr talks to Dermot about collective grief, coping with loss and the psychological legacy of the pandemic.If you need to talk to someone following the death of a loved one, you can call the charity Sudden for free on 0800 2600 400 or the Samaritans helpline can be reached on 116

There have been outbreaks of COVID-19 in more than half of UK prisons and many are running on skeleton staff. The pandemic has forced the prison estate to move to ‘an exceptional delivery mode’. One prisoner claimed they were kept in their cells for more than 23 hours a day with limited access to hygiene facilities, forcing them to dispose of human waste in plastic bags and bottles. There are signs that prisons could be epicentres for infection with small, enclosed areas and a lack of social distancing with staff potentially bringing the virus in and out. In this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Noel Phillips speaks to Juliet Lyon, chair of the government's independent panel on deaths in custody, Andrea Albutt, president of the Prison Governors Association, Lucy Martindale, youth worker and anti-violence campaigner and John Drake, an ex-inmate at HMP Coldingley Prison.

The country's recent election saw President Yoweri Museveni extend his 35-year grip on power, winning a sixth term in office.Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. There is frustration over the economy and a lack of future prospects, particularly among the under 30s.So is a shift in power coming? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast we hear from challenger Bobi Wine about the intimidation he and his team faced during the election campaign. Plus, host Dermot Murnaghan talks to our Africa correspondent John Sparks about the country's political history and current situation, and shares his own experience of reporting in the country after running for cover when soldiers pointed guns at him.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersAssistant podcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesMusic - Steven Wheeler

For years, America has been well known for its gun violence, but last year, the statistics were off the scale. There has been a rise in shootings, but also a rise in the number of people going to buy guns. In the US, on average, there is a mass shooting every single day. But what in the last 12 months has driven people to buy and use firearms more than ever before? In this episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, host Noel Phillips speaks to Lucinda Roy, professor at Virginia Tech and former teacher of the man responsible for the killings in 2007; Kareem Shiya, co-founder of Open Source Defense - an online group, campaigning for gun rights, and Craig Jackson, Professor of occupational health psychology at Birmingham City University.

There have been three new variants of COVID that have had a startling impact on the number of cases. They have been detected thousands of miles apart, one in Brazil, one in South Africa, and one in the UK. This came as no surprise to scientists. Since the virus was first detected, it has mutated approximately 4,000 times. However, if the virus keeps mutating, will we ever end the pandemic? In this episode, host Jayne Secker is joined by Sir Mark Walport, previous government chief scientific adviser to explain what we know so far about the new variants and Sky News correspondent, Ashna Hurynag, tells us what the situation is like in the city of Manaus.

On this bonus episode of the Sky News Daily podcast, Niall Paterson puts questions from the public to the Government's chief scientific adviser as the UK remains under lockdown due to the COVID pandemic.

Joe Biden’s swearing in as the 46th president of the United States marks the start of a new era in US politics. But will it lead to a more "united" America? His administration takes over at a time when the country is still very much divided and grappling with the COVID pandemic.As well as the House of Representatives, the Democrats now control the White House and the Senate on Capitol hill – the scene of recent rioting that resulted in security being bolstered for the inauguration.On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast with Dermot Murnaghan, former Democrat Ohio State Senator Capri Cafaro shares her experience of working inside the Capitol and what it means to Americans. We are also joined by Sky’s diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn and former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman as we discuss the Senate’s power and prestige.Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersAssistant podcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon Winds

We are living through history right now. But how will the story of the pandemic be told in years to come? Life in 2021 may at the moment feel isolating, frustrating and gloomy, but there is the occasional promise of hope. It’s not easy. More than 2 million people across the world have now died with COVID-19.As part of a special series on the Sky News Daily podcast, our home editor Jason Farrell travels around the UK looking at the human impact of the crisis, speaking to real people about the real issues many of us are facing.In this episode, we focus on young people and education as Jason visits Gateshead and Skegness. Daily podcast team:Podcast producer - Annie JoycePodcast producer - Nicola EyersSpecialist producer – Liz LaneAssistant podcast producer – Lauren PinkneyInterviews producer - Tatiana AldersonArchive - Simon WindsorArchive - Rob FellowesMusic - Steven Wheeler

The British Royal Family has been at the forefront of the campaign to tackle climate change for over 50 years. Most recently, Prince Charles announced his “Terra Carta” principles, calling on businesses to act now to tackle the climate crisis. It follows the £50m Earthshot initiative launched by Prince William to encourage people to solve sustainability issues. But what impact does the Royal Family actually have on the environmental crisis?And do their pledges make a difference? On this edition of the Sky News Daily podcast Dermot Murnaghan is joined by Ed Davey, the co-director of the World Resources Institute, who worked with the Prince of Wales on a number of climate initiatives, and Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills. Daily podcast team: Podcast producer - Annie Joyce Podcast producer - Nicola Eyers Podcast producer – Emma Rae Woodhouse Podcast producer – Cat Soave Interviews producer – Tatiana Alderson Archive - Simon Windsor Music - Steven Wheeler