In The News

So now we know, the World Cup play-off fixtures have been announced: Republic of Ireland will play Czech Republic away on March 26th, and if they win, they will play Denmark or North Macedonia in Dublin on March 31st.Northern Ireland will play Italy away, and if they win, they will be away again to Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.The playoffs are knockout matches so it could all end on March 26th, but what if it doesn't?Can Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson bring the team to the World Cup? That's a dream that even the most diehard fans, looking at the dismal start to the qualifying campaign, had all but given up on. But then there was the win over Portugal – a victory that not only made a trip to the tournament a possibility but kept the manager in a job.Irish Times soccer correspondent Gavin Cummiskey spoke to Hallgrímsson after the draw. On In the News he looks at the manager's reaction to the draw, comments on our chances against the Czechs (good!) and explains how after a year of getting it wrong, everything came good for the Irish team.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Epstein files are a vast cache of documents which include legal files, witness testimonies and flight logs, collected during an extensive US Justice Department investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his now jailed associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial having been charged with running a network of underage girls for sex.President Donald Trump could have released them to the public at any time – it was a presidential campaign promise of his – but he fought for months to stop lawmakers voting through a bipartisan petition to release the files.That finally happened on Tuesday – Trump issued “permission” to Republicans to vote in favour of the release. Hours later the Senate reached a unanimous agreement to pass the measure, which would clear it for the president's signature. He has said he will sign the release. But when might that happen? And what will be released? And why did he give up the fight to keep the files secret?Scott Lucas, political analyst and professor at UCD's Clinton Institute, explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There has been a sense for some time that Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe's next move was never going to be to some other role in Leinster House.Instead it has long been expected that his side gig as President of the Eurogroup since July 2020 would lead to a top job on the financial world stage - the IMF was mentioned regularly. The question was when might he hand in his notice.Yesterday Donohoe announced that he had resigned his job and will start his new job as number two at the World Bank in Washington on Monday.Irish Times political correspondent Ellen Coyne explains the political fallout to his move, while economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy outlines what the job will entail.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like a whole generation of young Irish men, John Mackey emigrated to the UK in the 1950s in search of work.At 87 and living alone in north London, the Kilkenny man who never married was sociable, charming and always dapper in his trilby hat. He was beloved by his nieces and nephews.On May 6th he headed to his local supermarket for some shopping and, as he'd increasingly stopped cooking for himself, a takeaway of chips and sausages.On his way home he was set upon by Peter Augustine (59) who stole his shopping and food, and having beaten the frail man, left him for dead.Augustine's two-week trial ended last week in the Old Bailey with a guilty verdict. He will be sentenced on November 28th.For Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul, Mackey's murder had a particularly poignancy. He was one of a dwindling number of 1950s emigrants who left a very different Ireland to make their home in London.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're happy to share an episode Early Edition, a new podcast from The Irish Times that brings you four of our top stories in under ten minutes. Find it in your podcast app and hit follow to get updates each morning from Monday to Friday. On today's episode: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris asked his Polish counterpart for help in resolving a child abduction case involving a young girl with dual Irish-Polish citizenship. Orla Ryan has the story.A leading psychologist diagnoses the causes behind Ireland's lengthy waiting lists for child mental health services.Winter arrives early this week in the form of an 'arctic air mass' - find out what to expect.The eruption of joy following Ireland's World Cup qualification win over Hungary continued into Monday - especially on Portland Row, home of hat-trick hero Troy Parrott. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For generations, Irish speakers north and south of the Irish Border have fought to keep their language alive. And today, what was once dismissed as a fading tongue is undergoing an exhilarating and vibrant revival.The Republic's newly elected president Catherine Connolly has made it clear the Irish language will play a central role during her time in office and says she wants to see the native tongue of this island flourish.Meanwhile, north of the Border, the Irish language is also making headlines. In October, attendees at the annual Oireachtas na Samhna Irish-language festival heard Belfast was “leading the revival” of the language. New Irish-medium schools are springing up across the city to meet a surge in demand and Belfast is now hailed by many as Ireland's largest urban Gaeltacht.However, beneath all this buzz lies a battleground. The Irish language remains highly politically charged across Northern Ireland, with unionist leaders pushing back against what they see as an erosion of their identity and traditions. They argue the language is being imposed, without consent, into on daily lives.From bilingual street signs to Irish on council property – every word is a flashpoint.So why does the Irish language stir such fierce resistance in Northern Ireland?Claims that the language is being “weaponised”, are unhelpful and only create further divisions, says Linda Ervine, one of the leading activists and teachers of the Irish language in Northern Ireland and manager of the Turas Irish language project in east Belfast.“I try to say to people if you don't like the language, it doesn't symbolise who you are, that's fine, I totally accept that,” Ms Ervine tells today's In The News episode. “Nobody is removing the English. All we're asking for is a shared space.”“The language is part of the family of Celtic language, it's spoken throughout the British Isles,” she says. “No matter our history, we have these shared, familial and linguistic ties to each other and I think that's something to be celebrated, not something to be frightened of.”Today, on In The News, what's behind the revival of the Irish Language in Belfast, and why is it controversial?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In hard hats and high-vis jackets, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Housing James Browne looked the part at Thursday's launch of “Delivering Homes, Building Communities, 2025-2030″, the Government's latest grand plan to tackle the housing crisis.By 2030, it is committed to delivering 300,000 new homes. It's an ambitious target.But who is going to build these new homes and how can that target be met given successive governments' failure to meet far more modest goals?Will private developers be tempted to ramp up the delivery of apartment schemes? And given the acute skills shortage in the construction industry, where will the builders – the real hard-hat wearers – come from? And what about Ireland's creaking infrastructure - the water and electricity needed to make building possible?The shame of record-breaking homelessness figures means a move to solve this aspect of the housing crisis is a key plank of the new plan.Irish Times Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne was at the plan's launch. She joins In The News to discuss these issues.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few conflicts have caused as much horror and devastation to people's lives as Sudan's civil war. And yet, the country's ongoing death and destruction remains largely unnoticed, and often ignored, by the rest of the world.An estimated 150,000 people have been killed, and 14 million people displaced, since the country was plunged into civil war in April 2023 after a power struggle broke out between the country's army and a powerful paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Last month, the RSF captured the city of El Fasher, the last major urban centre in Darfur held by the army and its allies. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were left trapped in desperate famine-like conditions with no access to food, medicine or relief supplies.The city's civilians have also been subjected to mass killings, and ethnic and sexual violence, while pregnant women are giving birth on the streets after the last remaining maternity hospital was looted and destroyed.Why do so many in the world continue to the turn a blind eye to the world's largest humanitarian crisis?And is a ceasefire even possible in a region plagued by decades of instability, mass displacement and destruction?Today, on In The News, how Sudan became a killing zone.New York Times chief Africa correspondent Declan Walsh discusses the devastating effects of Sudan's civil war, the foreign powers funding the crisis and the measures needed to end this conflict.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Friday, two men appeared before Portlaoise District Court as part of a Garda investigation into an alleged terrorist plot by an extreme right wing group to attack Galway Mosque.The two men were arrested on Co Laois on Tuesday during a cross-Border antiterrorism operation and were charged with possession of explosives.A video found by gardaí on one of the men's phones revealed a ‘practice' recording of what the extreme right wing group intended to release after its planned attack on Galway mosque.A major inquiry is now under way to determine how long the alleged plot was in the planning, what role others may have played and to identify all four men who appear in the video. Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally has the latest details. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, the COP30 climate summit officially opened in the Brazilian city of Belém at the gateway to the Amazon rainforest.Brazilian organisers have insisted this will be the “COP of implementation” where measures needed to combat the climate crisis will take precedence over more promises and never-ending negotiations.This year's global summit marks a decade since the highly lauded Paris Agreement – the landmark agreement signed by almost 200 countries and designed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Its main goal was to limit future global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above ‘pre-industrial' levels. And while some progress has been made, ten years on from this legally binding agreement, emissions are still rising and UN secretary general António Guterres has acknowledged it is now “inevitable” that humanity will overshoot this 1.5 cap.What exactly do world leaders hope to achieve over the coming fortnight?How will the absence of a US-led delegation impact plans for cutting global emissions? And in a world deeply distracted by war, defence and ideological divisions, can China and the EU take the lead in pushing climate measures back up the list of international priorities?Irish Times Climate and Science correspondent Caroline O'Doherty joins the podcast from Belém to discuss whether this year's climate negotiations will move beyond plans and into concrete action.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most people, the process of buying a house can be quite disheartening. The lack of housing supply across the country means houses often sell for way above asking price and usually after an excruciating bidding war. While the Government promises to address the supply issue, is there anything that needs to change about the way we buy houses? In the UK, a major reform of the house-buying system has been proposed by the Labour Government. The plan aims to cut costs, reduce delays and make the whole process more efficient for buyers and sellers. Under the new plan, sellers would have to provide key information about the house upfront. Binding contracts could also be introduced earlier. It would cut the costs for first time buyers and speed up the process by up to four weeks - so should Ireland follow suit?In today's episode, Ciarán Mulqueen, who runs the social media account Crazy House Prices, takes a look at how the process works in other countries and whether something similar could be introduced here.