In The News
Episodes
Why is Putin so determined to take Mariupol?
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why has Mariupol, a major port city in the south east of Ukraine, become the focal point of Putin's war? In today's episode, Lara Marlowe describes th...
Ireland's second Omicron wave: "This is what living with Covid is"
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A second wave of Omicron is hitting the country like a tsunami and hospital case numbers are on the rise. The Government is reluctant to re-introduce ...
Cold calling Russia: “this is the only way to show the truth”
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over half a million cold calls have been made to random phone numbers in Russia in recent days, as part of an international campaign to bypass Putin’...
A report from Ukraine, after three weeks of war
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's three weeks since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, expecting to fight a short war that he would win. While that hasn’t happened, people in besie...
Why are we losing the Amazon rainforest?
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Climate scientists are warning that the Amazon rainforest may be nearing a tipping point of “dieback”, the point where it dries out and turns...
What are NFTs and why’s everyone talking about them?
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Irish Times features writer Patrick Freyne delves into the confusing world of NFTs. What are they and why are they making people so rich? And how easy...
Ireland's response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered the fasting-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the second world war. Already, more than one and half ...
Putin’s attack on Ukraine: how did it come to this?
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since late 2021, the United States was warning that Vladimir Putin was about to invade Ukraine. Yet despite two decades of deteriorating relations wit...
The rise and fall of Alan Kelly and the future of Labour
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Labour’s outgoing leader Alan Kelly surprised many when he announced his resignation on Wednesday after less than two years in the role, saying the ...
Ukraine crisis sends shockwaves across Europe
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lara Marlowe travels from Paris to the Ukrainian border with a group of men returning to fight against the Russian invasion.Dan McLaughlin reports on ...
How the pandemic changed Ireland
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today the requirement to wear masks in shops and on public transport is gone. In terms of rules and restrictions at least, things are "back to normal"...
A dispatch from Ukraine under attack
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier today, we spoke to our reporter in Ukraine Dan McLaughlin about what he is witnessing on the ground in Ukraine as Russia invades, the resilien...
Crisis in Ukraine: What Putin's move means
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Monday was an extraordinary day of tension and drama as, in a series of televised events, Russian president Vladimir Putin made clear his decision to ...
Failing our children: How mental health services broke down in Kerry
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, a shocking HSE report into South Kerry’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs), shed light on how some of our youngest ment...
The return of Celtic Tiger house prices
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New figures reveal there has been a 14.4% year-on-year rise in the cost of buying a home in Ireland, bringing the price of a house almost back to its ...
Richard O’Halloran’s three-year battle to leave China
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly three years, Dublin businessman Richard O’Halloran was effectively trapped in China, after travelling there in February 2019 to handle a ...
Why is it so hard to admit to being lonely?
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness is an emotion that most of us will experience at some stage in our lives. While it is often associated with the elderly or isolated, loneli...
Will abortion be banned across the American south?
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mississippi is the centre of a legal battle over abortion in America that could soon see the right to terminate a pregnancy removed or curtailed in d...
How bad will the cost of living crisis get?
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Winter energy bills are now costing hundreds of euro more than last year and prices are climbing up and down supermarket aisles. In this episode,...
Could a Garda investigation prevent Leo Varadkar's return as Taoiseach?
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar is set to become Taoiseach again in December. But a Garda investigation into the leaking by Varadkar of a docu...
How the clerical sex abuse crisis reached the top of the Catholic Church
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI has been named by Munich investigators as a potential accessory to child abuse in a file made available to state prose...
Why Spotify chose Joe Rogan over Neil Young
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Arts and Culture editor Hugh Linehan speaks to Conor Pope about Neil Young’s decision to leave Spotify and how the streaming service now plan to tac...
The forgotten history of Ireland's asylums
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More than two dozen “lunatic asylums” were built throughout Ireland in the 1800s. Today some are hospitals, while others are derelict. Through int...
The secrets to living a longer life
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can we do for ourselves to ensure that we live long, fulfilling, happy and fit lives? In this episode, Conor Pope speaks to Professor of Medical ...
"Ready to defend ourselves": Ukraine braces for Putin's move
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A buildup of Russian troops along its border has the people of Ukraine on heightened alert, and the world wondering: what exactly does Vladimir Putin ...
"There is a hopeful picture" - the Munster abuse case and the future of the victims
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the parents of five children in Munster were jailed for a combined 24 years after being found guilty of abusing, exploiting and wilfully ne...
