The Irish Times World View Podcast

Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem where there is a possibility of a ceasefire between Hamas militants in Gaza and Israel. What needs to happen to make a ceasefire work, and how do Israelis feel about the conflict that has claimed many more Palestinian than Israeli lives and been met with widespread condemnation as disproportionate?

Are the UK's Labour Party facing an existential crisis? Is there a way back to power for the party - for example, by following the advice of its last successful leader Tony Blair? We talk to Denis Staunton.

Joe Biden has spent his first 100 days as US president powering through an ambitious agenda and tackling issues on the economy, coronavirus and climate policy. What are the key actions he has taken thus far and where has he fallen short? Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch joins Chris Dooley to take a look back at[...]

In the Indian capital of New Delhi, one person is reportedly dying of Covid-19 every four minutes. With a population of 1.3 billion, the surge in new infections has pushed the country’s health system to breaking point, with hospitals running out of critical supplies of oxygen and available beds to treat the seriously ill. In[...]

Recent polls of Welsh voters show growing support for the idea. To find out what's behind the trend and what it would take for it to become a reality, we talk to Denis Staunton.

Angela Merkel is on her last lap as German Chancellor and will stand down when September’s federal election ends her fourth and final term in office. Meanwhile her party, the ruling Christian Democratic Union, is trapped in a high-stakes stand-off with its Bavarian ally, the Christian Social Union. The impasse? Which of their leaders should[...]

Dan McLaughlin explains the background to a new flare-up in the war in eastern Ukraine between the government in Kiev and Russian-backed separatists, and the news that Russia has sent troops and tanks to its border with Ukraine for what it insists are military exercises. Why is trouble in the region increasing now, and is[...]

Brazil's Covid-19 case numbers and deaths have hit staggering new highs in the past month: over 60,000 died in March alone. Now it is facing a political crisis to match its health crisis. President Jair Bolsonaro, his authority undermined by the raging pandemic, sacked his defence minister and three top military chiefs in what looks[...]

Voters in Israel went to the polls this week in a bid to free the country of the political stalemate that has seen it hold four elections in two years. But after another cliffhanger result, the deadlock continues and it may be weeks before it becomes clear if prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be able[...]

Brazil's often chaotic political scene got even more complex recently when former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's conviction for corruption was suddenly overturned. Will Lula's expected return to politics, combined with the government's disastrous pandemic response, spell the end for current right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro?

Suzanne Lynch on the fall from grace of New York State governor Andrew Cuomo, whose early handling of the pandemic won him praise but is now subject to increasing scrutiny, and whose declining fortunes have been worsened by accusations of sexual harassment.

When voters elect a new government in Germany this year, it will bring the curtain down on the 16 year chancellorship of Angela Merkel. In parliament since 2005, Merkel has been one of Europe’s most influential leaders, steering her country and the bloc through numerous crises. What will be the consequences of her departure from[...]

Italy's new prime minister Mario Draghi, a compromise choice asked to lead a national unity government after the collapse of the previous coalition, has several tough challenges on his hands: to administer EU Covid-19 relief funds in an effective way, to navigate the pandemic, and to retain control of the unwieldy coalition of parties that[...]

The issue of Brexit and the popularity of SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have put the idea of Scottish independence back on the agenda. Public opinion polls show a majority in favour, but with implacable opposition from Boris Johnson assured, what paths are there to an "Indyref 2"? Denis Staunton reports. And Guy[...]

Suzanne Lynch reports from former president Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial. Under attack from a well-organised prosecution, Trump's own legal team have not impressed. But will it matter? Plus, a decade after Hosni Mubarak was toppled, what remains of Egypt's revolution? We talk to Declan Walsh, chief Africa correspondent at the New York Times.

A few months ago Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was lying in hospital in Berlin, recovering from being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. This week he was imprisoned after returning to Russia to continue his campaign against Vladimir Putin, despite the clear risks. But who is Alexei Navalny? And does his campaign have any[...]

Today on the podcast: Tom Hennigan on the dire Covid-19 situation in Brazil, where the second-highest number of people have died of the disease. A more spreadable variant of the disease has deepened the crisis, as has the corruption and dysfunction of the national response, led by anti-vaxxer President Jair Bolsonaro.

Our Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch was one of the lucky few to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration yesterday. She talks to foreign editor Chris Dooley about the message Biden sent in his address and his early policy moves. And we talk to Omar Wasow, an assistant professor of political science at Princeton University. He says[...]

The race is on to roll out the coronavirus vaccine across the European Union. Denmark is sitting proudly in first place, with 2% of their population already vaccinated. All EU countries have had the same level of access to the first vaccine approved by the bloc, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, so how has Denmark managed to[...]

