Avsnitt
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Hard-right leader Marine Le Pen announced her candidacy in France’s 2027 presidential campaign in typically dramatic fashion on French TV this week.
It came after an appeal court shortened her sentence for misappropriating European Parliament funds that had previously barred her from running. The court reduced the five-year ban on holding office to 45 months with 30 suspended, meaning that the suspension has already been served.
A four-year prison sentence was reduced to two years suspended and one year served outside prison with an electronic bracelet, while imposing a fine of €100,000.
Le Pen also announced that she would initiate another appeal, this time to France’s higher Court of Cassation, and that her sentence would not begin until after this final appeal is heard. Pending this appeal she is free to campaign without the electronic tag.
If Le Pen’s legal troubles had ruled her out of the presidential race, her party had a backup plan in 30-year-old MEP Jordan Bardella.
This will be her fourth run at the presidency. With France moving to the right, has her time finally come? Or will her legal difficulties ultimately mean that the charismatic Bardella will be the National Rally Party’s candidate?
Paris-based Irish Times Europe Correspondent Naomi O’Leary explains who Le Pen is and how her campaign will unfold in the coming months.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On Monday, George Gibney (77), former Irish Olympic swimming coach, was found guilty of sexually abusing four girls in the 1970s and 1980s.
After a two-week trial, the jury found him guilty of 39 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape of children. He will be sentenced at the end of the month.
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.
So why did he plead guilty to five of the charges? What defence was put forward? What has his demeanour in court? And what does this guilty verdict mean after so long for the victims.
Court reporter Isabel Hayes explains how the case unfolded in court and Gibney’s reaction to the verdict.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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This episode was originally published in March 2026.
Clifton Collins (55) had a thriving business growing cannabis in rented houses around the country.
The Crumlin man and expert beekeeper was known for his award-winning honey but his real earner was the fortune he made from years of dealing drugs.
He operated under the radar so when gardaí came across him parked in the Wicklow Mountains one night, they had no idea their search would eventually result in of the most lucrative seizures in the history of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Collins had amassed 6,000 bitcoin around 2010. The problem for the Garda was they didn’t know the code to unlock the wallets; it was, Collins said, lost.
His bitcoin stash had by 2026 rocketed in value to €360 million.
Seven years after gardaí seized the wallets they have finally been able to open one of them and have released €30 million. There are 11 more wallets to be opened.
Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains the background to this extraordinary case.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On a visit to Dublin last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy briefly burst the upbeat mood of the EU presidency party by criticising companies based in European countries that continue to supply essential materials to Russia’s military forces.
He didn’t need to name the company that was on his mind; all present in Dublin Castle, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, knew he was referring to Limerick-based Aughinish Alumina.
In March, Irish Times investigative reporter Conor Gallagher revealed that the Russian-owned plant exports vast amounts of alumina, the raw material for aluminium, which ends up in a supply chain that supplies Russia’s military industry.
Since then the pressure has been on the Government who make hard decisions about the alumina plant.
Gallagher, who worked with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on the investigation, explains the reaction to his report, from publication in March to Zelenskiy‘s comments.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In the next 15 years an additional 400 pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists will be killed on European roads because of the increased average car size.
The figure is based on projections using data from Eurostat and the UK department of transport. Research by the Transport & Environment (T & E) think tank suggests that those road death figures could be significantly higher.
After 25 years of relentless growth, our roads are increasingly dominated by huge SUVs that pose a physical danger to everyone else.
And bigger cars means less space on the roads and in car parks. Big vehicles, such as SUVs and pick-up strucks, simply don’t fit parking spaces that were designed for a different, smaller car, age.
So why are SUVs so deadly for other road users? And why, even when they are made aware of the dangers their large vehicles pose for other road users, do drivers still choose them anyway?
Irish Times motoring contributor Neil Briscoe reports.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ireland was on the fringe of the heat dome that seared much of Europe for several days late last month.
In some parts of the country temperatures exceeded an uncomfortable 32 degrees and the hot spell ended with unseasonable thunderstorms and hail showers.
Why is this happening?
Climate scientists have recently warned that El Niño would impact temperatures in Europe this year, so is that why two heatwaves arrived in June, one delivering record-breaking temperatures?
The June event was called a “heat dome” but what is that and what causes it?
Another intense heatwave is forecast for Europe, beginning on July 5th.
Recording-breaking temperatures are produced by climate change and they are something scientists have warned about for decades. So why is Ireland so behind in implementing policies that would help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Caroline O’Doherty, the climate and science correspondent with The Irish Times, explains.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Riad Bouchaker (52), an Algerian native, has been found guilty of the attempted murder of two girls and a boy, as well as a further charge of assault causing serious harm to a childcare worker and three charges of assault causing harm.
