Afleveringen
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For more than a decade, between 2012 and 2023, non-European millionaires could secure residency in Ireland by investing hundreds of thousands of euro into Irish business or public bodies.
Most of the millionaires who availed of the Immigrant Investor Programme, or âgolden visaâ scheme, came from China.
In February 2023, the Government abruptly closed the scheme with only a dayâs notice.
Nearly two years on, the full list of names of companies, public bodies and charities, who received âŹ1.25 billion through the programme, remains hidden in State files.
Newly released documents now reveal Department of Justice officials warned of the need to guard against potentially âunlawfulâ and âunethicalâ practices when granting visas to millionaire immigrants through the scheme.
Irish Times Current Affairs Editor Arthur Beasley, who has been investigating the now defunct scheme for more than two years, joins the podcast to discuss the latest revelations regarding this controversial residency scheme.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This episode was originally published in September 2024.
An Garda Siochana has a serious retention and recruitment problem.
The Commissioner knows it, so does the Minister for Justice but despite public commitments to reach enrolment targets, ongoing recruitment campaigns and changes to admission criteria, efforts to increase the size of the force to the Government benchmark of 15,000 continue to falter.
There are now fewer sworn Garda members than at the start of last year.
Why? Itâs a well-paying public service job, it offers career variety and progression and it offers the possibility of retiring with a full pension at 60 or even earlier.
Crime and security editor Conor Lally tells In the News the many reasons why encouraging citizens to join up is an uphill battle and what it means for policing in the State.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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This episode was originally published in October 2024
Anti-female genital mutilation advocates expected high-profile speakers at a packed Dublin conference â they found a small room in a hotel with 25 people and were left with large bills.Last February, the Cycle of Life Global Forum was billed as an international conference to help eradicate FGM. In exchange for large sums of money, attendees from as far away as Kenya and the US were expecting to hear from high-profile speakers such as Richard Branson, Denis OâBrien and Auma Obama.But what greeted them was far more underwhelming.The event was organised by Sean Collins-McCarthy, a self-described âSocial Entrepreneur, Strategy Advisor, Filmmaker and Media Pioneerâ.Irish Times journalist Olivia Kelly investigated and tells In the News what went on behind the scenes at Cycle of Life.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Every year, the release of the State Papers reveals a treasure trove of opinions, views and attitudes all committed to paper by ministers, diplomats and officials who wrote safe in the knowledge that the documents wouldnât be revealed to the public for 30 years.
This year thousands of declassified documents are being released relating mostly to 1994. Irish Times journalists Mark Hennessy and Ronan McGreevy have spent a week reading through the files â from official memos to personal notes â in search of the stories, views and attitudes from 30 years ago that reveal a side to Irish officialdom previously under wraps.
It was a pivotal year for politicians, the Catholic Church and Anglo-Irish affairs â and for Irish dancers when Riverdance debuted, the Irish football team at the world cup, for taoiseach Albert Reynolds who stood waiting â in vain â on the tarmac in Shannon Airport for an âunwellâ Russian president Boris Yeltsin to make an appearance, and so much more.
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For this episode, In the News presenters Bernice Harrison and Sorcha Pollak take a listen back - to pick the podcasts that covered the biggest news stories and explained the stories behind the headlines.
There were elections in Ireland, and across the globe to be explained; the housing crisis covered in all the ways it impacts on society - and why solving it will be harder than the easy answers promised at election time; Irish Times foreign correspondents and guest experts reported on the US, Gaza, Syria and Ukraine; and the persistent and worsening issue of women being killed or sexually abused by their partners or family members was documented. The two part mini-series on the murder of 21-year-old Katie Simpson by Jonathan Cresswell in Derry told a powerful story of control and violence with themes that echoed in so many other stories.
A podcast with court reporting on the Conor McGregor trial told a powerful story.
And of course other hot topics featured, including Taylor Swift in Dublin, the price of Oasis tickets, and consumer issues ranging from trends in online shopping to the backlash against EVs.
Presented by Bernice Harrison and Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This episode was originally published in September 2024
If you don't have young children in your life, you may be completely unaware of one of the world's biggest game platforms. Roblox is a digital playground where children can create block-like avatars, pay to accessorise them, use them to take part in role-playing games and talk to others. Therein lies the inherent danger. While it's mostly harmless fun, several terrifying cases of grooming, abuse, blackmail and even kidnapping have been highlighted in the US. In September, an Irish report found most primary school children who'd had upsetting experiences online had experienced them on YouTube or Roblox. Irish Times journalist Conor Capplis argues the platform is social media by stealth, and should be regulated as such to keep users safe.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This episode was originally published in September 2024
A record 10,600 Irish people emigrated to Australia last year, according to the Central Statistics Office; the highest number since 2013. With its year-round sunshine, high wages and laid back lifestyle, itâs not hard to understand the attraction. Push factors in Ireland include the diminishing hopes of home ownership for many young people. But Australiaâs economy is slowing down and property prices in Sydney are even higher than in Dublin. Irish Times columnist and returning emigrant, Brianna Parkins, outlines the Instagram V Reality of moving down under.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Carlo Acutis was just 15 when he died in 2006. British-born and living in Milan, the teenager became a devout Catholic and used his computer skills to develop a website detailing miracles. Just a few days after he launched his website, he fell ill and died.