Inside Ireland’s largest re-wilding experiment
21 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just 30 kilometres north of Dublin, lies a hidden oasis in Meath called Dunsany Castle. Home to Ireland’s biggest rewilding project, it’s run by L...
Is the end of the pandemic in sight?
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With case numbers continuing to fall, the easing of Covid restrictions could begin as early as next week. Today, Conor Pope speaks to The Irish Times ...
How do we end male violence against women?
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last Wednesday afternoon, 23-year-old Ashling Murphy went for a run along the canal pathway just outside the town of Tullamore in Co Offaly. At around...
Can Boris Johnson survive as prime minister?
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
UK prime minister Boris Johnson has never been under more pressure after revelations emerged that he attended a party during Covid-19 lockdown in 2020...
How Novak Djokovic’s vaccine-scepticism sparked an international sporting scandal
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of becoming the best men’s tennis player in the history of the sport. In less than a week, he should be attempting to ...
Will Ireland’s longest-serving prisoner ever be released?
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
English national John Shaw has been in custody in Ireland since September 1976 when both he and another English man, Geoffrey Evans, were arrested for...
Is it time we learned to live with Covid-19?
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two years into the pandemic, it’s still not clear how, when, or if it will end. With health systems across the world in a permanent state of crisis ...
"It's worse than ever": The Capitol riot one year on
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When rioters smashed their way into the US Capitol one year ago this week, it was seen as both a disaster for US democracy but also a potential turnin...
Best of 2021: How South Korea’s social inequality inspired Netflix’s Squid Game
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you watched Squid Game yet? Since its release, the South Korean drama has become a global sensation, making it Netflix’s biggest series launch ...
Best of 2021: Amazon's dark side: what might it mean for Ireland?
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon, the company founded by Jeff Bezos in a Seattle garage more than a quarter of a century ago, is building one of its massive fulfilment centres ...
Best of 2021: Could Graham Dwyer win his appeal?
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Could Ireland's most notorious murderer Graham Dwyer win a retrial, or even walk free? Dwyer, who was convicted of the murder of Elaine O'Hara in...
Best of 2021: Who killed Michael Collins?
28 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly 100 years after his death, the truth about who assassinated Michael Collins remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in Irish history. ...
Best of 2021: How the Spelling Bee became a national American sport
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a quintessentially American institution, where kids battle it out to correctly spell ten-dollar words like 'querimonious' and 'solidungulate'. ...
Ireland’s rent crisis and its toll on society
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland is in the midst of a rent crisis. Prices are increasing nationally at a rate of around 8%, housing stock is low and the cost of buying a home ...
From a single TD to the most popular party: Sinn Féin's political journey
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did Sinn Féin adapt, evolve and rise to become the most popular political party in the Republic of Ireland? And if it does win power in a future ...
Omicron is here. How bad could it get, and are we ready?
17 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Omicron variant of Sars CoV 2 is the most transmissible variant yet and the percentage of cases here is growing dramatically. What is the Gov...
Undocumented in Ireland: New hope for thousands living in the shadows
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this month, the government approved a landmark scheme to regularise thousands of undocumented migrants and their families who are living in Ir...
“Change your face over your lunch break”: The rise in unregulated cosmetic procedures in Ireland
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Demand for cosmetic procedures is on the rise across Ireland, but what are the risks involved when the industry remains unregulated? Features writer J...
Will "Partygate" do real damage to Boris Johnson?
10 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Denis Staunton on the latest scandal hitting UK prime minister Boris Johnson's government, after a week of denials that an illegal party took place in...
How a Covid cert revolt in Brussels reveals a dark trend in pandemic politics
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A group of MEPs, citing civil liberties, are refusing to present a Covid vaccination certificate when entering the European Parliament. Their ringlead...
The Treaty: how it shaped modern Ireland
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On the 6th of December 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was agreed, paving the way for the creation of the Irish state. A century later, we explore how it...
The science behind Covid mutation
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The emergence of the Omicron variant has us asking questions about the virus and vaccines. What exactly does it look like when Sars-CoV-2 mutates? Cou...
Bracing for a possible Omicron wave
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Horgan-Jones on the new measures announced by the Government yesterday in light of the emergence of Omicron, a potentially more transmissible var...
Is it time to scrap the Leaving Cert?
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Leaving Cert system is often accused of being one large memory test, placing high levels of stress on students and failing to prepare them for a l...
