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PODCAST

In The News

The Irish Times

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.

news & politics

All Episodes

34:45

‘A creep in a puffer jacket’: How a confidence...

In The News ·

2025/01/20

While walking through Dublin city, journalist Quentin Fottrell was scammed.A pleasant sounding, nicely dressed man stopped him and started chatting. Didn’t Quentin remember him? After all, the man said, he had worked on his house some years ago. Not wanting to be rude and a little embarrassed at forgetting a face, Quentin continued the chat which slowly turned to the fact that the man had forgotten his wallet and needed some help to get home. It was only when he had walked away, €40 lighter, that

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19:22

Why did Israel finally agree to a ceasefire?

In The News ·

2025/01/18

After 15 months of bloodshed, a ceasefire will commence in Gaza on Sunday. The pause in hostilities for an initial six week period will allow food and medical aid in to desperate Palestinians. They will also be allowed to return to what is left of their homes. But with previous ceasefire agreements failing, the peace is precarious. The release of hostages held by Hamas is among the conditions on which the long-awaited deal is based. The first of 33 hostages to be released in the first stage of the

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27:31

How the super-rich played the blame game while LA burned

In The News ·

2025/01/17

Two years ago, climate scientist and activist Dr Peter Kalmus moved his family away from Los Angeles because as California’s climate kept growing drier and hotter, he was afraid that his much loved, indeed idyllic sounding, neighbourhood would burn. He had lived in Altadena for 14 years.Now, from his new home in North Carolina, he has had the deeply upsetting experience of watching Altadena razed, as climate-driven wildfires caused death, destroyed homes and ruined livelihoods.Kalmus tells In the

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23:23

How Ireland's next Government was formed

In The News ·

2025/01/16

The next government of Ireland is taking shape. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and nine Independents will go into coalition and we now have a blueprint for the next five years with the Programme for Government. The Healy Rae brothers are in, with Michael also negotiating a junior ministry. But what other concessions might they have brokered in exchange for their support? What is a super-junior ministry and does Ireland really need an extra one? Which pre-election promises have made the cut and which have

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24:11

Conor Pope: How dry January turned into dry forever

In The News ·

2025/01/15

Consumer journalist Conor Pope says he loves a good bandwagon and it was in that spirit that three years ago he – and his wife – thought they’d give Dry January a go.The idea – to give up alcohol for the first month of the year, as a post Christmas detox – has gained traction over the years and for most who try it, and who make it through to the end of the dreariest month, February 1st signals the opening of a favourite tipple and a return to drinking as usual. Not so for Conor.The February 1st

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23:52

Could the next government feature a Minister Healy-Rae?

In The News ·

2025/01/14

Michael Healy-Rae may be offered a junior ministerial role in the next government. The Kerry TD is in talks with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on entering a coalition with other independents. The deal would likely involve favourable terms for his constituency in exchange for his support, and that of his brother Danny. The horse trading is one element of the government formation talks that are proceeding faster than expected. Political correspondent Jack Horgan Jones says we could see a deal struck by

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25:40

Can Michael Lowry still be government kingmaker now...

In The News ·

2025/01/13

News that the Garda is to send a file to the DPP following its investigation into the findings of the Moriarty tribunal will test the memory of even the most avid news watcher.The tribunal, which lasted 14 years and cost the taxpayer millions, explored in jaw-dropping detail the relationship between prominent business people and politicians. It filed its report in 2011.One politician featured prominently: Michael Lowry, and the tribunal found that he “secured the winning” of the State’s second

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25:34

Meta goes Maga - why Zuckerberg chose Trump

In The News ·

2025/01/10

On Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, was ending its fact-checking programme and going back to its roots – promoting free expression.And the reason? That fact-checking had led to “too much censorship” and “too many mistakes”.He positioned himself as a supporter of free speech, an American virtue that’s a world away from Europe, a tech backwater with ever-creeping censorship.But critics say the move is a cynical ploy to curry

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22:01

'I've broken a needle in my arm while injecting' -...

In The News ·

2025/01/09

Amber (not her real name) is among the first people to use Ireland's long-awaited Supervised Injection Facility in Dublin. Speaking to Irish Times social affairs correspondent, Kitty Holland, Amber says up until now her day has been taken up by procuring heroin and crystal meth and then strategising about where she can consume them. Suffering from substance abuse since her teens, she says the new centre at Merchants Quay Ireland will change her life. "I am so tense when I am injecting I have had a

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28:10

What will be the impact of Elon Musk’s political...

In The News ·

2025/01/08

Earlier this week, tech billionaire Elon Musk publicly withdrew his support for the Reform UK party, posting on his social media platform that Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes”.Musk’s decision not to back, or financially support, Britain’s right-wing reform party came as he continues a barrage of online attacks against prime minister Keir Starmer, who he has accused of being complicit in “the rape of Britain”.His interest in European politics extends to Germany where Musk has backed the

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23:31

How to speak to young men about masculinity influencers

In The News ·

2025/01/07

Red pill, normies and soyboys. The world of ‘masculinity influencers’ comes with its own jargon and those consuming the social media content become well-versed in speaking it.For the uninitiated, to be red pilled is an appropriated term from the film The Matrix, where the main character suddenly becomes alert to the world’s “truth”, while us normies and soyboys (the ignorant and emasculated) wander through life like sheeple.While absurd and almost comedic to many, there is a growing body of young

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29:51

How barrister Diarmuid Phelan was cleared of murder

In The News ·

2025/01/06

On Friday Diarmuid Phelan, a senior counsel and Trinity law professor, was acquitted of murdering a trespasser on his farm almost three years ago. Keith Conlon, a 35 year old father of four, had been planning to go badger-baiting on Phelan's Co. Dublin land when he was shot in the back of the head, and died two days later from his injuries. Neither of his associates, and witnesses to the shooting, took part in the subsequent trial. After ten weeks, the jury returned their verdict following seven

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18:42

Golden visas: what we know - and still don’t know -...

In The News ·

2025/01/03

For more than a decade, between 2012 and 2023, non-European millionaires could secure residency in Ireland by investing hundreds of thousands of euro into Irish business or public bodies.Most of the millionaires who availed of the Immigrant Investor Programme, or ‘golden visa’ scheme, came from China.In February 2023, the Government abruptly closed the scheme with only a day’s notice.Nearly two years on, the full list of names of companies, public bodies and charities, who received €1.25 billion

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23:50

Too posh to police? Why garda numbers are falling

In The News ·

2025/01/02

This episode was originally published in September 2024.An Garda Siochana has a serious retention and recruitment problem.The Commissioner knows it, so does the Minister for Justice but despite public commitments to reach enrolment targets, ongoing recruitment campaigns and changes to admission criteria, efforts to increase the size of the force to the Government benchmark of 15,000 continue to falter.There are now fewer sworn Garda members than at the start of last year.Why? It’s a well-paying

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24:14

How a ‘global forum’ promising billionaires became a...

In The News ·

2025/01/01

This episode was originally published in October 2024 Anti-female genital mutilation advocates expected high-profile speakers at a packed Dublin conference – they found a small room in a hotel with 25 people and were left with large bills.Last February, the Cycle of Life Global Forum was billed as an international conference to help eradicate FGM. In exchange for large sums of money, attendees from as far away as Kenya and the US were expecting to hear from high-profile speakers such as Richard

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32:52

Ireland 1994: what declassified documents reveal...

In The News ·

2024/12/31

Every year, the release of the State Papers reveals a treasure trove of opinions, views and attitudes all committed to paper by ministers, diplomats and officials who wrote safe in the knowledge that the documents wouldn’t be revealed to the public for 30 years.This year thousands of declassified documents are being released relating mostly to 1994. Irish Times journalists Mark Hennessy and Ronan McGreevy have spent a week reading through the files – from official memos to personal notes – in search

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25:04

In the News: our podcasters review big stories of the...

In The News ·

2024/12/30

For this episode, In the News presenters Bernice Harrison and Sorcha Pollak take a listen back - to pick the podcasts that covered the biggest news stories and explained the stories behind the headlines.There were elections in Ireland, and across the globe to be explained; the housing crisis covered in all the ways it impacts on society - and why solving it will be harder than the easy answers promised at election time; Irish Times foreign correspondents and guest experts reported on the US, Gaza,

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19:57

Roblox: what is it and are Irish children at risk?

In The News ·

2024/12/27

This episode was originally published in September 2024If you don't have young children in your life, you may be completely unaware of one of the world's biggest game platforms. Roblox is a digital playground where children can create block-like avatars, pay to accessorise them, use them to take part in role-playing games and talk to others. Therein lies the inherent danger. While it's mostly harmless fun, several terrifying cases of grooming, abuse, blackmail and even kidnapping have been

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23:09

Moving to Australia: Instagram Vs reality

In The News ·

2024/12/26

This episode was originally published in September 2024A record 10,600 Irish people emigrated to Australia last year, according to the Central Statistics Office; the highest number since 2013. With its year-round sunshine, high wages and laid back lifestyle, it’s not hard to understand the attraction. Push factors in Ireland include the diminishing hopes of home ownership for many young people. But Australia’s economy is slowing down and property prices in Sydney are even higher than in Dublin

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14:55

‘Saint in a tracksuit’: Could first millennial saint...

In The News ·

2024/12/24

Carlo Acutis was just 15 when he died in 2006. British-born and living in Milan, the teenager became a devout Catholic and used his computer skills to develop a website detailing miracles. Just a few days after he launched his website, he fell ill and died.By 2013 he was on the way to sainthood having been named a “Servant of God”; in that same year a woman in Brazil claimed that praying to Acutis helped heal her son’s pancreatic illness. In 2020 Pope Francis authenticated the miracle and Acutis was

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