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every November, Irish Times restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave looks back at her year to produce a list of the top 100 restaurants across the country.This year, with the help of the writer Joanna Cronin, readers are treated to a plethora of options for every occasion from new and quirky eateries to heritage restaurants which have stood the test of time.It's also an exciting period for the Irish dining scene.In February, Dublin will host the Michelin star ceremony for the first time, the convention for unveiling new Michelin stars. And the speculation about awards in the Republic is electric.Front and centre in Corinna and Joanne's choices this year, they say, is supply. Those menu's which utilise the best of home grown Irish produce.So where are the top restaurants in Ireland, and what's on the menu?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday New Yorkers elected socialist and Democratic Party candidate Zohran Mamdani as mayor. Mamdani, the city's first Muslim and African-born mayor and the youngest in over a century, was harshly criticised by President Donald Trump throughout the campaign. But his win, along with the election of several other Democrats in races across the country, has forced Trump to start taking seriously the threat of a Democratic resurgence in next year's midterm elections. And Democrats are starting to feel hopeful, even if Mamdani's election poses questions about what the party has become and exactly how it should take on Trump. Keith Duggan reports from Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Saturday, the story broke that broadcaster and former Fine Gael politician Ivan Yates had provided interview and debate coaching to Fianna Fáil presidential candidate Jim Gavin before he dropped out of the race.This was at a time when he was co-presenting the political podcast Path to Power and doing stand in shifts on Newstalk radio.The story gained momentum in the days that followed as news emerged that senior Fianna Fáil politicians, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, also received media training from Mr Yates.How has this steady trickle of revelations played out in Leinster House? What does this controversy tell us about the entanglement of Ireland's media and political elites?And how does the Irish media handle commercial and political conflicts of interest?Today, on In The News, how Ivan Yates' links to Fianna Fáil have landed him, and the party, in hot water.Irish Times media columnist and host of Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan discusses the political fallout from this controversy and how it might impact public trust in the media.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair and Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday afternoon, in a packed courtroom at Dublin's Circuit Criminal Court, former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for fraud. In July, the disgraced sportsman pleaded guilty to ten counts of deception involving thirteen individuals. It's a stunning fall from grace for the Kilkenny man, who was once the most celebrated hurler in the country. For years, Carey spun a web of lies, convincing friends, acquaintances, and even strangers that he was battling terminal cancer and needed large sums of money for life-saving treatment. At times, his stories were meticulously crafted, rich in detail. Sometimes they were just spur of the moment pleas for cash. In today's episode journalist and author of The Dodger, Eimear Ní Bhraonáin maps out Carey's decade long deception and explains how he got away with his crimes for so long.The Dodger: DJ Carey and the Great Betrayal published by Merrion Press is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many things An Garda Síochána know about the woman whose skeletal remains were found in 2021 during the construction of a greenway in Co Cork.They believe the woman was 70 years or older when she died, that she was 157cm tall and had a large frame. They think she wore dentures made in the 1960s while she also suffered from arthritis. Carbon dating suggests she died between 1985 and 1987.What they don't know is her name.They commissioned Prof Michelle Vitali, a director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences at Pennsylvania Western University and a specialist in forensic illustration, to draw an image of the dead woman. She works pro bono for police forces in the US and provided her services free in the Cork case.Vitali explains to In the News the process she used to create an image from the woman's skull which might help jog memories. It is not, she stresses, a portrait of the dead woman, rather a way to illustrate her features. But could it really identify the dead woman and has it worked in the past?Irish Times southern correspondent Barry Roche gives the background to this sad case.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saipan: it's the one word that can, even 23 years later, cause a row and Irish football fans still divide into two camps.When it comes to events in Saipan where the Irish team were acclimatising before heading to Japan for their first game in the 2002 World Cup, everyone has an opinion. You're either Team Roy or Team Mick.A new movie that captures the simmering tension and eventual blow up between Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and team captain Roy Keane will hit our screens on January 1st. But already Saipan has been seen on the international film festival circuit, garnering glowing reviews.Keane is played by Éanna Hardwicke and McCarthy by Steve Coogan – a challenge given how familiar both men are in the public mind. Does it work? And does it capture the tension and the shock waves that Keane's decision to walk out on the team caused.Irish Times consumer correspondent Conor Pope got a preview and says that going in to the cinema he knew he'd be traumatised by Saipan – and he was.Pope tells In the News why the film will open old wounds for many people and how he left the cinema “feeling shaken and sad and weighed down by what might have been”.