What Diego Maradona meant to Argentina
26 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to Argentinian heritage, comedian and TV presenter Stephen Mullan knows how much Diego Maradona meant to the people of Argentina, and how much ...
Is Europe losing patience with Covid?
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last weekend, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of European cities to demonstrate against the introduction of new Covid restrictions. E...
Inside the Mater Hospital: 'There's no optimistic scenario'
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Irish Times features writer Jennifer O’Connell recently spent the day in Dublin’s Mater hospital, speaking to frontline staff. With Covid cases co...
Remembering the Sean Quinn saga
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Google, following "right to be forgotten" rules, granted a request from a member of a well-known Irish business family to hide unfavourable ...
How Belarus is engineering a migrant crisis
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East, are stuck on the Belarus border with Poland, having arrived into the country with the promise of a...
"He was the only victim in this" - the killing of John Pat Cunningham
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dennis Hutchings was buried on Thursday in Devon with full military honours and applause.The 80 year old died in Belfast after contracting C...
Is rugby doing enough to tackle the concussion epidemic?
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, former All Black Carl Hayman revealed a diagnosis of early onset dementia at just 41 years of age. Hayman has also joined a long list of fo...
Can booster doses and anti-viral drugs end the pandemic?
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The finishing line of this pandemic has been cruelly pushed back again and again. Vaccines have diminished the threat posed by Covid-19 but we're stil...
A tragedy in Sierra Leone is a story about poverty
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last Friday in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, a fire in the busy neighbourhood of Wellington killed scores and injured many more. The fire was cause...
Could Graham Dwyer win his appeal?
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Could Ireland's most notorious murderer Graham Dwyer win a retrial, or even walk free? Dwyer, who was convicted of the murder of Elaine O'Hara in 2015...
What's in the Climate Action Plan and does it go far enough?
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How does a country halve its greenhouse gas emissions in just nine years? The new Climate Action Plan is the Irish government's answer to that questio...
Is Dublin losing its cultural soul?
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A squat eviction, protests over plans to redevelop the site at the Cobblestone pub and the announcements of closures of the Science Gallery and a much...
The agency forcing Irish criminals to flee abroad
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Just over 25 years ago, the Criminal Assets Bureau was established in the wake of the killings of Detective Jerry McCabe and journalist Veronica Gueri...
Why is the EU fining Poland €1 million every single day?
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the European Union’s Court of Justice ordered Poland to pay a one million euro daily fine, believed to be the biggest penalty imposed by ...
Cop26: Our last chance to tackle climate catastrophe
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, just days before world leaders and policy makers descended upon Glasgow for the crucial Cop26 climate talks, UN secretary-general Antoni...
Is Facebook damaging our world?
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook’s brand is in crisis. The social media giant is rarely out of the headlines, most recently after whistleblowers and leaked documents shed l...
Squid Game: How South Korea’s social inequality inspired Netflix’s biggest ever hit
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you watched Squid Game yet? Since its release, the South Korean drama has become a global sensation, making it Netflix’s biggest series launch ...
Climate action: "I'm not gonna give up, there's too much to fight for"
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re told that eating less meat or giving up flying are things that we can do to help fight climate change. But given that a relatively small numbe...
Why is Covid so prevalent in Ireland compared to other European countries?
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Health editor Paul Cullen on what we know about the reasons for Ireland's high level of Covid-19 right now, despite our high vaccination rates.Plus: p...
Can the UK and the EU overcome mistrust to do a deal on Northern Ireland?
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week, Britain's Brexit minister David Frost called for a new "Northern Ireland protocol" to completely replace the agreement he negotiat...
Ireland 2050: 'The big changes will be at the extremes... droughts, floods'
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More flooding, longer spells of hotter weather, heavier rain events and the disappearance of frost: The changes to Ireland's weather if we fail to tac...
The disappearance of Deirdre Jacob: Could new evidence crack the case?
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A large search operation has begun in Co Kildare in relation to the disappearance of 18-year-old Deirdre Jacob, who went missing as she...
What Ireland's corporate tax hike means
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A global deal means our 12.5% corporate tax rate will be going up for the first time in decades. Cliff Taylor tells Conor the story of the rate: ...
Berlin's rental revolution: could it happen in Ireland?
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On September 26th a referendum was held in Berlin. The question? Should landlords be forced to sell nearly a quarter of a million apartments to the ci...
When did the climate crisis begin?
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In a few weeks' time, world leaders meet for the COP26 UN Climate Conference in Scotland, where they will try to agree on a plan to reduce emissions a...
