In The News

King Charles III's Coronation will take place this Saturday at Westminster Abbey in London. The one-day event is estimated to cost the taxpayer between £50 and £100 million. An eye-watering bill, but one that probably won't make too much of an impact on the monarchy's finances. The finances of the British monarchy remain, in part, a mystery. Royal wills are never made public, so it’s not quite clear what wealth is passed down to the next generation. So, where does the money come from and how is it managed?In this episode, Laura Clancy, author of ‘'Running the Family Firm: how the monarchy manages it's image and our money’ tells Conor Pope how the royals operate more like a corporation than a family unit. She also examines what the future of the ‘firm’ might hold after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This episode was originally published in September 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the next three years the Government is going to have a cumulative budget surplus of a projected €65 billion - the biggest budget surplus in our history. The spending choices are as many and varied but how should the vast pot of money set to roll into the exchequer be spent? To help solve the housing crisis? On money-in-the pocket cost-of-living measures? Or generations-long visionary one-off infrastructure schemes?Will the spending strategy be long term and structural – or short term and popular with an eye on the next general election.Cliff Taylor teases out the opportunities such a windfall offers, why it is happening and what the Government should do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has armed conflict broken out in Sudan?To answer this question we need to understand the backgrounds of the two generals on opposing sides: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.The two men, once comrades, are now enemies motivated by power, identity and money.Declan Walsh of The News York Times tells the story of these two men and how, thanks to their ambition, Sudan's hope to become a democracy has been replaced by fear for the future.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Classified documents about the war in Ukraine and China’s experimental weapons are just some of files that were recently leaked from the Pentagon, finding their way online, onto chat rooms and YouTube.But the leak wasn’t the result of a sophisticated spy ring, or backed by Russian or Chinese intelligence. It was an inside job - and the work of 21-year-old air force reservist Jack Teixeira.But how much damage do the leaks do to Ukraine's war effort, or to the United States' ability to help Ukraine? We ask UCD's Scott Lucas, who explains who Jack Teixeira is, how he did what he did and exactly how significant the leaks are - including for Ireland. Scott Lucas is Professor of American Studies at UCD's Clinton Institute.Hosted by Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did controversial landlord Marc Godart build his extensive portfolio of properties, owned and managed, in Ireland? Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary followed the money back to the Godart family home in a leafy suburb in Luxembourg.Dublin correspondent Olivia O’Kelly explains what might happen next in the disputes between the prolific landlord and tenants who have lodged complaints against him. Plus: Irene Hayden and Frank Kavanagh expected nothing out of the ordinary when they rented their own property to Mr Godart. They got more than they bargained for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After his acquittal for murder ‘The Monk’ Hutch emerged from Dublin’s Special Criminal court a free man. He was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016. Swarmed by camera men and photographers, he walked silently to a taxi, ignoring questions about his future plans.Hutch had spent more than 600 days in prison. Now that’s he free, what will he do and where will he go? Meanwhile, the State now has questions to answer about why the evidence it presented fell so far short of what was needed for conviction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The State has failed in its effort to convict Gerard Hutch of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel. The conclusion of the dramatic case with a verdict of not guilty leaves a lot of unanswered questions for the Director of Public Prosecutions about why its case failed, and for the GardaI about how it mismanaged evidence at points in its investigation. Conor Gallagher reports.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Troubles the IRA set up a unit to find informers within its organisation.Informally called the ‘nutting squad’, it was led by Freddie Scappaticci, the son of an Italian immigrant who grew up in the Markets area of Belfast.He used kidnap, torture and murder to flush out alleged informers.But Scappaticci, one of the highest ranking men in the IRA, was himself an informer in the pay of British intelligence, operating under the codename Stakeknife.Last week, the news broke that the former IRA man had died several days earlier.During his final years, he was being investigated by Operation Kenova, an inquiry set up in 2016.Its findings are due out later this year.  But how will his death impact the inquiry and the families of his victims who are still seeking justice? Hosted by Bernice Harrison. Guests Gerry Moriarty and Kevin Winters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of RTÉ Director-General, held by Dee Forbes since 2016, is well-paid, prestigious but daunting. The task of finding funding to maintain the broadcaster's output and compete in the era of streaming is a tough one. Now, leaks to the media, seemingly from within RTÉ's governing board, have revealed internal strife over the appointment of the successor to Forbes. What is going on at RTÉ? Laura Slattery explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the Mediterranean, migrants face grave danger in the attempt to cross from Africa to their targets in Europe, places like the small Italian island of Lampedusa. Jade Wilson visited Lampedusa to report on how a new law governing the activities of NGO rescue missions has made the voyage, often on unsafe, overcrowded boats, even more hazardous. And Sally Hayden looks at a recent UN report on the human rights situation in Libya. The report adds to the mounting evidence that the EU, through programmes designed to keep migrants away from its borders, has cooperated with groups that have perpetrated human rights abuses including murder, torture and sexual slavery. Within the EU itself there is little outcry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.