In The News

The results of Census 2022 are here. As usual it’s a mine of information, with figures detailing the state we’re in, from our religious affiliations to how many people smoke, how we get to work and the average age. Ronan McGreevy talks us through the headline figures , with vox pops from Catherine Mellett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lara Marlowe spoke to Bernard Phelan, the Irish man who recently left Iran after being released from over six months in prison. He told her about life in a Tehran jail - with bad food, freezing cold temperatures and a dark atmosphere as beatings and executions took place. He also told her about the dramatic day of his release. Lara shares the story with Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Lawlor was just 17 months old when her parents Maureen and Francis died in the fire at Stardust Ballroom in the early hours of Valentines Day 1981. Orphaned by the tragedy, she has been known throughout her life as the ‘Stardust baby’. In this episode, Lisa talks to Bernice Harrison about the anguish of losing her family and her 42-year search for answers. We also hear from Social Affairs Correspondent Kitty Holland, who has been attending the inquests in Dublin each day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do teenagers today have it tougher than previous generations? In terms of how well they can develop emotionally and socially, the answer is yes, says Dr Colman Noctor, a psychotherapist who works with adolescents. He tells Irish Times journalist Jen Hogan about how the pandemic years have robbed young people of crucial opportunities for social development, driving them instead into the online world - where many pitfalls await.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are currently searching a reservoir in Portugal, 50km away from the holiday resort where the toddler went missing in 2007. It is believed the area was visited by chief suspect Christian Brückner around the same time that Madeleine disappeared. But who is Christian Brückner, what is his criminal history and how exactly has he become linked to the McCann case? Berlin correspondent for The Irish Times, Derek Scally, brings us the details.This episode was originally published in October 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has hit Facebook owner Meta Ireland with a fine of €1.2 billion – the largest such fine to date under GDPR rules - for its unlawful transferring of user data from the EU to the US. But the DPC didn't want to levy a fine at all - its hand was forced by European counterparts. How did it come to this? To find out Bernice Harrison talks to technology reporter Ciara O'Brien. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was recently announced that Trinity College Dublin will 'dename' its Berkeley Library, because of the links to slavery of its current namesake, the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley.The news has sparked renewed debate about when it is right to change the historic name of a building or institution, with Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole arguing, for example, that the dozen or so GAA clubs named after 19th century Irish nationalist John Mitchel rename themselves, also due to Mitchel's support for slavery and his trenchant racism.But once we start renaming things, how far should we go? When is it necessary and when is it simply impractical? And why was John Mitchel such a racist, anyway?Fintan O'Toole talks to Bernice Harrison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the small townland of Inch, Co Clare, locals have blockaded the entrance to the former Magowna House Hotel, where 34 asylum seekers were sent on Monday. Protestors say they weren't consulted and the location just isn’t suitable. However, critics of the blockade say the alternative for the 34 men is homelessness. In this episode, we hear from Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland, who paid a visit to the small community this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The headline on the New York Times interview with the one-time darling of Silicon Valley, now convicted fraudster, said it all: “Liz Holmes Wants You to Forget About Elizabeth.”Writer Amy Chozick met Elizabeth Holmes, the former media darling, in San Diego where she now lives. Gone is the uniform of black polonecks, driven ambition, the austere manner and weirdly deep voice – done to ape her hero Steve Jobs – instead “Liz” presented as a thirtysomething, cool west coast mom of two, hanging out, going to the zoo, talking about her dog and Burning Man.But the convicted Theranos founder is awaiting prison – she has been sentenced to 11 years having been found guilty of defrauding investors out of more than $100 million in her blood-testing start-up. She was set to go to prison in April but she has appealed.Her invention at age 19 when she dropped out of Stanford – a blood test from a finger prick that could diagnose hundreds of conditions including cancers – never came close to working despite her many promises, and the millions of dollars investors poured into the company.Since the interview was published – Holmes’ first in seven years – it has sparked controversy with sceptics on social media suggesting that the New York Times fell for the fraudster’s new image, that it facilitated her carefully planned rehabilitation effort. Not so, Chozick tells In the News, who explains how the interview came about, and that rehabilitation was far from the former tech whizz kid’s mind as she faces jail time. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On May 22nd, 2019 Oisín Osborn was shot dead in Hamburg in his own home by German police, 10 days after he had become a father.On that fateful morning, his schoolteacher wife Nicole had called the police saying her husband had a knife, and within minutes armed police officers in protective gear burst into their home, raced up the stairs and shot the 34-year-old man dead on the landing. Osborn, who was an engineer at Airbus, was clearly in mental distress – he was standing at the top of the stairs, wearing only a loincloth, with a saucepan on his head. He was shot six times.Did the police use excessive force? The police investigation has judged the event as self-defence. The family say they still have so many unanswered questions. Irish Times journalist Derek Scally has been following the story since that day, and following Osborn’s parents as they try to find answers. He explains the background and the questions it poses for policing in Germany. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.