By 2013 he was on the way to sainthood having been named a âServant of Godâ; in that same year a woman in Brazil claimed that praying to Acutis helped heal her sonâs pancreatic illness. In 2020 Pope Francis authenticated the miracle and Acutis was beatified. Then, in 2024, a second miracle was recognised.
The Pope approved Acutisâ canonisation in July, with an official ceremony set for 2025.
Already relics of the âsaint dressed in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirtâ are touring the world with a lock of his hair being stolen at this yearâs National Ploughing Championships in Co Laois.
Former Irish Times religious correspondent Patsy McGarry explains the path to sainthood and what the teenagerâs elevation means.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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One city in China produces 80 per cent of the worldâs Christmas decorations.
Yiwu International Trade City exports more than 20,000 types of Christmas products to more than 100 countries, with Europe and the Americas the most important markets for most producers. Thatâs a lot of plastic Christmas trees, wreaths, baubles, life-size elves, tinsel and flickering lights.
When Irish Times Beijing correspondent Denis Staunton visited, he found manufacturers with a clear idea of just what westerners want and the emerging trends â thereâs a new trend towards pastel coloured decorations, including trees.
He tells In the News that although Communist Party members are forbidden from practising religion, Christian churches are allowed to operate under the supervision of the authorities. But some state schools have recently been discouraging children from marking western holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, urging them to celebrate Chinese traditions instead.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A French court on Thursday found Dominique Pelicot guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison for repeatedly drugging and raping his ex-wife GisĂšle Pelicot over a nine-year period from 2011 and inviting dozens of men to rape her unconscious body in their home.
The retired electrician and former estate agent was also found guilty of making sexual images of his daughter Caroline and the wives of his sons.
The five judges also found the 50 other men on trial guilty. Some of their sentences were lower than those that had been suggested by the state prosecutor.
In an act of immense bravery GisĂšle waived her right to anonymity so that Dominique and the names of the 50 men accused of raping her could be made public.
The case has gripped France, prompting discussion on misogyny, sexual abuse and the countryâs laws around rape and it has made GisĂšle a national hero, particularly among the thousands of women who turned up each day to the court to support her.
Laura Gozzi was in court in Avignon every day reporting for the BBC and she tells In the News about the case and how the details unfolded in the court.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, you can contact the 24-hour Rape Crisis Centre helpline at 1800 778888 for free, confidential and non-judgemental support
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On Tuesday, gardaĂ and emergency services found the body of Anthony Maguire (36) in his Drogheda home, six days after he was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Kyran Durnin. He is believed to have had access to Kyran in the period before the last confirmed sighting of the boy as a six-year-old in the summer of 2022. He was a close associate of another suspect in the case. GardaĂ had also been looking into whether he was involved in the presentation of a different child to TĂșsla, in an attempt to pass that boy as Kyran Durnin. Maguire's death is being treated as a suicide. Now as Conor Lally, Irish Times crime and security editor, explains GardaĂ investigating the suspected murder of Kyran are working to determine if Maguire left behind any vital information on the disappearance of the child.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Israelâs move to close its embassy in Ireland means the diplomatic rift between our two countries is wider than ever, with potentially big implications for Ireland.
Israel has called Taoiseach Simon Harris, as well as the entire country, anti-Semitic. He, however is holding firm, and insists Ireland will not end its criticism of Israelâs actions in Gaza.
President Michael D Higgins has also responded, saying it is âdeep slanderâ to accuse the Irish people of being anti-Semitic because of criticisms of the Israeli government.
Israelâs Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich has been at the forefront of her countryâs criticism of Ireland and she spoke to Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy, who tells In the News whatâs behind Israelâs move, why now â and how damaging it is â potentially â for Ireland.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Irish Times international correspondent Sally Hayden is the only journalist from any Irish media outlet to witness, first-hand, the dramatic scenes that have unfolded in Syria, in the days following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. Hayden has spoken to ordinary citizens as well as members of the rebel alliance responsible for toppling the dictator on the 8th of December. The award-winning author has also visited the notorious Sednaya prison - dubbed 'the human slaughterhouse' - where she met families desperately searching for information on loved ones who were disappeared by Assad's secret police during his 24-year reign.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Another report, another disturbing finding about governance at one of Irelandâs best known, and well-funded charities, the Peter McVerry Trust.
Between 2022 and 2023, the charity paid near âŹ1.7m to Lavelle Solicitors, whose managing partner Michael Lavelle is a brother of McVerry director Richard Lavelle.