The Pandora Papers: Ireland's role in hiding global wealth
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland is being used as a de facto offshore location by people and businesses in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and other countries in eastern Europe an...
Why are people turning to an anti-parasite drug to treat Covid-19?
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month the first Irish person was hospitalised after using the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to treat the symptoms of Covid-19. In the US, demand...
Allegations of sexual abuse, betrayal and threats: The downfall of a charity and its founder
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Before his sudden death Anthony Flynn was accused of sexually assaulting several men in the care of the charity he founded. He leaves behind alleged a...
The unpalatable truth about eating meat
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you think about where your food comes from, how the animals used to produce it live and die, or its impact on the environment? Journalist ...
Why did Boris Johnson have to sack some of his closest allies?
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson reshuffled his cabinet last week, firing ministers who had been key supporters of his leadership. What prompted the mo...
Covid and unvaccinated school children - what are the risks?
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The success of Ireland’s vaccine rollout has exceeded even the most optimistic projections of earlier this year and allowed the country to re-open, ...
After years of decline, can the Ireland men's football team turn things around?
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Republic of Ireland senior men's football team has brought joy and heartbreak to fans over the years. But now, after a disappointing run of result...
How the 9/11 attacks tore one Irish family apart
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty years ago, on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, Mark Clifford was in Dublin attending the funeral of a friend, when he caught sight of a TV screen...
Are we ready for the next pandemic?
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Ireland continues towards the full reopening of society with the lifting of pandemic restrictions, experts have warned that the next global outbrea...
What does the future hold for Fianna Fáil?
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Fianna Fáil TDs, Senators and MEPs will gather in the town of Ballyconnell, Co Cavan to discuss the future of their political party. The t...
Who are ISIS-K and what threat do they pose?
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Less than a fortnight after the Taliban took control in Afghanistan, the country saw its first horrific terror attack. The suicide bombing near Kabul ...
How Ireland’s mountain rescue services are managing an alarming rise in callouts
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As more and more people take to the outdoors to explore Ireland’s hiking trails and mountain paths, rescue services are experiencing an alarming ris...
Who killed Michael Collins?
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly 100 years after his death, the truth about who assassinated Michael Collins remains one of the greatest unanswered questions in Irish history. ...
Will Delta derail New Zealand's 'Covid Zero' strategy?
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Just over a week ago, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern put the country into lockdown after the first coronavirus case in six months was repor...
Falling birth rates and ageing populations: what will this mean for the world?
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As birth rates continue to drop and people live longer, the world’s population is set to change dramatically over the coming decades. What...
The puzzling death of Margaret Bracken
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Was the death of a woman in Dundalk in 2019 suspicious and was it investigated properly? And will her family ever find the answers they are searc...
The Taliban takeover and the future of Afghanistan
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When US forces began to withdraw from Afghanistan earlier this year, it didn’t take long for the Taliban to begin their takeover. One by one, cities...
How the Spelling Bee became a national American sport
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a quintessentially American institution, where kids battle it out to correctly spell ten-dollar words like 'querimonious' and 'solidungulate'. ...
Boycotts, one-star reviews and threats of violence: anti-vaxxers "unleash hell"
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When a restaurant complies with the law and asks indoor diners to show a Covid vaccine certificate, are they breaching the diner's human rights, or ev...
Why did Katherine Zappone's UN envoy appointment spark a political crisis?
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At a time when TDs and ministers are usually winding down after the end of the Dáil term, the Government is facing a political crisis. It started las...
Why do Brazilians want to impeach their president Jair Bolsonaro?
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For weeks now, thousands of protestors have been taking to the streets of Brazil demanding that their country's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro ste...
Sonia O'Sullivan on Simone Biles's decision to put mental health before sport
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Olympic silver medalist Sonia O'Sullivan and sports writer Malachy Clerkin talk to our producer Jennifer Ryan about the decision by US superstar gymna...
Will fear of Delta overcome America's vaccine hesitancy?
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Only two months ago America's fast-moving vaccine rollout was the envy of billions across the globe. But with infections now rising across the country...
Can Europe unite to fight climate change?
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month the European Commission launched their new ‘Fit for 55’ package, the latest instalment of the European Green Deal, which sets out a pla...
A notorious people smuggler escapes justice
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, an infamous Eritrean human trafficker was sentenced to life in prison without parole in absentia in Ethiopia. Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam,...