In The News

As World Cup 2026 kicks off, Gianni Infantino’s grip on international football is total.

Infantino was brought in to clean up Fifa’s image after the murky Sepp Blatter years, to restore transparency and boost the game globally.

But if Fifa thought it was getting a self-effacing, legally trained bureaucrat who would stay in the background, it was very wrong. Now after 10 years at the helm, he is Fifa.

So how has he dealt with the many complex controversies surrounding the tournament? Why is it the biggest ever World Cup, spread over three countries? How can he be a friend to all, at all times, from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin? And how long will Infantino stay president of world football?

Irish Times sports correspondent Gavin Cooney discusses his rise to the top of the international game.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
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Jeffrey Donaldson took the stand in Newry Crown Court on Thursday at his trial on charges of historical child sex abuse.

It was the 13th day of the trial, and he was questioned by the defence barrister about the specific allegations made by the two complainants.

The former DUP leader told the jury that he does not accept any allegations that he sexually abused two women while they were children. He did admit infidelity; that he had had an affair with a woman in London nearly 20 years ago. That was in the morning.

Then in the afternoon the prosecution began its cross-examination, and that will continue on Friday and perhaps into next week.

So what did he say when the 18 charges were put to him? And what next for this trial?

Irish Times Northern eEditor Freya McClements was in court for Donaldson’s testimony.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
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Abusers convicted of serious domestic violence will have their names included on a publicly available register under a new law designed to allow those with concerns to check whether their partner has a violent past.

The proposed legislation will be known as Jennie’s Law in honour of Jennifer Poole, a 24-year-old mother of two who was murdered by her former partner Gavin Murphy in 2021. Poole did not know he had a history of abusive behaviour, including a conviction for assaulting a former partner.

The Poole family believe that had Jennifer known about Murphy’s previous convictions she might still be alive. They have campaigned for the new register since her murder.

So how will it work? What offences will be covered? What information will be on the register? And are there any unintended consequences for such a register – particularly for victims?

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The event that sparked the racist riots in Belfast on Tuesday evening happened on Monday night in the north of the city.

A Sudanese man, named in court as Hadi Alodid, is alleged to have brutally assaulted Stephen Ogilvie in a street knife attack that was filmed by a bystander.

Ogilvie lost an eye and is in hospital with other serious injuries.

The 30-year-old Alodid has now been charged with knife crimes and attempted murder and is remanded in custody for four weeks. So how extensive was the damage in the city? What role did anti-immigrant agitators, including from outside Ireland, play in the riots? What has been the official response? And is the city set for more nights of rioting?

Irish Times audio producer Andrew McNair lives in Belfast and saw first-hand the damage caused by the rioters.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
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The 24-year sentence handed down to Sean McGovern in the Special Criminal Court prompted gasps in the packed courtroom.

It will also have sent shock waves through organised crime in Ireland and all the way to the Dubai prison where Daniel Kinahan is awaiting extradition back to Ireland and an appointment in the same court.
McGovern was a senior Kinahan cartel figure, formerly based in Dubai before his extradition in 2024, and his jail term is among the longest gangland prison terms.

He was convicted of directing the murder of Noel Kirwan and the attempted murder of James “Mago” Gately. The evidence against him – including incriminating conversations with other gang members on phones they believed to be deeply encrypted – prompted his guilty plea.

So how did the judge explain the 24-year sentence? And what does this mean for the Kinahan cartel? Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains.
Also last month, Lally came into the In the News studio and, in the episode “Nobody is Stopping Until They Are All Dead”, explained the background to this case and how the Garda built their evidence through a mixture of sophisticated data mining and old-style policing.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan, with research by Ellen Clusker.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.