During the trial Eoin Reynolds talked to Bernice Harrison about evidence the jury heard.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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For the six men and one woman trafficked to Donegal by Georgijs Poniza and Armen Pogosyan, life was unimaginably harsh.
They worked long, gruelling hours, lived together in dire conditions, rummaging in public bins for food and walking up to 30km to get to work. When they stepped out of line they were subject to abuse including physical violence.]
In the nearly three years they spent in modern slavery in Ireland, the seven victims, all Latvians, earned about €750,000 but as their bank accounts were controlled, they saw a tiny fraction of that.
This month in a first conviction of its kind in the State, Poniza and Pogosyan, who were long-time residents in Ireland, were jailed for a total of 24 years for human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
So how did the operation work? Why in a small community in Donegal did no one notice anything? And how were the traffickers caught?
Chris McNulty, a journalist with Donegal Daily, has been following the case and was in court for the sentencing.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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American businessman Jason Cardiff has lived in Ireland with his wife and daughter since 2022.
For anyone who has followed him on Facebook, he has been living a life of considerable luxury. The house is on Highfield Road, one of Dublin 6’s most expensive roads, and parked outside is a Bentley.
His followers have seen posts showing him golfing in Ireland, travelling to Austria for ski trips as well as attending the local church fete in June.
But last week his past came back to haunt him when at 8am he was arrested at home and brought to the High Court.
The move by the Garda was on foot of extradition proceedings instigated by the US Department of Justice, which has charged him with fraud involving a homeopathic medicine company, identity theft and witness tampering. He denies all charges.
So what are the charges? Why did Cardiff and his family leave the US? How did he get an Irish passport? And why does did he expect the Trump administration to come to his rescue?
Mark Tighe, Irish Times senior investigative reporter, talked to Cardiff in the days before his arrest.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On the morning of June 14th last year, Reykjavik police were called to the luxury 5-star Edition Hotel where the bodies of Emeric Mancel and his adult daughter Catherine were found, along with a wounded Ming Ting Mancel.
They had travelled from their home in Dublin for what looked like a weeklong holiday for the reclusive family, but now appears to have been a carefully planned suicide pact.
She is now on trial at the Reykjavik District Court, accused of killing her daughter Catherine, in collaboration with her husband Emeric.
Little was known about the family’s life in Dublin before the trial, but details presented to the court give a clearer picture of how this unusual family lived before taking that fateful trip.
Reykjavik-based Irish journalist Karen McHugh explored the details of the case in a previous episode of In the News and she has been in court this week covering the trial.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
If you require support for any of the issues discussed in this episode, you can contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or text HELLO to 50808. And Pieta on 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. Or visit yourmentalhealth.ie
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The beauty industry has found a new audience: children. And it is using other children online – so-called “child skinfluencers” – to promote all kinds of skincare products.
Research by The Guardian’s consumer affairs reporter Sarah Marsh found teenage girls on TikTok, as well as Instagram and YouTube, showing their skincare routines, some having become “ambassadors” for major brands.
Some will be using products from a new and lucrative market segment – skincare produced for children – others might be demonstrating to other 10 or 12 year-olds the anti-ageing powers of retinols and strong serums.
As the phenomenon grows, dermatologists are expressing concern about harsh chemicals damaging delicate young skin, but parents and guardians are also worried that children are being convinced that their skin needs something it almost certainly does not, with all the implications for self-esteem and body image that carries.
And there are concerns at official level with the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) investigating two beauty brands over the use of young influencers to market skincare to children.
So where is this all going? And how damaging is this form of marketing, to the young girls who are served it daily on one their social feeds, and the children involved in its marketing?
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair, with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Newly-elected Labour MP Andy Burnham has made no secret of his ambitions to become the next UK prime minister.
Now, it looks as though his time has come.
Keir Starmer’s announcement on Monday morning that he is to step down as prime minister paves the way for a leadership contest in the Labour Party, with the leadership of the country the automatic prize.
Starmer has said he would stay on until September but unless a strong candidate emerges to go up against Burnham, the new occupant of Number 10 Downing Street could be named as early as mid-July.
Where did it go so wrong for Starmer and so right for Burnham? His nickname is the King of the North, but he’s also been called Captain Flipflop, so what does Burnham stand for?
And why is Britain’s political system so unstable that the country is now facing into its seventh prime minister in just 10 years.
Irish Times London editor Mark Paul was at Downing Street on Monday as Starmer stood at the much-used podium, bowed to the inevitable and made his sometimes emotional announcement.
