In The News

On today's podcast, In the News producer Aideen Finnegan explains what we know about a proposal from Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. The move comes as Ireland's efforts to curtail smoking have plateaued, with smoking even increasing among male teenagers. But will such a new law be workable in practice? Then we hear from Averil Power of the Irish Cancer Society, who welcomes the move. But she says the Government must urgently tackle the growing use of vapes among young people. Her warning comes as new research predicts some chemicals released by vaping may cause unknown damage to human health in the long term.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon.

From cute dance videos to antifeminist and racist ones, the social media app is a growing part of young people’s lives. There are concerns, though, about sleep deprivation, mental health, attention span – and the messages these young teenagers they are being relentlessly fed.Irish Times parenting columnist Jen Hogan and journalist Patrick Freyne spent time with a group of teenagers, looking over their shoulder as they scrolled for hours on TikTok and talked to them about their relationship with the Chinese-owned app. They explain to In the News just how out of touch adults are when it comes to children’s online activity.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Donald Trump had to sit in front of Stormy Daniels in a New York courtroom this week, as the former adult film star spoke in excruciating and very frank detail about her sexual encounter in 2006 with the former US president. It was a key week in the trial, ongoing since April, in which Trump is accused of hiding “hush money’ payments to Daniels in 2016 in a bid to influence the presidential election. Meanwhile Trump runs the risk of being jailed for contempt of court over his outbursts – about the case, the jury and the prosecution. Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan has been at the Trump trial and he says that while what the court has heard so far has been at worst embarrassing, the prosecution has yet to land the blows that might result in a criminal conviction.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

On Monday spirits were lifted in Gaza when Hamas issued a statement declaring it would accept the terms of a ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar. But joy was short-lived.Israel quickly announced the deal did not go far enough towards releasing the hostages captured on October 7th. At the same time Israeli defence forces began their takeover of a crucial border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.So what now? What will it take for Israeli prime minister Binjamin Netanyahu, a man under pressure at home and abroad, to agree to a ceasefire and call off the invasion of Rafah, a city of last resort for 1.4 million displaced Gazans?Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem.

The murder of a 20 year-old man in a chaotic gun attack on Dublin's southside may be a harbinger of a new gangland feud. Ballyfermot man, Josh Itseli, was gunned down in what's believed to be the first gangland shooting of the year. Three young men are in garda custody after Itseli's car was rammed to a halt and came under fire in Drimnagh in the early hours of Monday morning. He died at the scene and follow up searches resulted in the seizure of body armour and a military grade assault rifle. A pipe bomb nearby forced residents to leave their homes for a time while the Army Bomb Disposal Team made safe the device. Drimnagh residents were subjected to a long period of gang warfare in the 2000s. Now locals fear public safety is at risk as a new generation of volatile men seek to fill the vacuum left empty by the dismantling of the Byrne organised crime gang.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

Over the last twenty years or so, the funerals of significant criminal figures in Ireland have tended towards the extravagant. Last week's sober church service marking the passing of notorious heroin kingpin, Tony Felloni, was in sharp contrast to the modern day culture of gangland funerals. But quite apart from their eye-catching floral tributes and ostentatious shows of mourning, these occasions provide Gardai with a unique opportunity to glean crucial intel. Security and crime editor, Conor Lally, delves into the subculture of showy funerals, why Gardai and the media attend them, and how they're an important reminder of the human cost of gang violence. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.

When "Niamh" began house-hunting in Dublin's suburbs, she soon noticed that viewings were often attended by agents who were using phones to live-stream the property to potential buyers in China - some of whom then outbid her.Estate agents have confirmed that it is now commonplace for wealthy Chinese nationals to bid strongly on houses in South Dublin. But why?The answers lie in the details of a now-defunct 'Golden Visa' scheme, the decline of China's own property market and the desire of upwardly-mobile Chinese parents to give their children a Western education.And why are these buyers free to take their money out of the Chinese economy and invest it in countries like Ireland?Guests: Irish Times reporter Colm Keena and Beijing correspondent Denis StauntonPresented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon. This episode was originally published in March 2024,

On Wednesday, a multi-agency operation got to work, moving up to 290 migrants who had been sleeping in tents outside the International Protection Office (IPO) on Dublin’s Mount Street. Buses and taxis brought the men to centres in Citywest, Crooksling and Swords. The streets were cleaned, the tents removed and barriers erected. But there was no room on the buses for 30 men, and as Irish Times reporter Jack White found, they either walked the streets all night or took the tents handed out by a charity and moved to another part of the city to sleep.By Thursday, they were back at Mount Street, joined by up to 40 men who had been brought to Swords in north Dublin for the night but were returned to the city centre with no clear plans as to where they might go. White tells In the News about the excitement among the asylum seekers when they thought they were being brought to safe accommodation and of the confusion and chaos surrounding the move by Government to clear the “shantytown”. And Irish Times political editor explains the challenges facing the Government.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon.

Nearly one billion Indian citizens are eligible to vote in a lengthy election that began on April 19th and runs until June.Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks set to retain power, in part thanks to the economic transformation that has lifted millions of Indians out of poverty on his watch. But Modi himself is an enigma. For her podcast series Looking for Modi Australian journalist Avani Dias set out to profile one of the most powerful people in the world.She tells In the News about the humble background that endeared Modi to voters. But his backstory has some holes in it, like his formative experiences with a far-right Hindu nationalist organisation, the secret marriage he walked away from, and his role in fomenting India’s deadly religious tensions.As South Asia bureau chief for Australia’s ABC News, Dias was based in New Delhi until her investigation into allegations Modi's government was behind the assassination of Indian dissidents in Canada resulted in the non-renewal of her visa.Modi’s suppression of his critics is having a chilling effect on the media and undermining the democratic process, she says.This episode tells the story of Modi's origins, his rise in politics and the questions over the direction of India under his leadership. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.