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 1970s Mary ‘May' and Seamus ‘Shay' McGee were parents to four young children. On her second and third pregnancies, May had experienced complications so severe that her doctor advised that her life would be in danger if she had any more children.The GP prescribed a diaphragm and spermicidal jelly to help prevent pregnancy. These had to be imported and were seized by customs with the couple told that if they attempted to import contraceptive devices again, they could be prosecuted.The couple went to the High Court in 1972 in an attempt to overturn a 1935 ban on the importation of contraceptives.It was struck out and amid a tide of publicity, the couple appealed to the Supreme Court.In 1973 they won, with the judge overturning the 1935 Act which prohibited the importation of contraceptives, with the ruling paving the way for vastly improved reproductive choice for women.The case has been seen as a turning point in society's perception of the separation of the roles of church and State.May McGee, was 81 when she died peacefully at Beaumont Hospital in Tuesday surrounded by her family. Shay died in January 2024.Irish Times journalist Ellen Coyne explains the impact of the couple's brave decision to take on the State in a very different Ireland.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. This podcast was edited to amend a reference to Seán MacBride. He was a member of the IRA, not the Provisional IRA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early September, worshippers gathering for dawn prayers at several locations across Paris discovered a gruesome and spiteful scene – bloodied pigs' heads discarded on the doorsteps of their mosques. A deeply offensive act, Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and consider pigs to be unclean.Soon after, a farmer in Normandy in northern France, who had seen news reports of the dead animal heads appearing around the city, contacted police to say two people driving a vehicle with Serbian number plates had purchased ten pigs heads from his farm.Further investigations by French authorities found the pigs heads had been placed outside the mosques by foreign nationals with the “clear intention of causing unrest within the nation”.This provocative stunt was just one of a range of bizarre and potentially lethal incidents over recent months that have been linked to a Russian campaign to inflame divisions and spread fear across Europe. Other incidents tracked back to Russian intelligence include the burning of a Warsaw shopping centre and a warehouse in London; exploding parcels in Leipzig and Birmingham and the recent disruption of airports with drones and smuggler balloons in Norway, Denmark and Lithuania.Who is carrying out this wide array of sabotage-style stunts and do the criminals responsible even know they're being hired by Russian officials?What is Russia's long-term goal in fostering instability and discord across Europe?And how is Russia targeting Ireland as part of this strategy?Today, on In The News, how Russia's hybrid war is sowing chaos across Europe.Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary discusses Moscow's campaign of sabotage and espionage, which has steadily intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Khadija Haidary left her home in Afghanistan in October 2024 after spending three years trying to survive as a working woman in a Taleban-controlled country.When universities closed to women in late 2022, Haidary joined an underground “resistance” network teaching maths, physics and English to girls. Ms Haidary, who is editor of the Zan Times, now reports from her new home in Pakistan. She talks to Sorcha Pollak about the oppressive reality facing women inside Afghanistan. But while the situation is grim, some are pushing back.Plus: Stefan Smith, spokesperson for the UN's assistance mission in Afghanistan, on international efforts to engage with Taliban rulers. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Belfast court delivered a not-guilty verdict on Thursday in the trial of a former British Army paratrooper accused of the murder of two young men in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry 53 years ago.It was the first-ever trial of a former British soldier accused of killing unarmed civilians during the massacre.The veteran, referred to as Soldier F for legal reasons, was accused of the murders of James Wray and William McKinney during a civil rights march in the city on January 30th, 1972.By the end of that dreadful day, 13 unarmed civilians had been shot dead by the Parachute Regiment while 17 were left with injuries.So how was the verdict received in the packed courtroom, particularly by the Bloody Sunday families whose fight for justice has endured for more than a century. A UK public inquiry had already found that the army unlawfully killed 13 people in Derry on that day, so why did the prosecution against this former paratrooper fail?Irish Times Northern editor Freya McClements was in court for the verdict.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crimes carried out by a loose syndicate of about 60 teenagers spread across north and South Dublin, who are more interested in capturing their joyriding escapades on social media than making money, are on the rise.Known as the Lucky Dip Gang, these groups of young, low-level criminals focus on burglaries and vehicle theft. These often failed and haphazard attempts to steal bikes and cars contrast starkly with the other side of the burglary trade, which is dominated by tight-knit, dangerous organised gangs known for their forensic and meticulous planning.But if the Lucky Dip Gang is running riot across the Greater Dublin Area, and organised burglary gangs are so active across the country, why have burglaries fallen by almost 65 per cent in a decade?Today, on In The News, Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally discusses the TikTok inspired crime trend among young offenders in Dublin, the reasons some teenagers are pushed into joining more serious gangs and the significant drop in burglaries nationwide over the past ten years.And what measures should homeowners take to protect their home to deter burglars and avoid from break-in?