Minister of Health on the 'severe flu' gathering pace ahead of Christmas and UHL

US President Donald Trump's special envoy is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Berlin in the latest efforts to end Russia's war with Ukraine. Christopher Miller, Chief Ukraine Correspondent with the Financial Times, speaks to This Week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although Ireland’s population is growing, rural areas have been experiencing consistent population loss. But with more than one-third of the country’s population living in an area defined as ‘rural’ some communities are taking action to keep their towns and villages thriving. Eithne Dodd reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With almost 3,000 cases of flu reported last week, and nearly 600 people in hospital with the virus this weekend, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll-McNeill advises people to get vaccinated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Christmas fast approaching, we still await the findings of Fianna Fáil's investigation into its failed Presidential Campaign where Jim Gavin dropped out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The social media platform X has responded after the EU Commission fined it under the new Digital Services Act. Liz Carolan, publisher of The Briefing newsletter, explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 12 people have been killed and 29 injured in a terrorist attack targeting a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australian police have said. We get the latest from Phil Mercer of the BBC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RTÉ announced that Ireland would not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation. We hear from former winner Johnny Logan; Julian Vignoles, former head of the Irish delegation; and Dean Vuletic, Eurovision historian.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our reporter Eithne Dodd has been looking at how the traditional Christmas panto has endured for so long.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year's flu season has arrived a few weeks early, with a new highly virulent varient (H3N2 subclade K) in circulation. Bernard Gloster, Chief Executive of the HSE, speaks to This Week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Palestinian human rights lawyer and former legal advisor to the Palestinian Authority Diana Battu was in Dublin to meet members of the Oireachtas for discussions on the Occupied Terrorities Bill. We hear her analysis on the current state of the OTB.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.