Shows / In The News
In The News
In The News is a daily podcast from The Irish Times that takes a close look at the stories that matter, in Ireland and around the world. Presented by Bernice Harrison and Aideen Finnegan.
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Episodes
- In The News
Public sector pay deal: What’s in it for workers and can we afford it?
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, after days of fraught discussion, the Government and trade unions agreed a €5.2 billion deal that will deliver pay…
- In The News
Did China send a spy to seduce tech billionaire Jensen Huang?
With media speculation growing and investors getting nervous, on Sunday Jensen Huang issued a statement. The chief executive of US tech giant Nvidia…
- In The News
Why Gardaí are worried about security as world leaders arrive in Dublin
On Monday evening, the Defence Forces’ PC9 aircraft practised their drone interception drills over Leinster using an Air Corps helicopter as a target. By…
- In The News
Why has Simon Harris promised penalties for the long-term unemployed?
Táiniste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris has denied “punching down” on the long-term unemployed in his speech at Fine Gael’s annual party conference in…
- In The News
Fake listings and scams: why Booking.com has questions to answer
EU regulators have begun an investigation into Booking.com, alleging that the travel website has not done enough to protect consumers from scams, phishing and…
- In The News
Who is behind bomb threats to airlines and Irish media?
Bomb threats against Irish media organisations earlier today were just the latest in a series of disruptive acts targeting European citizens in the past…
- In The News
Who is Aengus Ó Snodaigh and why is he in the headlines?
Since the Garda raid on the Liberty Recycling charity on October 20th, Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s name has been in the news. Luxury goods to the value €300,000 were…
- In The News
Who is the Irish jihadist jailed for knife attack on gardaí in Dublin
In July 2025 Abdullah Khan, a self-described jihadist, carried out two attacks in Dublin, both were captured on camera. A follower of Isis, the radical Islamic…
- In The News
US midterms: What do big Democrat wins mean for the US and the rest of the world?
Democrats have swept key US midterm races, flipping long-held Republican seats and securing a majority in the House and Senate. The results are a wipeout for…
- In The News
Hackers targeted supermarket fridges, what else can they do?
On Monday, hackers launched a cyberattack on SuperValu stores, remotely changing the temperature settings in fridges and freezer units in 13 branches. The…
- In The News
US midterms: Hugh Linehan's guide to watching the results
Voting is underway in the US midterm elections, the results of which will decide which party controls Congress, and whether Donald Trump can advance his agenda…
- In The News
Ciara Mageean: ‘She was such a special human being. She gave everything’
Before her running career was cruelly cut short, Ciara Mageean managed to break the Irish record for the 800 metres, 1000 metres, 1500 metres, and the mile…
- In The News
What this winter has in store for Ireland’s energy and fuel prices
Last week, the EU’s Energy Commissioner, Dan Jorgensøn, warned that Europeans could be facing another winter of painfully high energy bills. The commissioner…
- In The News
Election stalemate – what next for Israel?
Defying pre-election predictions, and even exit polls, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and his right-wing ultra nationalist bloc is set to have the biggest number…
- In The News
Rags and riches: How an Irish charity became the focus of a criminal investigation
Liberty Recycling is a well-known Irish charity associated with second-hand clothes and the bulk export of rags, not luxury goods. But all that changed last…
- In The News
What two surprising election results tell us about the world
It’s been a week of dramatic electoral upsets that show that right-wing waves moving across Latin America and Europe can be stopped. Lula’s dramatic comeback…
- In The News
Could a crime that shocked Dublin in 2003 be solved?
On the morning of Monday, March 31st, 2003, a woman answered the door of her house in south Dublin. A man purporting to work as a TV technician was standing on…
- In The News
Inside the court as Russell Brand stands trial
One of the world’s most recognisable faces in entertainment, Russell Brand, is on trial in a London court. He has pleaded not guilty to seven charges. Three of…
- In The News
Naza: The film the Israeli Government doesn't want you to see
‘You hack her phone then you kill her – that’s what one Israeli intelligence officer told Naza director Yuval Abraham about their tactics in Gaza. The shocking…
- In The News
Will Jim O’Callaghan back down in solicitors’ pay dispute?