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In chaotic and violent scenes reminiscent of the street riots in Dublin city centre two years ago, around 1,000 protesters outside the Citywest IPAS centre in Saggart threw missiles, set fires, used fireworks as weapons and roared racist chants on Tuesday evening.They had gathered in response to news that a man had been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year old Irish girl outside the centre, which is home to mostly Ukrainians but also international protection applicants.The man, a failed asylum seeker in his 20s, has been in the State for six years and is the subject of a deportation order since March 2025.There had already been protests by locals throughout the summer following news that the Government intended buying the hotel – Ireland's largest with more than 750 bedrooms – and turning it into a State-run, permanent asylum centre. The sale, for €148 million, has now been finalised. But Tuesday's protest was very different, not least because many of those present were not local.So who were they and what did they want?And how did the Garda manage and then diffuse such an incendiary situation? Has the force learned from the Dublin riots two years ago?Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally was at Citywest and he reports on how events unfolded.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, almost six months after she took her own life, the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre went on sale. ‘Nobody's Girl', which was completed by Giuffre before her death, details how she feared she might “die a sex slave” at the hands of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre also says she was made to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions.Prince Andrew, who has always denied any wrongdoing, and who reached a financial settlement with Giuffre in 2022, announced last week he would voluntarily no longer use his titles, including the Duke of York. He said he had made the decision following a discussion with King Charles, his family, and in consultation with Prince William.Meanwhile, MPs in Britain moved on Tuesday to lodge a parliamentary motion to strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom, with pressure also mounting on the British government to address the prince's luxury residence in Windsor. It was recently revealed the King's younger brother has not paid rent on the Royal Lodge for more than two decades.The House of Commons, which is not permitted to discuss issues that reflect badly on Britain's royal family, has maintained an uneasy silence as the Prince Andrew scandal continues to grow legs.Why are UK politicians not allowed to debate Royal scandals, or any issues that reflect badly on Royals, in Westminster? And is that about to change?Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the latest revelations from Giuffre's memoir and examines the steps needed for Westminster to take stronger action against the disgraced prince.Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shortly after 9.30am on Sunday, when the Louvre in Paris had just opened its doors to visitors, alarm bells started to ring out through the halls of the world-famous museum.Four thieves had managed to access the building via the first floor balcony facing the river Seine. Seven minutes later they escaped on motorbikes carrying priceless French crown jewels.The robbery has sparked outrage across the French political spectrum – the country's president Emmanuel Macron called the raid “an attack on our history”, while the leader of the far-right National Rally party Jordan Bardella said it was an “intolerable humiliation”.The heist has also prompted serious questions about the security needed in high profile museums and art galleries, and the increasingly brazen nature of criminal art robberies.How exactly did these thieves manage to steal priceless artefacts from one of the most secure museums in Europe in broad daylight? And why are the French authorities now racing against the clock to track down the missing items?BBC Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield discusses how this audacious heist was pulled off and whether the jewels will ever be seen again.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scam call centres are paying up to €1,200 per person for the contact details of potential Irish victims.And once they have a name and number, it's game on, with highly-trained fraudsters working the phones to persuade victims to part with their money via bogus investment “opportunities”.Analysis by The Irish Times has identified 31 Irish victims who lost a combined total of nearly €300,000. This includes a 76-year-old man who lost €61,720, and a high-ranking diplomat who lost more than €31,000.Details of the transactions are contained in a vast data leak - including recordings of the phones calls - from a Georgian scam call centre which was provided to The Irish Times by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OOCRP), a non-government investigative journalism organisation.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher is part of that project and he explains to In the News exactly how the scams work. And he talks to some of the Irish victims.But how do these scammers collect the phone numbers they call; how do they identify their victims and what sophisticated sales techniques do they use to persuade unsuspecting victims to “invest” in the bogus schemes?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleven years after the bodies of Anthony Keegan (33) and Eoin O'Connor (32) were discovered buried on Inchicup Island, Dublin woman Ruth Lawrence (45) has gone on trial for their murder. She has pleaded not guilty.The prosecution has laid out its case: alleging that Lawrence worked “as a unit” with her South African boyfriend Neville van der Westhuizen to kill O'Connor, a drug dealer and his friend Keegan.Van der Westhuizen was in considerable debt to O'Connor.It was further alleged that Lawrence and her boyfriend had “spoken openly” about “the murders and disposing of the bodies”.The jury has already heard from the landlord of the remote Co Meath lakeside cottage where the accused and her boyfriend were living at the time of the murder. He testified how they had asked to borrow a boat with an engine and had done so.Set to last until November, the judge sent the jury away on Tuesday due to a medical issue with a witness but the court heard on Thursday that the trial would continue.Court reporter Alison O'Riordan has been following the trial.