In The News

In 2013 a Bitcoin hard drive – now worth more than half a billion euro – was mistakenly dumped in the council rubbish tip in Wales.Since then its owner, James Howells, has been fighting to get it back.For the past 10 years he has petitioned to search the site; gone to court to get compensation; and appealed for help through the media but to no avail.The council now says it is selling the dump in Newport and Howells wants to buy it.The 39-year-old engineer tells In the News how he became an early investor in cryptocurrency and where his attempts to find his lost millions will go next.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a head-spinning week for Ukraine, with US president Donald Trump publicly turning on the war-torn country’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.It is three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and the world is now seeing what the US president meant with his election promise of ending the war.As evidenced by his actions this week, that apparently involves the US dealing directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and cutting Ukraine and Europe out of any peace talks; undermining Zelenskiy and questioning his motives and authority; proposing a payback for US aid from Ukraine; broadly acceding to Russia’s war aims, and claiming Ukraine started the war.Zelenskiy responded to some of the statements, a move which provoked further attacks from the White House.So how is this being viewed from Kyiv – officially and among war-weary citizens?Irish Times Eastern Europe correspondent Dan McLaughlin takes us through this most extraordinary week in international relations, and explains how Ukrainians view their leader in light of the critical blasts from the US.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darling Duran, a 38-year-old digital marketing graduate from Bolivia was looking for a place to rent in Dublin when an ad for a one-bedroom apartment for €700 a month came up on her Facebook feed.When she met the man advertising the space, it turned out he lived in the apartment and she would have to share a bed with him.This offer of sex in exchange for rent is something she and her friends have come across frequently in their search for accommodation in Ireland.Their experience is reflected in the Irish Council for International Students survey which found that 5 per cent of female respondents had either received an offer to rent a room in Ireland in exchange for sex or had seen a room advertised in exchange for sex. The research also revealed severe overcrowding experienced by students who felt they had no other option.Housing reporter Niamh Towey explains the difficulties international students face in finding accommodation; and Darling Duran tells of her personal experience.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An 80 year alliance between the US and Europe has been upended in just one week. Donald Trump and other American officials have long felt Europe should not rely on US tax dollars for its defence. Now the US president and his administration has explicitly stated Europe needs to take responsibility for its own security, while simultaneously moving to end the war in Ukraine on Russia's terms. Excluding Europe in a discussion about its borders and threatening to pull military support begs the question - if America can no longer be relied upon to help defend us against Russian aggression, just how capable is the bloc of doing the job? Europe correspondent Jack Power joins us from Brussels, while crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher lays bare the stark reality Ireland and its neighbours might face.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last four weeks, the Omagh bombing inquiry has heard from the families of those who died, survivors, and the emergency service personnel who attended the scene.As the inquiry moves into the next phase, it will attempt to answer questions that have remained unanswered for more than 26 years - what happened on that day, and could this atrocity have been prevented?Irish Times Northern Editor Freya McClements reflects on the testimonies of the survivors of the single worst atrocity of the Northern Ireland Troubles.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Groups of Irish parents dotted around the country have unwittingly started a large-scale social experiment – they’re joining together and aiming, as a group, to delay giving their preteen a smartphone. These parents of soon-to-be first year students in secondary schools in Dublin, Cork and Galway hope they can hold out in the face of their children’s smartphone requests, social media’s addictive algorithms and what many see as a failure by successive governments to regulate the dangers of the internet. Mary Lovegrove is one such parent who has spoken to Irish Times education correspondent Carl O'Brien.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Garda investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Clarke, a mother of two from Co Meath, has been upgraded to a murder inquiry.She was officially reported missing in January 2015, though there have been no confirmed sightings of her since November 2013. She had previously lived in Portrane, Co Dublin, and Bettystown, Co Meath, as well as at another address in Co Meath.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Lally explains why her disappearance never gained the sort of media attention given to other cases of missing Irish women, and where the investigation is at now.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin will host Ireland’s first NFL regular-season game at Croke Park later this year. No date has been given but one side is known: the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will be the designated ‘home team’.It is believed the Government and Dublin City Council will contribute almost €10 million to stage the event. Sports Minister Charlie McConalogue says the American football game will attract 30,000 international visitors with an expected economic boost north of €60 million, plus €20 million to the exchequer.Other figures predict a far greater economic bump. And that’s not counting the massive US TV audience with the potential for tourism growth that that level of exposure brings.Ireland has become the latest pin in the map for the behemoth that is the NFL because the Dublin date is one of several outside the US this year signalling the global growth of the game.And with annual revenue of over $20 billion, the NFL is the richest and most profitable sports league in the world.Irish Times sports columnist Dave Hannigan, who is based in the US, explains just how massive the NFL is; the extraordinary amount of money swirling around the sport, and how the NFL has so successfully managed to monetise the appeal of the game.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luis Rubiales' infamous kiss on Jenni Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup celebrations in August 2023 provoked a global reaction. He swore it was consensual. She did not. But the subsequent behaviour of the former football association president, and three other officials, has since escalated into a full-blown criminal trial. If convicted on charges of sexual aggression, he could face two and a half years of jail time. But how realistic is a custodial sentence? And why is he also accused of coercion? As the trial concludes this week, Dermot Corrigan from The Athletic and The New York Times in Madrid, breaks down the legal battle surrounding Rubiales, outlines the testimony of Hermoso and explains the cultural fallout which led to #SeAcabó - Spain's #MeToo movement, and its subsequent backlash.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Consumer affairs correspondent Conor Pope joins In the News to discuss the rise in online romance scams, while Dublin woman Stacey* shares her own experience of losing more than €20,000 to an online fraudster, who pretended to be Coldplay's Chris Martin. Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan.*Pseudonym used to protect interviewee’s identity  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.