The BelTel

China and the USA are world’s most powerful countries, both militarily and economically. Recent tensions between the two over the future of Taiwan, amongst a host of other issues are a concern for us all. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by international affairs expert, Angus Lambkin, who has lived in China, to get his analysis on the situation and whether he thinks it will result in conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of paramilitary attacks have been carried out in NI since the Good Friday agreement. Often, they are attacked by appointment – people turn up to be shot. Sometimes children are even accompanied by their parents, drugged up to dull the pain. Youth worker Stephen Hughes is based in Divis in west Belfast, he is active in the pressure group Stop Attacks which works to end these attacks forever. He spoke to Ciaran Dunbar.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group of mercenaries have rebelled against the Russian military. Putin called it “a stab in the back”. It is the biggest threat to his leadership in more than two decades in power.But who is he and what is the Wagner Group?This podcast was originally broadcast in February 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been 25 years since the first Assembly election following the Belfast Agreement. David Trimble, later Lord Trimble, was one of the key architects of the Belfast agreement, leading the largest unionist party at the time, the UUP. He died in July in 2022. In this bonus episode of the BelTel – we broadcast a remarkable in-depth interview from 2015 in which David Trimble gives his take on what happened during the peace process to Alex Kane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A chance meeting between loyalist activist Jamie Bryson and Tory Simon Hoare led to the MP meeting loyalist leaders in Belfast. Northern Ireland Affairs Committee chairperson Hoare denies the meetings were secret negotiations, but they came as the government is trying to get Loyalists to buy into the Windsor trade protocol to help get Stormont back up and running. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by our political editor Suzanne Breen – who broke this exclusive story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disaster at 13,000 feet below sea level. A trip to see the Titanic has gone horribly wrong for the occupants of a submersible that has now lost contact. The Titan vanished with five people on board during a dive to the Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic on Sunday. Host: Fionnán Sheahan. Guest: Senan MolonySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC series Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland has been hailed as the finest ever on the Troubles. Featuring contributions from loyalists, republicans, soldiers, police, victims and civilians who found themselves living in an acutely abnormal society, the impressionistic work evokes empathy for all sides. Sam McBride interviews directors James Bluemel and Sian McIlwaine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Science Fiction has become reality and Artificial Intelligence is a growing part of our lives. The technology becoming more advanced every week. But what is AI and why are people like Elon Musk warning us that it is dangerous? And if it is so incredibly threatening to us, then why are we developing it? Kurtis Reid and Kevin Scott join Ciarán DunbarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1907, a theft at Dublin Castle ended up becoming a global story when the precious Irish Crown Jewels went missing. Scotland Yard, psychics and the author of Sherlock Holmes were brought in to try and locate the precious stones.Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Sunday Independent columnist, Sarah Caden,See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philip O’Shea was initially charming when he contacted vulnerable women online. He was a friend, a flatterer, someone who could help. But his true intentions emerged very quickly – he was a cruel catfisher who forced women to send him compromising pictures. And it didn’t stop there, in this episode of the BelTel Sharon O’Neill tells Ciarán Dunbar how O’Shea went from online harassment to real-life stalking, and how he eventually got caught.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.