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan can now take all the performance-enhancing drugs he wants as part of his training plan.And if anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH), or testosterone supplements show up in his system next May when he competes in Las Vegas, the organisers will congratulate him for playing by the rules.The Enhanced Games dubbed the Steroid Olympics – was dreamed up by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza as a sporting event that lets competitors maximise their performance by doping.Ryan, who was the first swimmer to compete in three Olympics for Ireland, says the decision to join the Enhanced Games is financial. He will, he says, be “making over six figures for nine months and then potentially making over $600,000 when it comes down the line”.But Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules exist not just to level the playing field for all athletes but also to protect them from the health impacts of doping. So isn't the 31 year-old worried?Irish Times sports writer Malachy Clerkin talked to him from his new training base in Nevada.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The number of people falling victim to online fraud, and in some cases losing their life savings as a result of being scammed, is skyrocketing. Banks have warned of a sharp increase in phone calls and text messages from criminals purporting to be delivery companies or Government agencies. However, in some of the most disturbing cases, victims are targeted with the promise of love and romance.Romance scams are not new – lonely people have always been targeted by criminals. But with the omnipresence of social media in people's daily lives, and the rapid development of AI, criminal gangs are using more sophisticated methods than ever before to exploit the human need for connection, trust and affection.The sheer extent and impact of these scams remains unknown because many people are too embarrassed to report the relationship, or their lost funds, to the authorities. They are often also left heartbroken after truly believing they had found their soul mate.One Irish woman in her 60s, who recently lost more than €291,000 through a sinister romance scam to a man who claimed to love and want to marry her, shared her experience with The Irish Times this week.On today's In The News episode Conor Pope, Irish Times consumer affairs correspondent, shares the story of Mary* who has been left with huge debts, and potentially serious legal implications, after being financially exploited, and emotionally manipulated, by a man who called himself Donald.What are the red flags people should watch out for if they begin a relationship online?And can further steps be taken by authorities to track down the criminal gangs behind this financial fraud?Today, the story of one woman who lost everything through an elaborate romance scam.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair.*Pseudonym requested to protect woman's identity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, more than two years after the conflict in Gaza began – a war which has killed tens of thousands, including an estimated 20,000 children – the remaining living Israeli hostages returned home.Meanwhile, about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners – including 1,700 from Gaza who have been held by Israel without charge – were released and reunited with family.The return of hostages and release of prisoners is all part of the first phase of Donald's Trump's peace plan for Gaza.Trump, who spoke before the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, told cheering lawmakers that the “long and painful nightmare is finally over” and that the agreement marked a “historic dawn of a new Middle East”.But is the US president correct? Will both sides honour the agreement and what will the next stage of this peace plan look like?And when so many lives have been lost, where do Palestinians begin when it comes to rebuilding the Gaza Strip?Irish Times contributors Mark Weiss and Michael Jansen discuss how Trump's peace plan will work and what the future holds for Palestinians.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael D Higgins will shortly finish his two terms as President of Ireland, having served 14 years as head of State.In 2011 he said his tenure would be “a presidency of ideas”. But what are they and where in his background and in his impressive and varied pre-Áras career did they come from?And how has his outspokenness on a wide range of subjects, from foreign affairs to army pay, been received by successive governments? To what extent did his personal popularity insulate him from criticism and even censure when he was perceived to have overstepped the boundaries of the role?The 84 year-old's appeal, notably among young people, has secured a prominent place for him in Irish popular culture inspiring a range of “miggledy” memorabilia from T-shirts to tea cosies.But while his public image is that of a warm, affable elder statesman in a tweed suit with a ready smile and an ability to connect with everyone who comes in contact with, his private persona is somewhat different according to Irish Times journalist Naomi O'Leary who has written a long profile of this very popular, effective President.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was Micheál Martin's worst week in the job as leader of Fianna Fáil and it began on late on Sunday evening when the party's campaign for the presidency imploded. Its candidate Jim Gavin resigned following media reports that, 16 years ago, a tenant had accidentally overpaid him by €3,300 and despite repeated requests, the former military man and presidential hopeful had refused to return it.The failure to repay a debt – and a landlord's debt at that – had caused a sensation when news of it was reported on Friday.Gavin was Martin's man – his “celebrity” non-party pick announced after a summer of speculation.But from his first outing it was clear that he lacked the charisma and communication skills that are baseline requirements in any political campaign. And for a celebrity candidate he was remarkably unknown.Many in Martin's party were simply puzzled by his choice while also being angry at a process in which they felt sidelined.Wednesday provided a new twist when the tenant outed himself on his popular crime podcast as Niall Donald, deputy editor of the Sunday World.Then on Wednesday evening before a five-hour parliamentary party meeting, a shaken Martin apologised for the disaster which has left party members furious and embarrassed.So how did Micheál Martin get here; how did he make this massive misstep in choosing Gavin and has he set the clock ticking on the end of his career leading Fianna Fáil.