In The News

Dennis Hutchings was buried on Thursday in Devon with full military honours and applause.The 80 year old died in Belfast after contracting Covid-19 while he was in the city to face trial for the shooting of John Pat Cunningham in 1974.Mr Cunningham, who was 27, was a vulnerable adult with learning difficulties who was afraid of soldiers.Mr Hutchings has become a figurehead for the campaign backing the UK government’s controversial proposals to introduce a statute of limitations for Troubles-era crimes.But in that debate John Pat Cunningham's name has largely been forgotten, according to his nephew Charlie Agnew.On today's podcast, Charlie tells Conor Pope that his uncle John Pat was the only real victim in this decades-old tragedy.And Freya McClements explains the story and how the issue of prosecuting veterans has become a toxic issue in Northern Ireland and in British politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, former All Black Carl Hayman revealed a diagnosis of early onset dementia at just 41 years of age. Hayman has also joined a long list of former players taking legal action against rugby’s governing bodies, claiming they failed to protect players from the risks caused by concussions and sub-concussions. In today’s episode, former Welsh back-rower Alix Popham speaks to host Sorcha Pollak about his recent dementia diagnosis and the Head for Change initiative which was set up to help other ex players navigating a brain injury. Irish Times sports writer Johnny Watterson speaks about the impending legal action and whether the changes made to this high impact sport, go far enough.Produced by Declan Conlon, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan.Opening music by Hugh Rodgers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The finishing line of this pandemic has been cruelly pushed back again and again. Vaccines have diminished the threat posed by Covid-19 but we're still a long way from normal. Now, with cases as high as ever, there are still a few levers left to pull to get the virus under control. Simon Carswell asked immunologists Professor Kingston Mills and Professor Christine Loscher about booster doses, updated vaccines and anti-viral drugs - and about how they see the pandemic ending. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Friday in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, a fire in the busy neighbourhood of Wellington killed scores and injured many more. The fire was caused by a leak from a fuel tanker and many people had been drawn to danger to collect the precious fuel to resell or power their vehicles.From Freetown, Sally Hayden reports on what happened on Friday and since, the obvious link between poverty and the unnecessary deaths, and how Sierra Leoneans are weary of always being a bad news story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could Ireland's most notorious murderer Graham Dwyer win a retrial, or even walk free? Dwyer, who was convicted of the murder of Elaine O'Hara in 2015, reportedly believes so. In the years since Dwyer was handed a life sentence, court rulings on the legality of key evidence used against him - mobile phone metadata - have given him hope. On today's podcast, crime correspondent Conor Gallagher talks to Sorcha Pollak about the Dwyer case and his appeal. First they look back on the case and the mountain of evidence, including the mobile phone metadata, that was used to convict Dwyer. Then they go through the legal arguments at the heart of Dwyer's appeal to understand whether he has a chance of winning. Warning: this podcast contains some graphic descriptions of abuse and violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a country halve its greenhouse gas emissions in just nine years? The new Climate Action Plan is the Irish government's answer to that question. The proposals within it, if implemented, will radically change life in the country. So what's in it, who will it affect the most and does it go far enough? Jennifer Ryan talks to Jennifer Bray, political correspondent with The Irish Times and Dr Hannah Daly, lecturer in sustainable energy at University College Cork. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A squat eviction, protests over plans to redevelop the site at the Cobblestone pub and the announcements of closures of the Science Gallery and a much-loved independent bookshop. These individual events, which took place in Dublin last week, may not seem related. But for many people, they symbolise what is seen as the degradation of culture and the character of the capital city. Sorcha Pollak talks to Irish Times columnist Una Mullally and Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly about the changing face of Dublin.Produced by: Declan Conlon, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne BrennanOpening music by Hugh Rodgerswww.irishtimes.com/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just over 25 years ago, the Criminal Assets Bureau was established in the wake of the killings of Detective Jerry McCabe and journalist Veronica Guerin. The murders shocked the nation and served as a wakeup call to the authorities that they were losing the fight against gangland figures and paramilitary groups. Over the years, the Criminal Assets Bureau has seized almost €200million in the proceeds of crime, forcing many to move abroad to keep hold of their cash. Today, Conor Pope speaks to Crime editor Conor Lally about the impact of Cab on the Irish criminal landscape.Produced by Declan Conlon, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan.Opening music by Hugh Rodgers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the European Union’s Court of Justice ordered Poland to pay a one million euro daily fine, believed to be the biggest penalty imposed by the EU, on one of it's own member states. Sorcha Pollak speaks to Berlin correspondent Derek Scally about the controversial judicial reforms which have led to this latest sanction .Produced by Declan Conlon, Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan. Opening music by Hugh Rodgers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday, just days before world leaders and policy makers descended upon Glasgow for the crucial Cop26 climate talks, UN secretary-general Antonia Guterres stated clearly that the climate crisis has reached “code red for humanity”“There is only one path forward,” he said. “A 1.5 degree future is the only liveable future for humanity. I urge leaders to get on with the job, before it’s too late.”On Sunday October 31st, representatives from almost every country in the world will gather in Scotland for the United Nations Climate Change conference. But after so many climate conferences have failed, why should we believe this time will be different?And here in Ireland, how committed is our Government when it comes to playing its part in avoiding global climate catastrophe?In the final episode of In The News' four-part climate change series, presenter Sorcha Pollak speaks to Sadhbh O'Neill, one of Ireland's leading experts on climate action, and Irish Times environment and science editor Kevin O'Sullivan about what will happen in Glasgow, how seriously world leaders are treating this problem and what steps are needed straight away to save our planet from total climate disaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.