The four-month dispute between criminal defence solicitors in the free legal aid system and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan took a turn for the worse this…
- In The News
One father’s fight to get help for his out-of-control teenage son
In recent months, a disturbing social media trend has emerged online in Ireland. Groups of masked teenage boys are stealing cars, taunting Gardaí, driving at…
- In The News
What led to the eruption of violence across France last weekend?
In Paris and beyond last weekend, half a million people took to the streets in protest. Those highlighting the cost-of-living crisis joined the ongoing student…
- In The News
Has Elon Musk invented a flying car?
In Texas last week, Elon Musk told an invited audience they were about to “see some crazy stuff tonight”. It turned out to be a new version of Tesla’s Roadster…
- In The News
The inside story of UDA commander Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair
A man once regarded as one of the most feared loyalist paramilitary commanders of the Troubles now lives a largely quiet life in Scotland. But the legacy of…
- In The News
Ammi Burke’s seven-year battle to get her job back
Ammi Burke, a young solicitor from Castlebar, Co Mayo, was dismissed by Arthur Cox Solicitors in November 2019 and is now on her third legal challenge to her…
- In The News
Why Sally Rooney's books will no longer be sold in the UK
Bestselling author Sally Rooney has announced that her publisher will no longer supply her books to the UK market. Why? Books editor Martin Doyle explains…
- In The News
Why petrol bombs have become the weapon of choice for drug gangs in Ireland
On Tuesday morning, the country awoke to news that a house fire in Waterford had claimed the lives of four members of the same family. Within hours of the…
- In The News
Does President Trump's 'energy ceasefire' really exist?
US president Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed an “energy ceasefire” effective immediately, warning either side against…
- In The News
Strike: is there any chance it could be called off?
On Wednesday Ireland is facing the biggest coordinated public sector strike since 2009. To find out what it is about, why it hasn't been averted despite the…
- In The News
How notorious predator George Gibney finally faced justice
Before the summer court recess George Gibney (77), former Irish Olympic swimming coach, was found guilty of sexually abusing four girls in the 1970s and 1980s…
- In The News
Who was the millionaire who died in a homeless hostel in Galway?
For years Victor Spaggiari was a familiar sight on the streets of Galway. A homeless man, he lived in the Cope Hostel and spent his days sitting on a bench in…
- In The News
The astonishing fall of a German spymaster
It’s a story that could have come straight out a John le Carré thriller. The retired German spy chief accused of selling classified information amounting to…
- In The News
What is the row between RTÉ and Minister Patrick O'Donovan really about?
Jack Horgan-Jones has the latest on a row that has blown up in the aftermath of Tuesday's Budget, reopening RTÉ's rolling funding crisis and leaving questions…
- In The News
How the eviction of an 87-year-old woman sparked a political crisis in Spain
Over the past two weeks, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Spain to protest the country’s worsening housing crisis. The demonstrations…
- In The News
What will happen to Christa Pike, the Tennessee woman who survived the lethal injection?
Christa Pike spent 30 years in jail in Tennessee on death row, waiting for the day the state would kill her. When that day finally came, last week, she was…
- In The News
Budget 2027: what's in it for you?
Ministers Simon Harris and Jack Chambers have been explaining how the Government will tax and spend in the year ahead. They have promised to deliver changes we…
- In The News
A look behind Brendan Kavanagh's business deals
Wicklow businessman Brendan Kavanagh (61) has an entrepreneurial skill for building connections and seeing gaps in the market. That has led him to set up…
- In The News
Why Andy Burnham says ‘Brexit has done more harm than good’
At the Labour Party conference last week, British prime minister Andy Burnham surprised delegates by putting the prospect of rejoining the EU firmly on the…
- In The News
Manchester City or Scam FC - the €1bn scandal
Premier League football club Manchester City has been found guilty of boosting its coffers by more than €1bn by arranging “sham contracts” with big name…
- In The News
Who is the Irish citizen facing a murder charge in Hungary?