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So now we know what's in Budget 2026 but for most people, what's not so clear is what's in it for them.As he has done every year on the day after the budget Irish Times personal finance expert and assistant business editor Dominic Coyle put a call-out to readers for their own queries and then he answered them.For In the News he picks out the ones that exercised people the most and explains how he answered.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is in Budget 2026 for you? Not a lot, probably - as expected, Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers have delivered a much tighter package than recent years. Out are universal payments to help with steep energy bills and most bonus social welfare payments. But the budget did deliver some help for some groups. Conor Pope runs through the main points. Plus: Cliff Taylor on why, eleven months after a general election campaign that featured many spending promises, the Government has instead decided to tighten its belt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's budget day and one thing we can almost certainly expect in Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe's spending announcements is an increase in the price of cigarettes. This year, the cost of a pack of cigarettes is set to increase by 50 cents, bringing it to almost €19 for a pack of twenty.And while this price hike may help reduce smoking levels in Irish society, and improve the overall health of the population, it is also driving Ireland's rapidly growing black market tobacco business.More than one in four cigarettes smoked in Ireland are now sold through the black market, costing the exchequer around €600 million in lost revenue annually.And it's not just the Irish authorities who are keen to end this booming underground activity – Big Tobacco companies are now hiring investigators in Ireland to collect data on how and where this business takes place.On today's In The News episode, consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope discusses the day he recently spent shadowing an investigative team hired by Japan Tobacco International, one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, to scour Dublin for sellers of illegal tobacco.Who is selling this tobacco, where is it produced and what do we know about the criminals behind this illegal cigarette chain?And what is the point of tobacco companies tracking down small-time street dealers who are purely cogs in a much larger, multimillion euro, illicit tobacco-producing machine?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fianna Fail's presidential candidate Jim Gavin's sensational withdrawal from the presidential race has plunged Fianna Fáil into crisis. There's dismay among party backbenchers, anger at Taoiseach Micheal Martin, and uncertainty over what kind of presidential election race we now have. Earlier today, Jack Horgan Jones and Ellen Coyne talked to Hugh Linehan on our sister podcast Inside Politics about the affair. In the News will be back with another regular episode tomorrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can it happen that a doctor who has been sanctioned or even struck-off in one country can simply move to another and continue working?Shouldn't the various medical registration bodies have robust recording and information sharing systems that would make that impossible. Most patients will assume that to be the case but a new global investigation has found serious flaws in the system.And it is happening in Ireland: 11 doctors who have faced serious sanctions in the UK, including being struck off, remain registered in Ireland.In each case, the UK sanction was not recorded on the doctor's publicly available record published by the Medical Council.The information comes from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which in the past has investigated transnational criminal gangs and drug cartels but in recent months has turned its attention to doctor registration.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher joined international journalists from more than 50 other media outlets to uncover this very real threat to patient safety. He explains the findings of the report particularly as they relate to Ireland.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The long-awaited MetroLink line, which will finally connect Dublin Airport to the city by rail, has been approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála, three years after planning permission was sought.The 18.8km rail line, expected to cost more than €10 billion, was first proposed a quarter of a century ago and is anticipated to begin operations in the mid-2030s.Travelling mostly underground, the remote-controlled, driverless trains will run every three minutes from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont close to Ranelagh in south Dublin. The route will have 16 stops serving areas including Dublin Airport, Ballymun, Glasnevin, Phibsborough and the city centre.A trip from Swords to the city centre is expected to take about 25 minutes, while journeys from the airport to the city will take about 20 minutes.But what happens if there is a judicial challenge to the planning permission? And what if “unknown, unknown” issues arise and the bill doubles as has been imagined? And when will the first passengers hop on board?Irish Times Dublin editor Olivia Kelly explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The body of 23-year-old Kelly Lynch was found in a canal in Monaghan on the morning of St Patrick's Day 2024.For 30 hours, her mother Julieanne had been unable to get in contact with her daughter who had travelled over the Border to visit her boyfriend. Increasingly worried, she got in the car to drive to Monaghan to find her.While she was in the car she received a call from the Garda with the news every parent dreads. An Garda Síochána initially determined that the young woman had fallen and that her death was an accident.However, her parents John and Julieanne believe that there is so much about their daughter's death that needs to be explained, not least the 93 injuries found on her body. They have been advocating for Kelly since that dreadful day.Julieanne tells In The News the issues the family has with how Kelly's death was handled and how The Katie Trust has been helping her; while former PSNI officer and founder of The Katie Trust James Brannigan explains how his organisation is helping so many bereaved families who have been left, like the Kellys, with questions.