In The News

Bomb threats against Irish media organisations earlier today were just the latest in a series of disruptive acts targeting European citizens in the past fortnight. Could these acts be connected and who could be behind them? Bernice Harrison talks to UCD's Edward Burke.

Dr Edward Burke is a military and security expert at UCD, where he is assistant professor in the history of war.
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Since the Garda raid on the Liberty Recycling charity on October 20th, Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s name has been in the news.

Luxury goods to the value €300,000 were seized by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau at locations associated with the successful social enterprise as part of an extensive investigation into alleged money laundering.

The Sinn Féin TD is a decades-long board member of the charity and is its current chair. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his behalf and the Dublin TD is not under criminal investigation.

On Monday, Ó Snodaigh wrote to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy to request to make a statement on the matter in the Dáil. That was refused and instead he released a statement.

What did it say? What is the reference to a forged signature in that statement? What is his role in the charity and how is his board performance, which stretches back 20 years, viewed by the Charities Regulator?

Irish Times political correspondent Harry McGee outlines Ó Snodaigh’s career and his relationship with Liberty Recycling.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
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In July 2025 Abdullah Khan, a self-described jihadist, carried out two attacks in Dublin, both were captured on camera.

A follower of Isis, the radical Islamic terrorist group, Khan attacked two gardaí on patrol on Capel Street because, it is believed, they are a symbol of the State.

Taken into custody he also confessed to an arson attack some days earlier on Conor McGregor’s Black Forge pub in Crumlin.

He plead guilty to both and this week for sentencing. He was jailed for 6½ years.

What do we know about Abdullah Khan? How was the Irish-born young man radicalised? Isis militants often operate within wider networks or cells, so do gardaí believe Khan acted alone? What was the reaction to the sentence?

Courts reporter Eoin Reynolds was there for Khan’s sentencing and he outlines the case.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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Democrats have swept key US midterm races, flipping long-held Republican seats and securing a majority in the House and Senate. The results are a wipeout for president Donald Trump’s Republican party and a rejection of his policies.

As formally red states fell to the Democrats, it’s been called a blue wave or a “bluenami” but what will it mean for how the US is governed in the next two years? How will
US foreign policy be impacted? And what might it mean for the next presidential election?

Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at UCD’s Clinton Institute, explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
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On Monday, hackers launched a cyberattack on SuperValu stores, remotely changing the temperature settings in fridges and freezer units in 13 branches.

The immediate result was the mass dumping of tens of thousands of euro worth of food as the retailer sought to protect the public from potentially spoiled goods.
The broader impact – and one that will prove longer lasting – is the knowledge that no one is immune. With what seems like relatively little effort, hackers can hit us where we are most vulnerable: our food supplies.

The hack appears limited to a specific model of fridge but it is part of a growing, terrifying pattern. Reports of similar incidents at supermarkets throughout Europe emerged on Monday, with overheating fridges in Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia ruining millions of euro worth of food.

A hack on some French supermarkets took place last month and in the US in August the Pentagon believe hackers shut down fridges in six US military bases.
So who are the hackers? And why target supermarket shelves? And in a world of appliance connectivity how worried should people be that the next hack could be even closer to home?

Irish Times business and technology reporter Ciara O’Brien and business reporter Ian Curran explain.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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