In The News

Since the 1970s, Irish soldiers have served as UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon, a region where complex conflicts ebb and flow. Last week, the tragic death of Private Sean Rooney brought the number of Irish peacekeepers killed in the line of duty to 48. This special three-part series revisits the 1982 murders of Corporal Gregory Morrow, Private Peter Burke and Private Thomas Murphy at Tibnin Bridge, a checkpoint near the Israeli border. In part one, Conor Gallagher and Sorcha Pollak tell the story of Tibnin Bridge, with help from those who lived through it. Artwork by Paul Scott. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originating in west Africa the Black Axe gang has quickly become one of the most successful groups in Irish organised crime. In the Republic, the gang has stolen or laundered €64 million, mainly through romance scams and invoice frauds. The Irish cell of Black Axe launders money by using a rapidly growing network of money mules in Ireland. Money mules’ accounts are used to take receipt of, and then disperse, the proceeds of frauds carried out by other Black Axe cells located in countries across the globe. Security and crime editor Conor Lally has the details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are lots of reasons why team sports are a great activity for children to be involved in. They offer kids a chance to improve fitness, make new friends and learn how to be part of a team. But, on many teams across the country, coaches are leaving less able children on the sidelines, because they value winning above everything else. Irish Times parenting columnist Jen Hogan talks to Conor Pope about the impact this can have on children and why she thinks the culture needs to change. This episode was originally published in October 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In contrast with his son Daniel Kinahan, little has been known about the activities of Christy Kinahan snr, the founder of the Kinahan drug cartel. Irish Times reporters Colm Keena and Conor Lally have now discovered that, along with his partner and three young children, Mr Kinahan snr has been attempting to build a new life for himself in Africa. These efforts involved an attempt to establish himself there as a player in the humanitarian aviation sector through the purchase of airplanes from the Egyptian military. Conor Lally and Colm Keena talk to Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tragic death of Private Sean Rooney in Lebanon last week marks the first Irish peacekeeper death in combat in the region since 1999. The 23 year old was a member of the UN's 10,000-strong mission, Unifil. It's understood the vehicle became surrounded by an angry mob near the coastal down of Al Aqbieh on the night of Wednesday, 14th December. But why would the UN vehicle be the target of such ire? And what has caused the ratcheting up of tension in the Hizbullah-controlled region? Crime and Security Correspondent, Conor Gallagher, and retired Lieutenant Colonel and military historian, Dan Harvey, frame the conflict and analyse the threat on this episode of In The News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teacher Enoch Burke could get out of jail today if he chose to.All he needs to do is say he’ll follow a court order to stay away from the school where he worked until being suspended in a row over his refusal to call a trans student by their preferred pronouns.In cases of civil contempt there is no clear mechanism for bringing to an end the situation without Mr Burke backing down. But given his stated intentions, and taking into account his family’s history in legal disputes, it seems unlikely Mr Burke will do that. So how will the situation ever get resolved?Jennifer O’Connell and Mary Carolan talk to Conor Pope. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Christmas eve will mark ten months to the day since Russia launched their attack on Ukraine. In sub-zero temperatures, civilians are dealing with blackouts and water shortages, as the Russians target critical infrastructure from the air. As the year draws to a close, what hope, if any, will the new year bring? Dan McLaughlin reports on the situation from Lviv. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prestigious Capital Dock and Clancy Barracks apartments in Dublin were developed by Kennedy Wilson. Fulfilling their legal obligations for 10% social housing, they offered Dublin City Council a choice between those homes or the cheaper Herberton apartments in Rialto. Though the council agreed and a deal was struck in 2019, they’ve lain empty for over 3 and a half years. 39 families who were offered the homes earlier this year, have been told they now must wait even longer after fire safety issues were identified. But, in the middle of a housing crisis, how have the apartments been left dormant, and why is this only emerging now? What does it mean for the rest of the Herberton complex on the former site of Fatima Mansions? Dublin Editor, Olivia Kelly, has the latest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ChatGPT is no ordinary chatbot. It’s a massive advance in AI and machine learning that can handle far more complex requests, and generate answers in human-like form. It doesn’t scour the internet or copy and paste from articles. Rather its algorithms have been fed with a massive dataset that yield unique results to questions you might pose. It’s been created by OpenAI, a San Francisco-based AI research company. While it’s a potential force for good, we have seen how technology can be used for malicious intent. So what are the potential pitfalls, who will mitigate against them and how soon could they realistically threaten jobs? In The News is joined by Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at TU Dublin, Dr. Robert Ross, and Arts and Culture Editor, Hugh Linehan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death of a 4 year-old girl in the north east from the invasive form of Strep A, and a five year-old girl in Belfast, has understandably put parents around the country on high alert. With a significant increase in the number of viral infections sweeping through childcare and school settings, the HSE is encouraging parents to keep children at home if they’re showing signs of illness. But Strep A is a bacterial infection that can be treated effectively with antibiotics. How can you tell the difference between a viral infection and what might be Strep A? Galway GP, Dr Laura Lenihan, explains the symptoms of each. Unfortunately the most effective antibiotic to treat the illness is in short supply in Ireland at the moment. Duleek pharmacist, Kathy Maher, outlines what’s behind the shortage and what action the government should take to protect patients.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.