In The News

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has a good chance to form a new left wing coalition following a surprise result in last weekend's general election. The result left Spain's right wing parties, who polls suggested should win, wondering where it all went wrong. The ultimate outcome will be hugely consequential, not just for Spain but for all of Europe. Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid on how the election went and what the result means. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a family holiday to the Greek island of Corfu, Irish Times reporter Ronan McGreevy got an unexpected front row seat to one of the big stories of the summer: catastrophic wildfires, to which experts say climate change is a major contributing factor. On Corfu and Rhodes, thousands of tourists have been forced to evacuate. Will the increased frequency and intensity of such events force a rethink of Mediterranean tourism? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hollywood is on strike. It’s about money of course, but at its heart is changing technology: the way streamers, such as Netflix and Apple TV have altered the way actors and writers work and are paid, and how AI is set to curb the income potential of many in the film and TV business.Irish Times chief film correspondent Donald Clark explains just why the industry is on the picket lines, what it means for upcoming TV and film schedules and why actors are no longer promoting their movies or even appearing on the red carpet. And as he explains, the strike shows no sign of ending. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of teenager Ann Lovett, who concealed her pregnancy and died shortly after giving birth alone in a grotto in Grandard, County Longford, is a defining tragedy of 1980s Ireland.   The circumstances of Ann's pregnancy and death were cloaked in silence for decades.  Three months after Ann died, her younger sister Trisha took her own life.  In a series of reports for The Irish Times, senior features writer Rosita Boland has cast some light on what happened back then, speaking to the Lovett’s friends, Ann’s boyfriend, and the people of Granard – those who are willing to talk.   Now Rosita has written about another side of Ann and Trisha Lovett. An intelligent, warm, and witty side that is revealed in the letters, notes and cards they wrote to their friends, in the months before their tragic deaths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand this week and for the first time ever, the Irish National team will be taking part. Football pundit and former women’s international Karen Duggan has the low down on the Irish team, its star players and strengths and how the controversy around manager Vera Pauw impacted the team before they left for the southern hemisphere. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extreme weather events have been taking place this month all over the globe – from flooding in South Korea to record heat in parts of the US and China. In Europe, a third heatwave in a month is expected to hit Spain, Italy and much of the Mediterranean and to last until Wednesday.Scientists are clear why this happening – climate change. UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk at a recent UN council debate used unambiguous language to predict a dystopian future for the planet, from water shortages to climate migrants, unless we take action now.What it might mean for Ireland, how we live now and how our lives will have to change, is laid out clearly by In the News guests John Sweeney, emeritus professor at Maynooth University’s geography department and Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times environment and science editor. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finbar Cafferkey (45) died while fighting in Ukraine, in a battle in the now destroyed city of Bakhmut. The Mayo man has been described as a “veteran activist” and once the war broke out, his family in Mayo knew that it would only be a matter of time before he travelled there to fight against Russia.His family have now been told that his remains have been found and will be returned to them for burial.Crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher sat down with Finbar’s younger brother Colm to understand what motivates a man from the west of Ireland to travel to Ukraine to fight in what has been from the beginning, a fierce and bloody war with ever-mounting deaths. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Letby stands accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill ten others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Manchester. The deaths took place in 2015-2016 when Letby was a young nurse on the neonatal ward. The 33-year-old has denied all charges.BBC reporter Dan O’Donoghue has attended the trial at Manchester Crown Court every day since it began last October. In this episode, O'Donoghue lays out the prosecution’s case, the defence put forward by Letby’s team and what the jury of eight women and four men must decide. Presented by Bernice Harrison. . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly appeared at two Oireachtas committees yesterday to answer questions about the RTÉ payments saga. Tubridy was fighting for his reputation and his career at the national broadcaster. How did it go and what did we learn? Jack Horgan-Jones reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At his sentencing this week a Dublin court heard that retired Christian Brother Paul Hendrick felt 'extreme remorse' for his sexual abuse of Kenneth Grace, who in the early 1980s was a vulnerable schoolboy in Hendrick's care. Mr Grace is suing the congregation of the Christian Brothers over the abuse he suffered from Hendrick, but the congregation has adopted a legal strategy that has been described as “cynical” and a form of “double abuse”.Colm Keena explains the Christian Brothers makes life difficult for those wishing to hold them to account in the courts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.