The Hard Shoulder

The 2034 World Cup has been confirmed for Saudi Arabia - and alcohol is planned to be prohibited then.Would this ban be an overall benefit? Or just put fans off going?Former Ireland International, Stephen Hunt and Editor of Cork Beo, Joe O’Shea join Kieran to discuss.

Hamas has today said that they will release more hostages as planned by the deadline.This comes on the heels of the news of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he said they had "agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately…"Are the current movements a sign that Trump’s tactics are getting things done?Daniel Levy is President of the U.S./Middle East Project and former Israeli Peace Negotiator, he joins Kieran to discuss.

With another weightless drug set to come to Irish pharmacies in March - Kieran is joined by two people who have experience with prescription drugs…Belinda Hogan From GLP-1 Insights on Instagram and co-host of The Dose podcast and Paddy Cunningham, other host and content creator join to discuss.Image: Reuters

US President Donald Trump has announced that he has had “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Vladimir Putin and agreed to work “closely” to possibly see a diplomatic end to the war. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also announced that he has had a similar call with Trump.Jason Corcoran, Journalist and Russia Analyst joins Kieran to discuss and give the latest updates.

Life can be full of confusing things, but no need to worry! Every Wednesday, Simon Tierney will be showing you ‘How to do Stuff’ - bringing his best tips for those things you might not think about.This week, Simon joins Kieran to give advice on blowing your nose properly!

Newstalk Reporter Sarah Madden brought in a report earlier around the ethics of surrogacy – a debate that has re-ignited after actress Lily Phillips welcomed her first baby through surrogacy.So, where is Ireland at with it, and is the practice ethical?Joining Kieran to discuss is Annette Hickey, Solicitor specialising in surrogacy and Sandra Adams, advocate for women's sex based rights who recently ran as an Independent Seanad Candidate on the NUI panel.

Cyclone is the first Irish gladiator to be on the long-running BBC show Gladiators, which has had a recent revival.Cyclone joins Kieran to talk about what the process was like to join the show - and discuss her experience so far!Image: BBC

For this week’s Tech Takeover, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly joined Kieran to discuss Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with US President Donald Trump - and the controversy about what work is being done.Image: Reuters

Today, the DPP confirmed they will appeal the six-and-a-half-year concurrent sentence imposed on Kieran Fogarty for the murder of student journalist Joe Drennan, who was killed in a hit and run.The family of Joe have been protesting against the sentence, and Sarah, Joe’s sister, joins Kieran to discuss.

According to a City Council Chief, some inner-city Dubliners have no sense of pride, and dump their waste daily in the street.Henry McKean has been investigating, and joins Kieran to discuss.