In The News

Ross O'Carroll Kelly creator, Paul Howard, decided to get a basset hound because Columbo - the iconic tv detective - had one. It's definitely not the soundest of decisions on which to embark on dog ownership, but Humphrey went on to become Howard's constant companion for the next 13 years. His death in May hit the writer hard. He's experienced bereavement many times but losing Humphrey was different, leaving him to wonder how long you're allowed to grieve an animal. Since publishing a tribute to his comical canine in The Irish Times, there's been an outpouring of sympathy with many owners sharing their experience of pet grief. In this episode, Paul Howard chats fondly about his stubborn, loveable, "bendy-bus of a dog."Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast discusses the dire consequences of the civil war in Sudan, the challenges faced by migrants seeking refuge in Europe, and the lack of media coverage on the humanitarian crisis. It sheds light on the uncertain future of Sudan and the efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country.

The new transport plan for Dublin is due to be implemented in August. It aims to stop drivers using the city centre as a rat-run to get to other destinations. Even though it was agreed last April by Dublin City Council after lengthy consultation, last minute changes have been made to certain elements of the plan and there are now calls to delay its introduction. On Monday, a protest was held outside Dublin City Hall calling on the council to bring in the plan on time and as agreed .   So why has opposition emerged now? Who is objecting and who will win?  Dublin editor Olivia Kelly has followed the twists and turns in what should have been a simple plan to ease congestion in the capital.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday evening, France witnessed one of the biggest surprises in the country’s electoral history when the recently formed left-wing alliance won the highest number of seats in the election, dealing a surprise blow to Marine Le Pen’s far right National Rally.The shock result followed a week of tactical voting to hold back a surge in support for the anti-immigrant National Rally, led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella under the wing of Le Pen.Le Pen’s party had come out on top in last week’s first round of electoral voting and appeared on track to secure the largest number of seats in parliament, if not an outright majority However, it was the leftist New Popular Front who emerged as the dominant force in the second round of legislative electoral voting.But with the French parliament now split into three blocks and the leftist New Popular Front falling far short of the majority it needs to lead the government, the future of French politics is shrouded in confusion and uncertainty.Irish Times Europe correspondent Jack Power joins the podcast to discuss the implications of the French legislative election results.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s In the News podcast we look at a new report that reveals the shocking health problems affecting children who spend years spent living in emergency accommodation. In May there were 4,316 homeless children in the State, living in a range of emergency accommodation types, from B&Bs to family hubs, often in overcrowded conditions – an entire family sharing one small room, for example – or without adequate cooking facilities.At the Lynn Clinic in Temple Street children’s hospital in Dublin, Dr Aoibheann Walsh is seeing malnutrition effects more common in developing countries, such as rickets, anaemia, faltering growth and extreme tooth-decay, and skin “infestations” like scabies.Kitty Holland, Irish Times social affairs correspondent, has visited the clinic and talked to some parents about the reality of child homelessness and the devastating impact on a growing group of children.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Security guard Gavin Plumb hatched an online plot to kidnap, rape and murder British TV personality Holly Willoughby. Yesterday he was found guilty of all charges.His vile plans and years of obsession were uncovered when he tried to recruit a “crew” to help him. One was an Irish man called “Mark” - the other was an American policeman who saw in a dark chatroom what Plumb was writing online and considered him to be so dangerous - even though he had never heard of Willoughby - that he adopted a pseudonym so he could draw Plumb out. His clever ruse worked, leading to the FBI contacting the British police.Plumb (37) was arrested last October and at his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court over the past two weeks he faced charges of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap. He denied the charges, saying it was all just a fantasy. The jury disagreed. Ellis Whitehouse, a reporter with Essex Live, attended the trial and he tells In the News how the troubling case unfolded.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced that five more countries have been added to the list of safe countries. They are Egypt, Morocco, India, Brazil and Malawi, and their addition has implications for anyone coming from there to Ireland seeking asylum. There are already 10 countries on that list – and it’s a list that has changed and grown over recent years.So why these countries, and why now? And what does ‘safe’ mean in the context of the International Protection process?Sorcha Pollak has been looking into what this means for new arrivals and for Ireland’s system of assessing refuge applications.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a big week in US politics with Donald Trump's partial legal victory in the Supreme Court and Joe Biden's disastrous head-to-head debate with his predecessor. A debate that went so badly, Democrats have openly called for him to be replaced by a younger candidate with just 5 months to go before the election. Meanwhile Trump is highly unlikely to face trial over allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court has ruled that any president in the White House should not be held liable for any crime they may have committed in the course of their official duties. The liberal minority of judges could barely hide their contempt for their fellow justices with one declaring "with fears for our democracy, I dissent." Irish Times Washington correspondent, Keith Duggan, breaks down the ruling and analyses the likelihood of Biden withdrawing from the race.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three weeks ago, French president Emmanuel Macron stunned and bewildered French voters, and his own Government, by calling a snap general election. By Monday morning of this week, it appeared the president’s gamble had backfired.Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally led in the first round of these high stakes elections, taking 33 per cent of the popular vote. It was followed by the leftwing New Popular Front, which secured 28 per cent, while Mr Macron’s ruling centrist Together bloc trailed in third place with just 20 per cent.The clear takeaway from this first round of voting is the National Rally party, currently led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, is now the dominant political force in France.Is Le Pen’s anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic party on course to secure an absolute majority in France’s National Assembly?Or could Mr Macron’s calls for voters to join together and prevent National Rally from taking control change the course of these elections?Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, nearly 5,000 cars were stolen across Ireland – making it the worst year for car thefts in more than a decade.Opportunists and joyriders have always stolen cars but what is new, according to Conor Lally, is the gangs now operating across the country. They typically steal high-value cars, bring them to remote chop shops, break up the cars and export the parts.Lally explains how are they doing it and how owners can keep their cars safe?Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.