In The News

Daniel Siad’s thousands of emails and messages found in the Epstein Files show in grim detail both the depravity of the US fraudster and paedophile and how his sex-trafficking ring operated.Jeffrey Epstein would tell the Paris based “model scout” the type of girl he wanted and Siad would go hunting. Spying a “suitable” victim he would promise the young woman a modelling career in New York.Once there, Epstein would introduce himself and the grooming and sexual exploitation would begin.By examining the Epstein Files, Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary built up a profile of Siad and was able to contact one of his victims to hear how Siad’s operation worked.Siad, who was 69, died from undetermined causes at his home in Paris on July 20th. At the time of his death he was under investigation for a rape charge.How was this related to the Epstein Files? Why were French officials so slow to act against him despite mounting evidence? And will his death, like that of Epstein and another French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel - both by suicide - mean that thousands of victims will never see justice.Paris-based Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary explores the details.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. 

Dates for the arrival of Dublin’s MetroLink have changed wildly since the project was first suggested in 1975. So has the budget.The latest figure to emerge – from an unattributed Government source – is €19bn. That’s quite a jump from the estimate released four years ago, calculated at €9.5bn as the midpoint of a “credible” cost range of between €7.16bn and €12.25bn.Why such a significant increase? And with plans already approved and with property already purchased for the project by Transport Infrastructure Ireland how much has already been spent on the transport solution that promises to transform commuting in the capital. Also when will building actually begin?Dublin Editor Olivia Kelly dives into the details and controversies of the MetroLink project.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

Lorcan Tadgh Murphy, who was earlier this month jailed for murdering US nurse Mackenzie Michalski in 2024 in Hungary, had obsessively tried to pick up women across various European cities. Police in Budapest discovered that he had used a “spy pen” to covertly record his attempts, just as he had done previously in Dublin, where 16 women were recorded without their knowledge.The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has been concerned for some time at the increasing use of hidden cameras, smart glasses, pen cameras and other covert recording devices to secretly film women and girls without their knowledge or consent.And as smart glasses are becoming more mainstream – Meta has already sold an estimated 10 million pairs of their its stylish Ray-Ban camera-enabled glasses – concerns are growing.So if Murphy had been caught in Dublin in 2020 secretly filming women, would he have broken any law? Why do advocacy groups say these type of secret recordings are “often minimised as harmless”, but could in fact be “part of a path to future crime”? And what role do the makers of these devices, that could easily be used to secretly record, have in ensuring the public is protected?News reporter Ellen O’Riordan explores this fast-evolving debate.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

In 2019, Maura Higgins first arrived on our screens as a contestant on the reality show Love Island. She was a fan favourite from the get-go, with her longford accent, quick wit and love of bad language. Not everyone who leaves the Love Island villa can turn their five minutes of fame into a successful career, let alone, break America - but that’s exactly what Higgins has done in the years since her Love Island debut. Through high profile appearances on American TV, the 35-year-old is almost a bigger star there than she is here at home and she’s just been added to Time Magazine’s top 100 creators list. So how has she done it? What is it about the Longford woman that continues to win over audiences? And could a recent move into acting signal where her career might go next? In today's episode, journalist Kate Demolder takes a look back through Higgins' career and how she has reinvented herself along the way.Presented by Bernice Harrison, produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.

In the days leading up to Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to Ukraine, tensions were running high on the streets of Kyiv. Protesters marched over president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to sack his defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Young and forward-thinking, he was seen as the main mover behind the country’s drone strategy. The marchers called for the sacking of the country’s army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskiy eventually capitulated to the demands and the Russian-trained career soldier was ousted. So how damaged is Zelenskiy after this political misstep? Meanwhile, the war continues, with Russia launching its most sustained attack on the capital, and Ukraine responding with an attack on a vast goods depot inside the Russian border. And what was on the agenda when Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Zelenskiy in Kyiv last Thursday? Irish Times Europe correspondent Jack Power was in Kyiv and he reports for us on a turbulent week for Ukraine’s president. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan with research by John O’Connor.

When a defendant in a court case is granted legal aid, the State pays. Before a reform of the payment system introduced on July 1st, solicitors could bill the Department of Justice €239.38 for their first appearance in court for their client and €59.86 for each subsequent one. The invoice is called a legal aid certificate.Defendants frequently face multiple charges that are heard together in the same sitting. Before July 1st, the solicitor could invoice for each charge, meaning multiple payments for each client. In the past 18 months more than 100 cases involved at least 10 invoices being sent to the Department concerning individual clients whose charges were dealt with together or in quick succession before the District Court.In the reform of the payment system, solicitors will now receive a flat fee of €520 per criminal legal aid client.Many solicitors on the legal aid panel have rejected this new payment model, and withdrew their services for two days this week.The Minister says he will meet the Law Society to discuss its concerns about payment reforms, but as he has previously said the reforms will stay, is there any hope of resolution?Irish Times political correspondent Cormac McQuinn explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. 

Jeffrey Donaldson is in Maghaberry prison outside Belfast awaiting sentencing for 18 child sex offences, including rape. If the disgraced politician thought that the blanket media coverage of his trial in June would stop once the jury gave its verdict, he was wrong. He is still making daily headlines in Northern Ireland as shocking stories of his past behaviour emerge; – ones that throw further light on the vast gulf between his carefully curated public persona as a pious, teetotal Christian and family man, and the reality. Four inquiries are being conducted into his actions while in the workplace, one by the NI Civil Service and one by the Assembly. Two have been commissioned by his former political parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Since his arrest in 2024, both have tried hard to distance themselves from their one-time star member. Ahead of his sentencing in September, he has now launched an appeal against his conviction. Irish Times Northern Editor Freya McClements explains why the Donaldson story has left politics across the Border in turmoil. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Israel is on an election footing. Last week with his government having reached the end of its four-year term, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu dissolved parliament. Polls show that a new and credible challenger has emerged in Israel’s complex multiparty political landscape. Career soldier Gadi Eisenkot (66), a former head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) left the army to join Netanyahu‘s post-October 7th military council to plan and execute the brutal response in Gaza.Last year he went out on his own forming the centrist Yashar party, and he has now emerged as the most serious challenger to prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.But how much change does Israel really want. Why is Palestine and Gaza not an election issue? And what are Eisenkot’s views on one of the most contentious issues in Israel: why ultra-Orthodox Jews are exempt from military service at a time when Israel is fighting wars on many fronts and is running out soldiers. Mark Weiss reports on the mood in Jerusalem as campaigning gets under way. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.