Podcast · News

In The News

by The Irish Times · English · 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 Sorcha Pollak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 23 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 20 minNew

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 breaking the deal. The only problem was that the warring neighbours, who have made attacking each other’s energy plants a key plank of their attack strategy, appeared not to have even heard of the agreement. The statement came after another torrid 48 hours in relations between the White House and Kyiv, during which Trump ordered the suspension of sanctions on Russian diesel exports, again blamed Ukraine for failing to end the war, and said…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

13 Oct 2026 · 11 minNew
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 Government's offer to talk with unions and whether it still could be called off, we talk to Irish Times work correspondent Emmet Malone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Oct 2026 · 31 minNew
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. The jury found him guilty of 39 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape of children. One of Ireland’s most notorious paedophiles, he was extradited from Florida last year where he had escaped justice for decades. Due to reporting restrictions he was referred to as “sports coach” but as soon as the guilty verdict was announced, he could be named. Sentencing Gibney on Monday, Judge Mícheál O’Higgins handed down an…
12 Oct 2026 · 20 minNew
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 the city. He spoke little, caused no trouble and seemed content. When he died in 2024 aged 65, his funeral was small and he was buried in the city, far from his Italian birthplace. Then, when his will went to probate it emerged that Victor was a millionaire and he had left his fortune to a cousin in Milan. So who was Victor? How did he come by the money? Why didn’t he spend it? And why did he spend his adult life in Ireland? Intrigued…
9 Oct 2026 · 21 min
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 thousands of secret documents; an alleged act of treason that continued for years and was only uncovered during a kidnapping investigation involving a steakhouse heiress and ex-Israeli spies. August Hanning, head of the BND foreign intelligence agency for seven years until 2005, faces charges of treasonous espionage after the 80-year-old was arrested during a dawn raid on his home on Tuesday. The focus now for investigators is his…
8 Oct 2026 · 13 min
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 unanswered about why Minister for Media Patrick O'Donovan "reneged" on a funding commitment to the broadcaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Oct 2026 · 27 min
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 were triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, Maria del Carmen Abascal, from her home in Madrid. Known in Spain simply as Maricarmen, she had lived in the same apartment for more than seven decades and was evicted after it was sold to a private investment company. She died in a hospital in Madrid two weeks later. In response to the public outcry following her eviction, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez put forward several…
7 Oct 2026 · 20 min
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 first given a lethal injection, then a second one when the first dose failed. She survived that too and the 50-year-old convicted murderer was taken to hospital where she was placed on life support. So who was Colleen Slemmer, her teenage victim? What evidence convicted Pike and will this botched execution change attitudes to the death penalty in the US. Keith Duggan, Washington correspondent has been following the case. Presented by…
6 Oct 2026 · 12 min
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 will feel in our daily lives. But will you really feel a difference in your daily life? Consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope has been listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 Oct 2026 · 21 min
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 multiple businesses including the successful education-technology focused Olive Group. But what happens when some of his high profile business relationships turn sour? TV sports pundit and psychotherapist Richie Sadlier has a tale to tell; so too has fitness influencer Mr Motivator (Derrick Evans). And it has been a turbulent time in the boardroom of Grinds 360. He cofounded the successful online grinds company in 2024 with investors that…
5 Oct 2026 · 23 min
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 political agenda. In a rousing speech he said the Brexit vote in 2016 had left the country weaker and failed to allow Britain to “take back control” of its borders and rules, as promised by the Leave campaign. “Brexit has done more harm than good,” said Burnham. Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul, who was at the conference, explains how Burnham’s speech landed and what happens next. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by…
2 Oct 2026 · 27 min
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 commercial partners. The infringements to the league’s funding rules were found by an independent commission to have taken place between 2009 and 2018 – a time when the club experienced unprecedented success. So what did the club do with the money? And did this extraordinary level of funding drive its success? The club is owned by sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.…
1 Oct 2026 · 16 min
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 fire in her apartment in Budapest. The Japanese woman was found on the sofa with a cigarette nearby, surrounded by candles and empty wine bottles. Police initially believed the fire was a tragic accident, but five days later they arrested Anderson on suspicion of murder. So what happened? How did Anderson go from a grieving ex-husband to the police's chief suspect? Budapest-based reporter Bálint Dömötör was in court this week for the…
29 Sep 2026 · 21 min
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 Portadown. It is a march that, in the 1990s, sparked tension and violence in Drumcree, and with the result that the Protestant loyalist organisation has been refused permission to march through the Catholic area for nearly 30 years. So why was it given permission now? As of Tuesday, the Orangemen remain determined to march, saying they now have the legal right to do so. The local nationalist community is equally intent on preventing them. And…
29 Sep 2026 · 29 min
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 help rejuvenate this socially deprived part of the north inner city. But by 1994, Shanahan was dead; he had been fatally shot as he left a gym in Crumlin and the development’s connection to the Dublin underworld was cemented. It regularly featured in crime stories and court reports, including the infamous Regency Hotel attack that kicked off the Hutch-Kinahan feud. By 2018, Dublin City Council’s inspections revealed slum-like conditions…
28 Sep 2026 · 24 min
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 within Irish football. In the days before Ireland's Uefa Nations League fixture against Israel, players faced mounting calls from politicians, celebrities and activists to boycott the match over Israel's genocide in Gaza and its continued expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Behind the scenes divisions emerged within the squad, culminating in the withdrawal of second goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and a rancorous team meeting on…
25 Sep 2026 · 28 min
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 September 29th . The founder of the Kinahan drugs cartel moved to Dubai when it was considered a safe haven for criminals, insulated from extradition treaties and where it was possible to live a life of considerable luxury with no questions asked as to where the funds were coming from. In recent years however that has changed as the UAE seeks to burnish its image on the world stage. For Kinahan and two of his sons, Christopher jr and…
24 Sep 2026 · 27 min
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 grown progressively louder. They come from all quarters: from former Ireland players to diehard green jersey fans and from politicians to big names in other sports. The two soccer games are going ahead, behind closed doors and with minimum coverage; Israel’s “home” game in Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday, with the return fixture also in a neutral venue of Backa Topola, Serbia on October 4th. The FAI says Ireland has too much to lose; the…
23 Sep 2026 · 19 min
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 their passwords. It’s a cybersecurity measure. But what they didn’t know, before it was revealed by The Irish Times, is that Passwork, which purports to be EU-based, has extensive links to a Russian company licensed by Russia’s security service. The agencies using Passwork are the Office of Public Works, the State Laboratory, which provides chemical testing and scientific advice to Government departments, and the Competition and Consumer…
22 Sep 2026 · 32 min
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 sectarian-motivated attacks, instead they were race riots, with mobs of young men attacking migrants. When calm was restored, at least 88 migrant families had been made homeless, either because their home had been attacked or burned out, or because the threats were so terrifying they are too fearful to return. The riots had been sparked by a brutal knife attack earlier that day; a Sudanese national has since been charged with the crime. Why…
21 Sep 2026 · 56 min
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 can be found on irishtimes.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for Drummer Seeks Musicians: The Making of U2. It is 50 years this month since 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen stuck a note on a school noticeboard looking for fellow musicians to form a band. That note led to U2. In this three-part podcast series to mark the 50th anniversary, Róisín Ingle traces the formation of the band in a school on the northside of…
21 Sep 2026 · 23 min
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 organisations having their own sophisticated labs to make new drugs, genetically engineer existing ones and disguise drugs in all manner of inventive ways to avoid customs detection, it requires considerable expertise. “Camouflaged cocaine” blended with coal or soaked in plywood are increasingly common. In labs across FSI’s new 13,000sqm base near Celbridge, Co Kildare scientists analyse fingerprints, bodily fluids, chemicals and exhibits,…
18 Sep 2026 · 26 min
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 concept that does not exist in the union’s governing treaties. The following day Canadian prime minister Mark Carney spoke to the same group of MEPs about wanting to be closer to the bloc during the “ferocious” storm that had ruptured alliances underpinning the previous world order. Carney sketched out the possible parameters of a new “alliance”, but what does “associate” membership mean? Is it all about trade? And what might the…
17 Sep 2026 · 29 min
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 several others in the planning stages. What we do know is that energy consumed by these vast buildings accounted for almost a quarter of the electricity consumed in Ireland last year, up from 5 per cent in 2015. And, during the long hot summer when domestic water restrictions were imposed, it appeared to be water usage as usual for data centres. Questions about how they operate are growing. Do they pay less than households for…
16 Sep 2026 · 26 min
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 Hubinger, a top scientist at Anthropic, said AI is advancing so quickly he believes there is a greater than 10 per cent chance it “could kill all humans” within the next decade. Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher who has just quit Anthropic and previously worked at OpenAI, has warned of “superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionise any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources”. AI is a multibillion business that’s…
15 Sep 2026 · 19 min
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 the works has been estimated at €9 million, but what are they worth now? Were the thieves stealing to order? And if not, what are they going to do with them? In a world where provenance dictates price, who would buy a stolen piece of art by one of the most famous and collectible painters? The theft is just the latest in a series of high-profile art thefts. In March 2026, an organised crime gang stole a Renoir, Matisse and Cézanne from a…
14 Sep 2026 · 21 min
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 to Cyprus to kill two men, twins from the UK. Everything would be supplied, including a gun, for a fee of about €60,000. His ad was answered, but unbeknown to SpongeJob, the willing gun for hire was the Danish police , who then sent an undercover officer to Cyprus to pose as the hitman and to foil the murders. That Danish officer was able to tip off the Cypriot police, who arrested three men, two Norwegians and an Irish man who had…
11 Sep 2026 · 22 min
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 Pentagon , while the fourth crash-landed in a Pennsylvania field. Almost 3,000 people were killed on that day and the world was changed forever. How the US responded to that attack on home soil reverberates still - through everything from airport security to geopolitics – and above all, America’s place in the world. The attack also prompted a rise in Islamophobia. Denis Staunton, Irish Times correspondent and author of the daily Global…
10 Sep 2026 · 24 min
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 attracted some of golf’s biggest stars to Trump’s golf course in Co Clare and the sold-out event promises spectacular golf – with the chance that the president will present the trophy to the winner on Sunday. But before that on his overnight stay in Ireland he has some house calls to make in Dublin, all conveniently located in Phoenix Park. On Saturday he will visit his ambassador Edward Walsh; drop in on President Catherine Connolly…
9 Sep 2026 · 30 min
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) party has been growing in popularity but no one anticipated the election result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt where the far-right party won 44 per cent of the vote on a record turnout of 76 per cent. The party’s manifesto promises several anti-immigration measures including mass deportations and separate schools for refugees; its education plan emphasises a new curriculum based on traditional German values, while it proudly…

About In The News

In The News is a English news podcast from The Irish Times. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: The Irish Times
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 23 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1566625447
Rights: The Irish Times

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