In The News

In the last week in June a boat set sail from The Gambia heading for the Canary Islands. On board were an estimated 200 people, made up mostly of men of all ages as well as about 20 women and five children.

Within weeks, only 36 would be alive; the rest killed by starvation and thirst as the engine failed and the boat got lost on the Atlantic migration route, now regarded as the deadliest in the world.

As the days went on, bodies were thrown overboard and tension rose between the remaining desperate travellers who had paid traffickers to take them from impoverishment in west Africa to what they hoped would be a better life in Europe.

A fishing boat found the distressed vessel in July, alerted authorities and the survivors were given medical attention in Mauritania before being returned home.

It is estimated that since 2022 more than 20,000 people have died on this route.

Sally Hayden, Irish Times reporter who specialises in migration, travelled to The Gambia and spoke to two of the survivors Alhagie Ngie (27) and Mustapha Secka (29) who gave eyewitness accounts.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Sally Hayden’s reporting was supported by the Simon Cumbers Media Fund
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This episode was originally published in June 2026.

When Carlos Barragán discovered his mother was the victim of romance fraud, he flew to Lagos to find the con man – and found the Yahoo Boys, young men whose job it is to rip off westerners. The name comes from the old email platform, first used by the Nigerian scammers decades ago.

His mother, Silvia, had fallen in love online with flirtatious, sincere, handsome Brian; she bought rings, planned a future and was convinced that they would one day live together – when he was free to travel to Spain.

Her sons though, suspected something sinister was afoot, especially when “Brian” started to make financial demands.

Over the course of three years Carlos, a journalist, visited Nigeria multiple times to see the Yahoo Boys in action and to try to understand why this particularly cruel, exploitative form of online fraud has become such an earner for so many young men in Lagos. He also discovered a romance scam involving an Irish woman.

His compelling book, The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos by Carlos Barragán is published this week.

He talks about the experience on In the News.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
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Every year, more than 10 million motorists drive through Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Almost all are breaking the speed limit.

All of the park’s attractions, including Dublin Zoo, the People’s Gardens, the Ashtown Castle Visitor Centre, Farmleigh House and almost 2,300 parking spaces, are accessed from Chesterfield Avenue, the main road that bisects the park. Yet there is no dedicated way for pedestrians to cross this 4km-long road.

And even if there were, crossing might still be perilous, as more than 95 per cent of motorists exceed the speed limit. And despite the addition of cycle lanes on some of the park’s roads, poor design and maintenance render many unfit for purpose.

It’s a problem that has been recognised for years, so why haven’t speeding motorists been stopped? And how Dublin’s biggest park become a commuter rat run?

Olivia Kelly, Irish Times Dublin editor and daily park user, explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair.
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By the time the final episode of The Traitors Ireland was aired last September, the nation was gripped.

The RTÉ version of the gameshow was a hit with nearly three quarters of a million people tuning in to see a trio of “Faithfuls”, Oyin, Vanessa and Kelly bag the prize.
It’s been quite the year for Vanessa Ogbonna and Oyin Adeyemi.

They came into the In the News studio to talk about their time in the castle under the watchful eye of Siobhán McSweeney; how they won and what the spent the prize on; how they dealt with social media trolls, and their fun new podcast, Oya C’mere.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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Swiss media have compared what happened to Irish teenager Paula and her mother, Iwona, to the Pelicot case in France.

Prosecutors allege that Patrick Frei, 57, drugged and raped both Paula, then aged 14, and her mother, Iwona while they were living with him in the Swiss town of Untersiggenthal. It is also alleged that he filmed the assaults.

Paula and Iwona had moved from their home in Sligo in 2022 to live with Frei, a high-profile right-wing politician, a year after Iwona and Frei had begun a long-distance relationship.

So how did the case come to light and when did the alleged abuse begin? How did police build their case? And why did Swiss authorities move to deport Paula and Iwona while the investigation was under way?

Frei is due to stand trial in February 2027. His lawyer says he “disputes substantial parts of the allegations and, in particular, the legal characterisation of several of the charges”.

Conor Gallagher of The Irish Times investigations team travelled to Switzerland to speak with Paula and her mother, Iwona.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

Support services: Freephone 24-Hour DRCC National Helpline, 1800 77 8888; One in Four, 01-662 4070
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