He explains what led to this moment and what will happen next.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of all 18 child sex abuse charges against him, including rape. His wife Eleanor was also found by the jury to have aided and abetted him, but she was not convicted due to inability to stand trial.
The outcome of the trial hinged on whether the jury believed Donaldson or his two victims. Freya McClements explains how the jurors may have been convinced of Donaldson's guilt, what happened when the verdict was delivered and how religion, faith and forgiveness were major themes of the case.
Plus, Mark Hennessy looks back on Donaldson's rise and fall and how his conviction could affect the DUP and unionism more broadly.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A new landmark study followed 4,000 primary school children, tracking everything from their education attainment to their wellbeing as they progressed through the school system.
The Children’s School Lives study tracked the children from 2019 to 2023. As it coincided with the Covid lockdown years, it revealed a wealth of data, some of it seriously troubling and challenging for policymakers.
The longitudinal study was commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and conducted by the UCD School of Education.
Irish Times education correspondent Niamh Towey delved into the details.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Late on a quiet Sunday night in May, gardaí in Limerick arrived on the scene of what they expected would be a routine call-out to a road traffic incident.
Instead they were met with an extraordinary scene.
In one of the damaged cars they found a dead man on the back seat. He was wearing a balaclava and there was a loaded pistol at his feet. The driver of the anonymous looking Seat Leon had escaped, leaving his phone behind.
The Garda quickly established that the dead man was a Swedish hitman and the pair were in Limerick for a contract killing. They were just minutes from their victim.
But who was the target? Has there been a resurgence in the deadly feuding that blighted Limerick for years? Where is the hitman who fled the scene and why has the manhunt for him been so muted?
Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally reports on the latest in this most unusual case.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In November 2023, a group of primary schoolchildren were lined up by the railings outside their school in Dublin city centre, ready to be brought to after-school care. As their minder bent down to close the coat of one of the children, a man launched a vicious knife attack on the children.
The alleged assailant was arrested at the scene and the trial of Riad Bouchaker (52), an Algerian native, is now under way.
He is charged with attempted murder of two girls and a boy, as well as a further charge of assault causing serious harm to a childcare worker and three charges of assault causing harm. He denies all charges.
Eoin Reynolds reports from the court, where the jury has heard harrowing testimony from the parents of some of the victims, witnesses and those who attempted to stop the knife attack.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Terence McKeever left his home in Ballsbridge in Dublin shortly after 6.30am on June 16th, 1986. His daily commute in his distinctive bronze-coloured BMW took him to work in his family’s electrical services firm in Armagh. But on that day, he never arrived.
His body was found dumped in a river following an anonymous phone-call to the RUC in south Armagh at 10.45am.
The IRA took responsibility for the murder of the young businessman, saying he had been killed because his company, McKeever Brothers, did work for the British security services. It also warned contractors doing similar work that they had 24 hours to stop if they wanted to avoid a similar fate.
An investigation on both sides of the Border was launched but it was hampered by the loss of key evidence.
Forty years later, Terence’s sister Karen is still searching for answers to her brother’s murder.
Irish Times Ireland and Britain editor Mark Hennessy traces the story of the brutal killing. He explains the failures in the investigation and the questions police on both sides of the Border have still to answer.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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When Carlos Barragán discovered his mother was the victim of romance fraud, he flew to Lagos to find the con man – and found the Yahoo Boys, young men whose job it is to rip off westerners. The name comes from the old email platform, first used by the Nigerian scammers decades ago.
His mother, Silvia, had fallen in love online with flirtatious, sincere, handsome Brian; she bought rings, planned a future and was convinced that they would one day live together – when he was free to travel to Spain.
Her sons though, suspected something sinister was afoot, especially when “Brian” started to make financial demands.
Over the course of three years Carlos, a journalist, visited Nigeria multiple times to see the Yahoo Boys in action and to try to understand why this particularly cruel, exploitative form of online fraud has become such an earner for so many young men in Lagos. He also discovered a romance scam involving an Irish woman.
His compelling book, The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos by Carlos Barragán is published this week.
He talks about the experience on In the News.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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As World Cup 2026 kicks off, Gianni Infantino’s grip on international football is total.
Infantino was brought in to clean up Fifa’s image after the murky Sepp Blatter years, to restore transparency and boost the game globally.
But if Fifa thought it was getting a self-effacing, legally trained bureaucrat who would stay in the background, it was very wrong. Now after 10 years at the helm, he is Fifa.
So how has he dealt with the many complex controversies surrounding the tournament? Why is it the biggest ever World Cup, spread over three countries? How can he be a friend to all, at all times, from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin? And how long will Infantino stay president of world football?
Irish Times sports correspondent Gavin Cooney discusses his rise to the top of the international game.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Visa fler
