In The News

This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children aged 16 and under.Welcomed by parents there but criticised by big tech and some free-speech advocates, the ban will see companies such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok face massive fines if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the social media accounts of Australian children. And to stop children getting such accounts in the first place.Ireland is also taking steps to make children safer online, with a Government push to design a digital wallet linked to social security numbers as proof of age. And the Department of Health’s online safety taskforce will also lay out its proposals today.Irish Times Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne explains the Government’s advanced plans to protect children from accessing harmful material online.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The M in M50 stands for motorway – multiple lanes, fast speed limits and easy access to a network of national roads. More than 30 years ago it was designed as a modern piece of infrastructure to get the country moving.Now for many motorists for long stretches of the day - it’s a car park.So are there any quick fixes? Are more roads the answer, more tolls? Better public transport certainly is the key, but why is our infrastructure so dire that people who live in the ever expanding Dublin commuter belt have no other option but to get in their cars and drive?The road that partially circles Dublin is congested and that’s the problem. There’s too much traffic on it. So what can be done to get it moving?Brian Caulfield, professor in transportation at Trinity College Dublin, explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Housing is an unexpected source of top tips for young adults on how to behave. “Help out around the house”, it advises, “Set house rules” and “Communicate with your family”.All generally sound advice but widely perceived as tone deaf as it is in an information campaign aimed at young people forced to move back into their family homes, to once again sleep in their childhood bedrooms.The housing crisis with its high rents and lack of choice has meant many young people stay living with their parents for far longer than they want. The average age for Irish people to leave the family home is 28.The video, created by youth group SpunOut for the Housing Agency, has sparked negative responses from online commentators and Opposition politicians.Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones explains why the messaging fell so flat and how the controversy is playing out in Leinster House.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardaí have opened a double murder investigation after a young boy, Tadhg Farrell (4) and his great-aunt Mary Holt (60) were killed in a suspected petrol bomb attack on a house in Co Offaly.Tadhg’s grandmother, who was also in the house on Saturday evening, is in critical condition in hospital having suffered extensive burns in the blaze at Castleview Park, Edenderry.The house has been attacked before, in one incident all its windows were broken in what is believed to be an ongoing drug debt feud.Gardaí suspect a criminal gang involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands were behind the firebombing.Garda sources said the incident was probably intended as an intimidatory attack and they did not believe the people at the property were the intended targets.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher reports from the scene.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally Hayden, a Beirut-based reporter for The Irish Times and investigative journalist, delves into the harrowing leak of 33,000 photographs revealing the torture and abuse by Assad's regime. She discusses the impact of these images on families seeking answers about their loved ones. Hayden highlights the systematic brutality during Syria's civil war and the importance of advocating for victims' families before releasing such distressing content. She also addresses the prospects of justice and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the publication of graphic evidence.

The latest round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks have been the most complex and lengthy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia began in February 2022.The latest round of talks started two weeks ago with a leaked 28-point draft peace proposal which alarmed Ukrainian and European officials who said that it was weighted too much in Moscow’s favour. The proposal would have seen Ukraine cede territory to Russia, Russia readmitted to the G8 and Ukraine banned from joining Nato.There followed a 20-point plan, and then a 27-point plan. The talks – with the US represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – moved from Geneva to Moscow where, on Tuesday, five hours of talks with Russian president Vladimer Putin around the table yielded no agreement. Talks are currently taking place in Miami.Putin has been clear, Russia is winning the war and while he is willing to come to the table to negotiate, there is no urgency. Ukraine has indicated it too is keen for a deal – but not on any terms. While in Washington, the US president has been making hopeful noises, reflecting the widespread belief that he just wants to get a peace deal done.Meanwhile at home Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been rocked by a corruption scandal that has seen his chief of staff, who had led the Ukrainian delegation at peace talks, resigning on Friday.Irish Times Europe Correspondent based in Kyiv, Dan McLaughlin, explains how the talks evolved and what next for the war.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Uniformed gardaí are being issued with Taser guns as part of a six-month trial.It has long been a point of pride in Ireland that the police force are not armed unlike their European counterparts. And while these guns fire electric shocks and not bullets, this is change in how the gardaí police the streets.So does this move bring closer the day when the Garda will be an armed force? How will it change the way the gardaí interact with the public? And why now?Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a major military operation that began in September, the US administration continues to put pressure on Venezuela with navy warships massing in the Caribbean Sea.US president Donald Trump claims the air strikes on boats in the region are not acts of aggression but enforcement operations to prevent alleged drug trafficking.To date it is estimated that 83 people have been killed but it has not been made clear by the administration the intelligence that led up the attacks proving the boats were indeed carrying drugs.So is this a “war on drugs” or is it part of a broader plan to oust Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro?And with Trump now saying the country’s air space should be shut down, is a ground offensive on the horizon?I speak to professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College, Daniel Mendiola.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New figures from the Residential Tenancies Board are stark: the number of eviction notices issued by landlords in the third quarter of this year increased by 35 per cent on the same period last year.This at a time when rents have never been higher.The reason given most frequently by landlords is that they are selling up. Why?New rent regulations which improve the rights of long-term tenants are set be introduced in March 2026. Could this be the reason landlords are getting out of the market?And why are small landlords more likely to want to exit the market than big institutional investors who dominate the private rental sector?Irish Times housing reporter Niamh Towey has talked to landlords and estate agents to get a clearer picture.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conor Lally, Crime and Security Editor at The Irish Times, dives deep into Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch's ambitious bid for a Dáil seat. They discuss Hutch's plans to register new voters and boost his base from last year's near-success. Lally analyzes the implications of Hutch's hefty €800,000 tax bill and compliance rules that could affect his candidacy. They also touch on the local perception of Hutch compared to drug dealers, the notorious Kinahan-Hutch feud, and the ongoing legal challenges he faces, making this a captivating exploration of crime meeting politics.