Why Ireland is under pressure in a battle over European trade

After 25 years the Mercosur deal is reaching crunch time. The trade deal which would permit free trade between the EU and the South American countries that make up the Mercosur bloc has a deadline of December 20th.It allows the EU to export more cars, wines and spirits to South America, with goods including meat coming the other way – and that’s what worries Iris, but also French, farmers.There are hopes it will be signed off at this week’s two-day EU summit in Brussels; hopes at least on the part of the European Commission and Germany.France and Italy are still holding out on signing up – urging a push-back to January on any decision – while Ireland appears stuck in the middle.Mercosur countries form the world’s sixth largest economy with a total population of 270 million people. It’s a vast market for EU producers.So how will the Mercosur talks play out this week and what pressure will Ireland be put under to sign up to a deal that Irish farmers say would greatly injure not just them, but the economy as a whole.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2025 roll call of Irish sporting heroes is long and notable for the variety of sports that saw stunning feats of excellence.Golfing great Rory McIlroy made history at The Masters; a new athletics star was born in Kate O’Connor; and Troy Parrott made football fans of us all with his stellar performance against Hungary to keep our World Cup dreams alive.And there were so many more sporting moments – including surprise retirements – throughout the year that set records and pulses racing.Irish Times sports writers Malachy Clerkin and Muireann Duffy give their sporting highlights from 2025.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What were the big political stories of 2025? Were there issues we were obsessed with at the time and now can’t quite remember why? And were there any laughs to be had around Leinster House?For a look back on the year in Irish politics, Irish Times political correspondents Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones came into the studio with their standout stories – from the fretting about the threat of US tariffs to the highs and lows of the presidential election; and from Paschal Donohoe’s exit for a more glamorous job to the Government’s new housing manifesto.Then there was Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry’s unparliamentary sign language.And what exactly are “country pursuits” and why did they emerge as a talking point during the presidential election.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan with Andrew McNair on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most shocking stories of the year was the disappearance of Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, whose dismembered body was found on his farm almost two months after he went missing. This murder remains unsolved.In June, Evan Fitzgerald (22) walked into a busy shopping centre in Carlow and opened fire. He then turned his weapon on himself and ended his own life.The year also saw some high-profile court cases, including the trial of Richard Satchwell, who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Tina. And there was the case of former superstar hurler DJ Carey, who was given five and a half years in prison for deception and fraud.For Crime and Security Editor Conor Lally, three stories stood out – for the events themselves but also for what they tell us about crime and policing in Ireland in 2025: the missing toddler Daniel Aruebose, whose absence went unnoticed for years and whose death is now a homicide inquiry; the discovery in Portlaoise of a far-right group who were allegedly planning an attack on Galway Mosque and the extradition of Sean McGovern from Dubai. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children aged 16 and under.Welcomed by parents there but criticised by big tech and some free-speech advocates, the ban will see companies such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok face massive fines if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the social media accounts of Australian children. And to stop children getting such accounts in the first place.Ireland is also taking steps to make children safer online, with a Government push to design a digital wallet linked to social security numbers as proof of age. And the Department of Health’s online safety taskforce will also lay out its proposals today.Irish Times Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne explains the Government’s advanced plans to protect children from accessing harmful material online.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The M in M50 stands for motorway – multiple lanes, fast speed limits and easy access to a network of national roads. More than 30 years ago it was designed as a modern piece of infrastructure to get the country moving.Now for many motorists for long stretches of the day - it’s a car park.So are there any quick fixes? Are more roads the answer, more tolls? Better public transport certainly is the key, but why is our infrastructure so dire that people who live in the ever expanding Dublin commuter belt have no other option but to get in their cars and drive?The road that partially circles Dublin is congested and that’s the problem. There’s too much traffic on it. So what can be done to get it moving?Brian Caulfield, professor in transportation at Trinity College Dublin, explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Housing is an unexpected source of top tips for young adults on how to behave. “Help out around the house”, it advises, “Set house rules” and “Communicate with your family”.All generally sound advice but widely perceived as tone deaf as it is in an information campaign aimed at young people forced to move back into their family homes, to once again sleep in their childhood bedrooms.The housing crisis with its high rents and lack of choice has meant many young people stay living with their parents for far longer than they want. The average age for Irish people to leave the family home is 28.The video, created by youth group SpunOut for the Housing Agency, has sparked negative responses from online commentators and Opposition politicians.Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones explains why the messaging fell so flat and how the controversy is playing out in Leinster House.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardaí have opened a double murder investigation after a young boy, Tadhg Farrell (4) and his great-aunt Mary Holt (60) were killed in a suspected petrol bomb attack on a house in Co Offaly.Tadhg’s grandmother, who was also in the house on Saturday evening, is in critical condition in hospital having suffered extensive burns in the blaze at Castleview Park, Edenderry.The house has been attacked before, in one incident all its windows were broken in what is believed to be an ongoing drug debt feud.Gardaí suspect a criminal gang involved in the drugs trade in the Midlands were behind the firebombing.Garda sources said the incident was probably intended as an intimidatory attack and they did not believe the people at the property were the intended targets.Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher reports from the scene.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A leak of documents, including photographs, from the regime of Bashir al Assad has laid bare the bloody inner workings of his regime.More than 33,000 photographs of detainees, mostly believed to have been taken in 2015-2024, show the extent of the degradation and torture inflicted on them by Assad’s regime.For some families, the leak to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), finally gives the tragic answer to what happened to their loved ones.Assad presided over Syria during the country’s 13-year civil war during which about half a million people were killed including more than 200,00 civilians at the hands of the regime and more than 160,000 were forcibly “disappeared”.Many of the bodies in the leaked photographs bear clear signs of torture. Nearly half are naked and most show signs of starvation.Irish Times Beirut-based reporter Sally Hayden worked with the ICIJ on the leak and she explains the importance of this evidence.She notes that as soon as the Irish Times became aware of the existence of the leaked photographs in October, it has advocated for consulting victims’ families regarding their release.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks have been the most complex and lengthy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia began in February 2022.The latest round of talks started two weeks ago with a leaked 28-point draft peace proposal which alarmed Ukrainian and European officials who said that it was weighted too much in Moscow’s favour. The proposal would have seen Ukraine cede territory to Russia, Russia readmitted to the G8 and Ukraine banned from joining Nato.There followed a 20-point plan, and then a 27-point plan. The talks – with the US represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – moved from Geneva to Moscow where, on Tuesday, five hours of talks with Russian president Vladimer Putin around the table yielded no agreement. Talks are currently taking place in Miami.Putin has been clear, Russia is winning the war and while he is willing to come to the table to negotiate, there is no urgency. Ukraine has indicated it too is keen for a deal – but not on any terms. While in Washington, the US president has been making hopeful noises, reflecting the widespread belief that he just wants to get a peace deal done.Meanwhile at home Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been rocked by a corruption scandal that has seen his chief of staff, who had led the Ukrainian delegation at peace talks, resigning on Friday.Irish Times Europe Correspondent based in Kyiv, Dan McLaughlin, explains how the talks evolved and what next for the war.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.