The finding is contained in a report from the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA), the supervisor of not-for-profit groups that receive public funds to provide affordable housing.
Since 2023 when it was revealed that the charity â which provides essential services to the growing number of homeless people in the State â needed a âŹ15m bailout, it has been subjected to heightened scrutiny. In addition to the AHBRA, the Comptroller & Auditor General and the Charities Commission have been asking questions. The answers when published have, since 2023, pointed to lax financial controls and poor board oversight.
The findings have caused significant reputational damage to the organisation and runs significant risk of spilling over to the entire charity sector, impacting on much-needed fundraising.
Current affairs editor Arthur Beesley has been following this unfolding story.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Irish house prices are overvalued by up to 10 per cent, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has warned, adding that an increasing number of households are carrying âelevatedâ levels of mortgage debt. That's not a large percentage when compared to the Celtic Tiger property bubble - so why is the think-tank cautioning it could still mean a 'painful correction'? Economics correspondent, Eoin Burke-Kennedy, explains why loan-to-income rates are creeping upwards, why house prices could come down but remain out of the reach of the average earner, and which global trends are preventing a price drop here.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson (50), the UnitedHealthcare chief executive was murdered in cold blood outside a hotel in Manhattan.
The manhunt to find his killer ended on Monday when the chief suspect, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, was arrested as he sat in a McDonaldâs in a railroad town in Pennsylvania. He has been charged with murder.
From the moment the CCTV of the shooting went viral, the police investigation began but so too did an onslaught of social media commentary: from amateur sleuths joining the manhunt; from infatuated posters who had become Mangione fans; and a deluge of online comments and memes either sarcastically or explicitly calling out the greed of private healthcare companies.
Now that a suspect has been caught says Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan, the intense fascination has shifted from âwho?â to âwhy?â.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Lara Marlowe met Bashar al-Assad twice during his early years as president of Syria. The writer and journalist also interviewed the dictator's father, Hafez, who seized power in the 1970s and groomed Bashar to assume the presidency before his death in 2000. The regime collapsed on the 7th of December after 13 years of civil war, which claimed the lives of at last 560,000 Syrians and made refugees of six million more. Marlowe recounts her interactions with the totalitarian rulers, profiles the dynasty which includes Bashar's British-born wife, Asma, and explains why the their tyrannical regime crumbled so quickly and breathtakingly at the weekend.
Prresented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Four years ago, Sinn FĂ©in changed the landscape of Irish politics by securing the highest share of first preference votes in the 2020 general election and breaking Irelandâs two-party system.
The question among many voters in those weeks before the pandemic hit was not if Mary Lou McDonald would become taoiseach of this country, but when.
Jump forward four years, and the party has emerged from the 2024 general election with 39 seats, just two more than its 2020 haul. Sinn FĂ©in TDs are now facing up to five more years on the Opposition benches, with disappointment and dismay palpable at different levels across the party.
What went wrong for Sinn FĂ©in in the 2024 election, how can they turn things around and what does this all mean for Mary Lou McDonaldâs future at the partyâs helm?
Today, on In the News, after a year of disappointment, whatâs next for Sinn FĂ©in and its leader Mary Lou McDonald?
Irish Times political correspondent Jennifer Bray discusses what lies ahead for the party.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon
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Veteran republican Marian Price has initiated legal action against streaming giant Disney+ over the TV series Say Nothing, based on a book of the same name by Patrick Radden Keefe, which her lawyers say depicted her as being involved in the murder of Belfast woman Jean McConville.
Lawyers for Price, who was jailed for her part in the IRAâs London bombing campaign of 1973, said the allegation was ânot based on a single iota of evidenceâ.
On today's podcast we replay an interview with Patrick Radden Keefe, recorded when Say Nothing was published in 2018.
Radden Keefe explains how he reached his conclusion that Marian Price was centrally involved in McConville's killing, along with her sister Dolours Price.
The Disney dramatisation of Say Nothing has brought the stories of the Price sisters and Jean McConville to a new global audience. "Such allegations published on an international scale are not only unjustified, but they are odious insofar as they seek to cause our client immeasurable harm in exchange for greater streaming success. Our client has now been forced to initiate legal proceedings to hold Disney to account for their actions", Prices lawyers said.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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When a taxi driver told Irish Times economics correspondent Eoin Burke-Kennedy that there was a ghost train station under Terminal 1 in Dublin Airport he was intrigued. The architects who designed the terminal in the late 1960s were smart enough to future-proof it â to incorporate into their plan a vast underground train station because, surely it wouldnât be long before a metro would connect the airport with the city centre. Their thinking was right â but they didnât reckon with Irelandâs sluggish planning system and an endemic failure to plan and build. Area 14 is a metaphor for so much that is wrong with Irelandâs approach to key infrastructure projects, from housing to energy supply, transport to health.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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