The Explainer

Radio Free Europe's Moscow correspondent Matthew Luxmoore joins us on this week's episode to examine Belarus and the hold of 'Europe's last dictator' on the country. We look at who Alexander Lukashenko is as well as the background to recent high-profile incidents like the grounding of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the mysterious death of an opposition activist in Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and former editor of The Observer Magazine Ruaridh Nicoll joins us from Havana to examine what sparked recent widespread protests in Cuba. He shares what life is like on the island right now, how we likely haven't seen the end of the protests, as well as what exactly the people of Cuba want. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Blevins, senior Ireland correspondent with Sky News, joins us on this week's episode to examine proposals to ban prosecutions for killings that took place during the Troubles - what's the exact aim, what do the families of victims want instead, and how has it caused some rare unity among parties in Northern Ireland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel writer Eoghan Corry and our producer Nicky Ryan look ahead to holidays in 2021 - how will the Digital Covid Certificate work, will I have to quarantine, and what is it actually like to holiday in other EU countries right now? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our senior reporter Michelle Hennessy joins us to delve into the mica scandal. What exactly is it, how has it impacted the homes - and lives - of those affected, and what are the issues with the support available? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our reporter Gráinne Ní Aodha sets us straight on everything to do with the new National Maternity Hospital - why is the hospital moving, who will be in control of it, and what are the top clinicians saying? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TCD virus expert Dr Kim Roberts and our senior reporter Michelle Hennessy join us to explain just how much more contagious the Delta variant of the coronavirus is, what the latest data on vaccine efficacy tells us, and why it appears to be a matter of time before it becomes the dominant variant of the virus in Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BBC Radio Foyle's Dominic McGrath and our own Gráinne Ní Aodha join us to discuss the latest Brexit spat and why it's being dubbed a sausage trade war. How could it be resolved, what is the fallout going to be, and why does it come at such a bad time for Northern Irish politics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renowned archivist Catriona Crowe and our reporter Órla Ryan join us to discuss the latest controversy over the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes - what problems are becoming apparent with the report, what did one of its authors say to anger survivors in their first public comments, and what can the government do next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the latest instalment of The Good Information Project we are joined by Clifford Coonan to talk about claims of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.