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Times is continuing to develop its podcast offering and would like to invite some of our current listeners to take part in a research study to listen to, and discuss, a new podcast pilot.This will involve listening to 2 short versions of a news briefing podcast and taking part in an online forum to discuss your reaction. You will be free to take part and contribute to the discussion at times that suit you over a period of a number of days. If selected to take part, and in return for your participation, you will receive a €30 One4All digital gift voucher.If you would like to take part please complete this form with your details. We'll aim to select as many as possible to participate.On Monday evening, the three candidates for the Irish presidency gathered together for their first live debate on Virgin Media Television. But, was it a really a debate?Rather than standing, Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin sat around a table and delivered a series of lines and scripts for over an hour. To many, it just appeared to be a longer version of Virgin's regular weeknight politics show.The conversation was largely polite, restrained and non-combative and ultimately made for quite dull TV.How did the three presidential candidates fare in the live TV studio setting and who came out on top?And what do the Irish presidential candidates need to change about their communication style to bring some spark to the race for the Áras and inspire us, the public, to cast our vote in their favour?Today, on In The News, what does it take to win a presidential debate?Lorcan Nyhan, head of training at the Communications Clinic who has previously worked with Irish politicians on presentation and communication, breaks down what the candidates need to change about their debating style to bring more energy and public interest to the campaign for president.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Times is continuing to develop its podcast offering and would like to invite some of our current listeners to take part in a research study to listen to, and discuss, a new podcast pilot.This will involve listening to 2 short versions of a news briefing podcast and taking part in an online forum to discuss your reaction. You will be free to take part and contribute to the discussion at times that suit you over a period of a number of days. If selected to take part, and in return for your participation, you will receive a €30 One4All digital gift voucher.If you would like to take part please complete this form with your details. We'll aim to select as many as possible to participate.In the early hours of Sunday morning, Russia launched a big drones and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, killing at least four people. Meanwhile, more than 1,500km to the West, Denmark reported drone sightings over military sites in its own country.These latest Danish reports follow a series of drone sightings across Europe in recent weeks, including in Poland, Germany and Romania, as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonia airspace. These incursions have caused international chaos and raised concerns over the security of northern Europe and its vulnerability to air attacks from Russia.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the recent drone aggression across European countries is proof that Vladimir Putin is planning to expand Russia's war into the European Union.And while Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia has no intention of attacking European Union or Nato member states, he also says it is prepared to act if provoked.Europe is moving forward with plans for a drone wall and increasing defence spending, but is that enough?Today, on In The News, is Europe already at war with Russia?The Guardian newspaper foreign correspondent Luke Harding discusses the growth of Russian interference and provocation across Europe and Moscow's belief that it is already at war with the West.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On September 17th, partial skeletal remains of a child were discovered on waste ground in north Dublin following an extensive search by gardaí.While DNA analysis has yet to be concluded, the remains are believed to be those of Daniel Aruebose.He was last seen when he was 3 1/2 years of age and had not been seen in four years.The discovery of his body was a significant step in the investigation into his disappearance but the initial results of the postmortem have been a setback as no cause of death could be determined. So what happens now?Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally, who broke the story of the discovery of the child's remains, explains how the investigation might now proceed.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.The Irish Times is continuing to develop its podcast offering and would like to invite some of our current listeners to take part in a research study to listen to, and discuss, a new podcast pilot.This will involve listening to 2 short versions of a news briefing podcast and taking part in an online forum to discuss your reaction. You will be free to take part and contribute to the discussion at times that suit you over a period of a number of days. If selected to take part, and in return for your participation, you will receive a €30 One4All digital gift voucher.If you would like to take part please complete this form with your details. We'll aim to select as many as possible to participate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.