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The Black Axe gang: a new frontier in Irish crime
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Originating in west Africa the Black Axe gang has quickly become one of the most successful groups in Irish organised crime. In the Republic, the gang has stolen or laundered €64 million, mainly through romance scams and invoice frauds. The Irish cell of Black Axe launders money by using a rapidly growing network of money mules in Ireland. Money mules’ accounts are used to take receipt of, and then disperse, the proceeds of frauds carried out by other Black Axe cells located in countries across the globe. Security and crime editor Conor Lally has the details.
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Walk this way: Is Dublin’s car-free plan working?
22:31|Parliament Street, the short, wide road that has Dublin’s quays at one end and City Hall at the other was, up to last week, clogged with traffic.Not any more.In the latest phase of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan it has now been closed off to motorised vehicles. It is not fully pedestrianised – cyclists can still use it.That’s another car-free initiative ticked off the city council’s list, with the development of College Green Plaza next on the agenda. But that’s been in the works for years and it still seems a long way off.And already the costs have spiralled from €10m to €80 – with no start date in sight.So what’s happening? Irish Times Dublin editor Olivia Kelly explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.How the Texas floods sparked a political blame game
21:07|Last week, a catastrophic flood tore through central Texas, killing more than a hundred people, including over two dozen children attending a Christian girls’ summer camp.An entire summer’s worth of rain water was dumped on the region within hours, leaving total devastation in its wake.Now, as the search and rescue efforts continue, the political blame game has well and truly begun.Some Democrats quickly warned about the “consequences” of the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government workforce, including meteorologists within the National Weather Service.The Trump administration responded that the floods were a “once-in-a-generation natural disaster” and accused the Democrats of pushing “falsehoods” through the media.Today, on In The News, the political fallout from the Texas flooding disaster.Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan discusses the aftermath of the Texas floods and the political posturing that has followed the human catastrophe.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.What really happens on a Leaving Cert holiday?
23:22|The 2025 Leaving Cert exams are finally a thing of the past and 18-year-olds have begun their annual pilgrimage to party hotspots across southern Europe to blow off steam after a year of study.And while these trips are regarded as a rite of passage for some students, it can also be a worrying time for parents, with some tracking their children for the entire holiday.Last week, Irish Times reporter Niamh Browne travelled to the Greek island of Zakynthos, or Zante as it’s better know, where she spent a week speaking to South Dublin students, local Greek residents and even the mayor of the island.Why did these students choose to travel to Zante, how do they pay for these holidays and how bad is the drugs and drink scene on the party strip?And are parents taking things a step too far by online tracking, and sometimes following, their children on their post-Leaving Cert overseas celebration?Today, on In The News, What happens in Zante, stays in Zante. That is, until now ...Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.How Gaza became the most dangerous place in the world for journalists
21:06|At least 184 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organisation that advocates for press freedom and the rights of journalists. Of these, 176 were Palestinian.For nearly 19 months, Israel has blocked the foreign press from entering Gaza to report on the war, leaving a small number of local Palestinian journalists to cover the conflict.Israel’s ongoing refusal to grant foreign journalists access to the strip is “without precedent in modern times”, a recent letter from the world’s media warned.Today on The Irish Times In the News podcast reporter Sally Hayden and CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg discuss the implications of barring journalists from entering Gaza and the realities of reporting from a war zone.This podcast episode was updated to include the contribution of Besan Imad Mohamed al-Mabhouh, a translator and media professional in Gaza, who gives her perspective on the dangers of practicing journalism within the strip..Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon.How Japan fell in love with Irish culture
17:56|Taoiseach Micheál Martin wraps up his four-day visit to Japan today with a visit to Hiroshima where he will lay a wreath at the cenotaph commemorating those who died after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in 1945.It’s been a hectic few days with an itinerary that included the opening of Ireland House in Tokyo, which at more than €20 million is the largest capital project overseas since the foundation of the State, as well as a visit to Osaka to visit the Irish pavilion at Expo 2025, an international exposition that is expected to attract more than 28 million people.Irish Times Beijing-based correspondent Denis Staunton explains why this visit is so timely and why it has focused on an economic relationship that has doubled in size over the past decade.He also explains the deep interest in Irish culture that has been building in Japan, from the development of Irish pubs to the thriving branch of Comhaltas.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.George Gibney: why did it take decades for the alleged sexual abuser to face new charges?
19:02|George Gibney was arrested on Tuesday in Florida after a Garda request was made to the US State Department to extradite him to Ireland to face charges relating to alleged historical child sex abuse.The 77-year-old former swim coach, who avoided trial on sexual abuse charges in 1994 after successfully challenging his prosecution in the High Court, is now accused of 78 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape relating to four girls; and the alleged attempted rape of one of the girls.All four were minors, aged between eight and 15, and were coached by Gibney.They made complaints to the Garda between 2020 and 2022 after the BBC and Second Captains podcast Where is George Gibney? was aired in 2020.But why did it take over 30 years for Gibney to face fresh charges - and what happens next?Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally explains the background.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan ConlonCarlow shooting: could Evan Fitzgerald's death have been avoided?
24:17|Last month, a 22-year-old man named Evan Fitzgerald walked into the busy Fairgreen shopping centre in Carlow and opened fire. He then turned his weapon on himself and ended his own life.Following the incident, details quickly emerged about the young man’s fascination with guns and his previous run-in with gardaí.And this week, it emerged Fitzgerald had possession of more weapons than previously reported.The shooting, and gardaí’s interaction with Fitzgerald before the Carlow incident, have become the subject of much debate and discussion in recent weeks. Senator and former minister for justice Michael McDowell described the Garda operation to sell Fitzgerald guns as “entrapment”, while Labour TD Alan Kelly questioned the need for gardaí to have delivered weapons to the young man.Today, on In The News, Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent Conor Gallagher discusses the twists and turns of the Evan Fitzgerald case.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.The project to recover 'seven centuries of Irish history'
24:57|On June 30th 1922, a massive explosion ripped through Dublin’s Four Courts, after the Irish Free state national army opened fire on anti-treaty republicans occupying the building.Inside the building, the old, dry files housed in the Public Record Office quickly caught fire. The blast sent a dramatic pillar of black smoke hundreds of metres into the air and flung files, books and scrolls high in the sky above the Liffey. Paper scraps and fragments fell across the city with some even landing in Howth, 10km away.The explosion destroyed nearly seven hundred years of documented Irish history, including pre-famine 19-century census records and files detailing espionage, politics and the lives of ordinary Irish people.The blast also marked the start of the Irish Civil War.Three years ago, the Government launched Beyond 2022 – an international effort to try to recover the information lost in the fire and recreate a virtual treasury for future generations.And this week, 175,000 documents have been made freely and publicly available online through the Virtual Record Treasury.Today, on In The News, the online project reconstructing 700 years of Irish history.Dr Ciarán Wallace, codirector of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, discusses the implications of the information lost in the1922 Civil War blast and the efforts to reassemble the millions of words lost in the fire.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon.