In The News

The Geran-2 is a deadly weapon; a drone bomb that can be launched from thousands of kilometres away and yet hit its target with precision accuracy.Low cost and easy to make, this winter it has become a key weapon in Russia’s armoury as it pummels Ukraine, causing hundreds of deaths and cutting off energy supply.And a key component in the Geran-2 design is a chip manufactured years ago by Taoglas, which is headquartered in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.So how did it make its way into Russia’s armament supply chain – especially given EU rules which ban the export to Russia of “high priority” dual-use technology that can have both civilian and military applications.An investigation by The Irish Times in partnership with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and others has revealed that technology from EU companies is making its way into Russia in vast quantities, where it is used in weapons such as the Geran-2.This includes various components manufactured by Taoglas and another Irish-based company, TE Connectivity.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher was part of that investigative consortium and he explains how these drones work and why stopping their manufacture has proven difficult.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

The tip-off that led the Garda to begin a major search for the bodies of Jo Jo Dullard and Deirdre Jacob is likely not new according to crime and security editor Conor Lally. The piece of land on the border of counties Wicklow and Kildare has been in the Garda’s sights for many years but since the disappearance of the young women, missing since the 1990s, are now considered murders, ongoing reviews of the files bring new leads and new thinking on the investigation.News on Monday that gardaí had begun an extensive dig on the land was accompanied by mention of Dullard and Jacob leading to speculation that it had been determined that both young women were the victims of the same murderer.Not so, says Lally, who notes that gardaí suspect Jacob, who disappeared in broad daylight, was killed by convicted rapist Larry Murphy, while Dullard was killed by an unknown male who gave her a lift as she tried to get home.Lally analyses this new phase in the investigation.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

Belfast man James O’Neill, or Jim as he was known, led an unconventional life. He was according to his family a highly intelligent man in his 40s who lived nomadically, sometimes sleeping rough, moving between cities. His body found was found in Dublin’s Phoenix Park in November 2023 but his parents, Paul and Ann O’Neill were not informed of their son’s death until 13 months later. That’s because his body was not identified when he was found or during the postmortem despite the fact that he had nine forms of ID in the pocket of his anorak. So how were they found and why did it take so long to find them? Irish Times columnist Una Mullally talked to his parents about their son and about the questions they want answered by Fiosrú, the Office of the Garda Ombudsman, which is investigating the force’s handling of the puzzling case. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Ultra-processed foods are irresistible – they’re made that way. The food manufacturers that dominate our supermarket shelves are constantly looking for ways to make us buy (and that means eat) more. And to find cheaper ingredients.But isn’t just about everything in our diet, apart from fresh fruit and vegetables, processed in some way? So why has ultra-processed food become the focus of so much concern and debate?Nutritionist Sarah Keogh gives her view on what’s happening on our plates.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

The Jeffrey Epstein files reveal the convicted child sex offender was fascinated by magicians, and detail a years-long relationship between Epstein and David Blaine as well as an FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by David Copperfield.Since the files were released by the US department of justice two weeks ago, Irish Times journalist Naomi O’Leary has been combing through the documents.It is not, she says, an easy cache to navigate, with a clunky search function and opaque filing system.However she has been able to find multiple emails which reveal a relationship between Epstein and several famous magicians including Blaine and Copperfield – after the disgraced financier had been convicted and served prison time for soliciting sex with children.O’Leary came into studio to detail her experience of searching the consistently disturbing files – so big that only a fraction of them have been excavated by journalists worldwide. She explains how sex trafficker Epstein, collector of powerful people and expert at developing transactional relationships with them, had a weird fascination with magicians.Being mentioned in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

For Alexander Abnos, senior sports editor at the Guardian US “removing the US as World Cup host would be eminently sad – and entirely justified”.The 2026 Fifa World Cup will be hosted this summer by Mexico, Canada and the US.But the killings by Ice agents of US citizens and their intimidatory presence on city streets has been well reported globally which may make travelling fans nervous. And that’s if they get in at all: the US president Donald Trump has imposed travel bans on several countries – including Senegal and Ivory Coast which have qualified to play.And then there is the stratospherically high price of stadium tickets which make going to the game prohibitively expensive.In January, former Fifa president Sepp Blatter supported calls by Swiss anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pieth for fans to boycott matches taking place in the US. But calls for boycotts of big sporting events are not unusual. They were loud before the last World Cup in Qatar but didn’t make much of an impression.Abnos explains why a US boycott won’t happen.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.