Irish citizen David Anderson (45) is charged with the premeditated murder of his ex-wife, Megumi Anderson, who died in January 2025 aged 43. Megumi died in a…
- In The News
How will the Drumcree standoff end?
Since early Sunday morning, 35 members of the Orange Order have been waiting at Drumcree Church to parade down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in…
- In The News
How a Dublin flat complex became a hub for organised crime
When property developer Paddy Shanahan built Buckingham Village, a scheme of 125 apartments in north inner-city Dublin in 1991, hopes were high that it would…
- In The News
Ireland v Israel: win overshadowed by division and discord
A comprehensive 3-0 away victory for the Republic of Ireland should have cause for celebration. Instead, it has been overshadowed by unprecedented crisis…
- In The News
Kicked out of Dubai: where will Christy Kinahan snr go now?
After more than a decade living openly in Dubai, Christy Kinahan snr’s visa has been cancelled and he has been told to leave the United Arab Emirates before…
- In The News
Ireland v Israel: Why the contentious soccer games are still going ahead
Since the fixtures were announced earlier this year, the voices calling for the Republic of Ireland to boycott its Nations League games against Israel have…
- In The News
Does Russia have access to Irish state passwords?
This episode was originally published in July 2026. Employees of three key State agencies use a computer programme called Passwork to generate and protect…
- In The News
Belfast’s race riots: what happened next?
The scenes of violence and rampant destruction on the streets of Belfast on June 9th were reminiscent of disorder we’ve seen before. But these were not…
- In The News
50 years on, the story of how Ireland's biggest band was born
Today we're sharing the opening episode of a three-part series by Róisín Ingle that tells the untold origin story of U2. We hope you enjoy it. The full series…
- In The News
How Irish scientists are fighting sophisticated drug gangs
Staying ahead of organised drug gangs is the daily challenge facing the scientists and analysts at Forensic Science Ireland (FSI). And with criminal…
- In The News
What does Canada want from the EU?
In her speech to MEPs on Wednesday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen spoke about Canada becoming an “associate” member of the EU in future, a…
- In The News
Is it time to rein in the data centre boom?
It seems incredible that no one knows how many data centres there are in Ireland. It could be as many as 100, it could be more. Whatever the number there are…
- In The News
Could AI really wipe out humanity?
It has long been known that AI poses risks to humanity, but the scale of them is only starting to become clear. And those risks are terrifying. This month Evan…
- In The News
What happens to stolen art?
Thieves who broke into the Renoir Museum in the south of France escaped with two paintings, having dropped two others as they fled the building. The value of…
- In The News
How ‘assassin wanted’ ad links a Cyprus murder plot with Kinahan cartel
In late summer, a criminal using the name “SpongeJob” posted a wanted ad on Telegram, an the encrypted messaging service. He was looking for a hitman to travel…
- In The News
9/11: Could its disastrous legacy have been avoided?
Twenty five years ago al-Qaeda militants hijacked four commercial planes in the US and flew two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the…
- In The News
Two days of Trump – what to expect in Dublin and Doonbeg
No one doubts that it is the Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel at Doonbeg that is bringing US president Donald Trump back to Ireland. It has…
- In The News
Why did Germans vote for the far-right AfD party?
It’s not just the win, but the landslide scale of the win that has shocked Germany – and sent ripples throughout Europe. The Alternative for Germany (AfD)…
- In The News
Why can’t Ireland defend itself?
Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said that a “significant security operation” has been been put in place for Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the…
- In The News
How much rain will supersized El Niño bring to Ireland this winter?
As autumn arrives and the supersized El Niño develops, global temperatures will rise, rainfall patterns will radically change and the number of extreme weather…
- In The News
How Katie Taylor revolutionised women’s sport
On Saturday, Katie Taylor will fight for the last time as a professional boxer. If she wins against France’s Flora Pili, she will bow out as undisputed…