In The News

Sally Hayden reports on her visit to south Lebanon, where weeks of war between Israel and the Iran-linked paramilitary organisation Hizbullah have left a trail of destruction. Thousands were killed or injured in strikes. Buildings and entire villages have been left in ruins and an exclusion zone established by the Israeli military has left up to one million people permanently displaced, many of them now homeless.

Meanwhile a week-old ceasefire has been extended for another three weeks, with further meetings due to be held between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. But can the ceasefire hold? The Lebanese government is in a precarious position as it seeks to rein in Hizbullah without being seen to take too weak a line with Israel - who increasing numbers of Lebanese citizens hold responsible for the scale of the destruction.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former British prince Andrew fell further from grace in February with his arrest as part of an investigation into whether he abused power by sharing confidential information with his friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Up to then, the scrutiny of Andrew's relationship with the notorious Epstein focussed on allegations of sexual exploitation. But this affair shifted the focus onto Andrew's conduct while working as a trade envoy for Britain. In that time he travelled the world at British taxpayers expense, promoting British business but also making plenty of connections that he would use to his own advantage.

So what did Andrew get up to in those years? And how much did his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, and his brother King Charles know about the way he was behaving and the people he was associating with? The answers could determine the future of the Royal Family.

In this episode of In the News from February Bernice Harrison talked to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled, a biography of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan, the leader of the Kinahan cartel and a member of the “super cartel” that runs about a third of the European cocaine market, was arrested last week in Dubai, where he has lived openly for years.

In today’s episode Irish Times Crime Editor Conor Lally talks about the significance of this arrest, what charges Kinahan will face and what this means for the future of the cartel.

Presented by Conor Pope. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the United States is a moment Keir Starmer will rue.

On Monday, he faced MPs in the UK Parliament to explain what he knew about the vetting process, which it has been revealed Mandelson failed.

Starmer says he knew nothing about it and has sacked the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office over what he says was the failure to inform him.

Mandelson resigned as Ambassador following revelations about his links to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations he had shared sensitive documents with the billionaire.

If he wasn’t told, how could Starmer have failed to check Mandelson’s vetting properly? And as many politicians in Britain are demanding to know, why didn’t he ask?

Irish Times London Correspondent Mark Paul explains.

Presented by Mark Hennessy. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The amount of cannabis being smuggled into Ireland has risen significantly in recent years, with most of the product for sale now coming from the United States.

So why have drug gangs here turned to overseas product and why from the US?

In today’s episode, Irish Times Crime and Security correspondent Conor Lally explains how drug gangs attempt to get cannabis into the country - and how they are caught.

Presented by Bernice Harrison, produced by Suzanne Brennan.

This episode was originally published in January 2026.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.