In The News

Alleged war crimes in Ukraine have shocked Europe and the world. But as war drags on, can the EU react strongly and maintain a united response to Russia's invasion?Meanwhile in Budapest the EU leader closest to Putin, prime minister Viktor Orban, has won reelection. But Hungary's isolation within the EU is growing.Naomi O'Leary is Europe correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian diplomats have been expelled from Ireland in the past, but the move to send four of them back to Moscow last week as a signal to the Kremlin of Ireland’s condemnation of the war in Ukraine, marks a low-point in relations between the two countries. The controversial Russian embassy on Dublin’s Orwell Road has come under a renewed spotlight since the war began, but it has been suspected of being a front for intelligence gathering since the Cold War. The Irish Times crime correspondent Conor Gallagher talks to Conor Pope about the origins of that suspicion and the likelihood that the Kremlin could run a spy network out of Ireland.Produced by Jennifer Ryan and Aideen Finneganwww.irishtimes.com/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After more than two years advising the Government on the coronavirus pandemic, the National Public Health Emergency Team for Covid-19 (Nphet) finally disbanded in February of this year. But as Ireland grapples another wave of the Omicron variant, was it the right time to go? Irish Times political reporter and co-author of Pandemonium, an upcoming book on the Irish pandemic Jack Horgan Jones speaks to Conor Pope about the legacy of Nphet and what will eventually replace it.Produced by Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Multi-level marketing companies, or MLMs, have grown in popularity across the UK and Ireland in recent years, particularly during the pandemic when online companies wooed people with the promise of big money and work-from-home flexibility. They’re touted as one way tickets to financial success, but in reality many recruits end up working for free.Irish Times reporters Jessica Doyle and Adesewa Awobadejo speak to Sorcha Pollak about their investigation into MLMs in Ireland. One of the women they spoke to, Karina O'Dowd, describes the year she spent working for one of these companies.Produced by Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunday April 3rd will be a big day for Ireland. It’s the day when every household in the country will complete the census, answering questions about who they are, what they do and what they believe in. So what insight does it give us into modern Ireland and how is the information used to plan for the future? Conor Pope speaks to Eileen Murphy, head of census administration at the Central Statistics Office and Kevin Cunningham, statistician and lecturer at TU Dublin. Produced by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why has Mariupol, a major port city in the south east of Ukraine, become the focal point of Putin's war? In today's episode, Lara Marlowe describes the devastation faced by the people of Mariupol over the last four weeks, while Dr Christian Kaunert, Professor of International Security at Dublin City University, explains what Russia stands to gain by capturing the city. Hosted by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Jennifer Ryan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A second wave of Omicron is hitting the country like a tsunami and hospital case numbers are on the rise. The Government is reluctant to re-introduce restrictions or mandatory mask wearing, so what options remain? In today’s episode Dr Gerald Barry, Assistant Professor of Virology at UCD, speaks to Conor Pope about this fresh wave of Omicron and what ‘living with the virus’ will really mean for people in the weeks and months ahead. Produced by Jennifer Ryan and Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over half a million cold calls have been made to random phone numbers in Russia in recent days, as part of an international campaign to bypass Putin’s propaganda. The people making these calls want to inform Russians about the real atrocities of the war, in an attempt to spur them into action. In today’s episode, Conor Pope speaks to one of the developers behind the Call Russia campaign, Irish-based Ukrainian Anton Krazun. We also hear from Joanna Szostek, a lecturer in political communication in Glasgow University, who has been monitoring the output coming from state run media in Russia.You can find out more at CallRussia.org/engProduced by Suzanne Brennan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's three weeks since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, expecting to fight a short war that he would win. While that hasn’t happened, people in besieged cities like Mariupol are suffering terribly under intense daily bombardment by Russian forces. Daniel McLaughlin and Lara Marlowe are reporting for The Irish Times from the western city of Lviv, which has not seen any fighting so far. They speak to Sorcha Pollak about life on the ground in Ukraine, the people they’ve met since the war began and why it’s still not clear how this will end.Produced by Jennifer Ryanwww.irishtimes.com/podcasts  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate scientists are warning that the Amazon rainforest may be nearing a tipping point of “dieback”, the point where it dries out and turns to savannah. If it’s reached, it will have consequences across the planet.Sorcha Pollak talks to one of the scientists behind the research, Dr Chris Boulton of University of Exeter, about what they’ve learned. Irish Times South American correspondent, Tom Hennigan, reports on how Brazil’s policy failures are accelerating the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.Produced by Jennifer Ryan, Suzanne Brennan and Aideen Finnegan.www.irishtimes.com/podcasts  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.