Yesterday the world watched on in disbelief as a group of pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol, in a violent display of loyalty to the president. While Congress gathered to certify the election results, thousands of flag-waving supporters broke through police barriers and gained access to the historic building, tearing through offices, breaking furniture and[...]

In this week's podcast, Chris Dooley speaks to foreign policy expert Thomas Wright about the incoming Joe Biden administration and the issues that the president-elect will have to deal with when he takes office in January. How will president Biden deal with China? What will an international taxation agreement mean for Ireland's relationship with the[...]

To mark the end of the year with something a little different, we asked a handful of our regular contributors - Denis Staunton, Naomi O'Leary, Sally Hayden and Derek Scally - to choose a moment or a theme that stood out for them in this most eventful of years. Happy Christmas to all our listeners[...]

Last month Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a peace deal after six weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Tens of thousands have died and up to a million people have been displaced, since a bloody war between the two countries ended in a ceasefire in 1994. Central and eastern Europe correspondent, Daniel McLaughlin,[...]

Paris correspondent Lara Marlowe on the destruction and salvation of the city's iconic Notre Dame cathedral, destroyed by fire in April 2019. Lara has spoken to the people at the centre of the cathedral's expensive and at times controversial reconstruction.

A month after the US election, President Donald Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to cry foul over the process. Despite recounts, legal challenges and Trump’s claims on Twitter that he will “win”, local officials have quietly gone about their business certifying the results. Suzanne Lynch talks us through recent[...]

Sally Hayden recently visited Ethiopia, just before the outbreak of a conflict between the central government and a region in the east African country's north that threatens to escalate. Sally joins deputy foreign editor David McKechnie to discuss what is behind the outbreak of fighting that has reportedly already left hundreds dead and caused a[...]

A power struggle at Downing Street, Dominic Cummings out and a damaging gaffe by the Prime Minister to do with Scottish devolution, all while the Labour party finds itself at odds, once again, over former leader Jeremy Corbyn. Will the upheaval in Boris Johnson’s team make a Brexit deal more or less likely? London editor[...]

Our hard-working Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch is back to discuss President Trump's failure to concede the election battle he has clearly lost to President-elect Joe Biden. Is it just Trump being Trump or is there more to it? What are his fellow Republicans thinking? And how will it all affect the now-crucial Georgia Senate elections[...]

Suzanne Lynch with the latest from the US presidential election on Thursday, November 5th. Biden is on course to win, but doubts remain over whether votes remaining to be counted in key states will turn out to be red or blue.

Suzanne Lynch is back with one last report before polling day in the 2020 US presidential election. What do the final polls tell us, what what final moves are Joe Biden and Donald Trump making?

As many EU countries reenter lockdown, we ask Naomi O'Leary what went wrong with Europe's Covid-19 response. Plus, Suzanne Lynch on what the final few days of campaigning will look like as Joe Biden carries a slim lead into the last stage of the US presidential election.

Suzanne Lynch on the swing state battles that will decide the election, Lindsey Graham's battle to save his seat and Barack Obama's return to the campaign trail for the final two week stretch of the campaign.

Suzanne Lynch and Chris Dooley dig into five election battles to watch for seats in the US Senate and House of Representatives, in Texas, Maine, South Carolina Arizona and Montana. Plus, does Joe Biden have a Cuban-American problem in Florida, a crucial state in the race?

Even by the standards of the Trump administration, the past week has been remarkable. The outbreak of Covid-19 in the White House and President Trump's actions since his diagnosis seem to be having a negative effect on his reelection chances, says Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch. Plus, a quick look at some of the competitive races[...]

Suzanne Lynch on how Tuesday night's ill-tempered debate between President Trump and Joe Biden is affecting the race. Plus, the Democrat's plan for dealing with the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.

Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch on the extraordinary life and consequential death of US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Hope springs eternal, even when it comes to Brexit. London editor Denis Staunton tells Chris Dooley how a post-Brexit trade deal could still be negotiated, despite the deterioration in UK-EU relations over Boris Johnson's Internal Markets bill. But first Denis explains what all the fuss over that bill is about.

Back in 2015, Lara Marlowe reported on what turned out to be just the first of many terror attacks in Europe: the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Now Lara is covering the trial of 14 people for involvement in the events of January 2015 that left twenty, including three assailants, dead. She talks to Dave McKechnie about[...]

With the Democratic and Republican party primaries over, the US presidential election is now entering the final straight, and the real battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is beginning. At the moment, Trump seems to be having some success, focussing attention on 'law and order'. Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch describes the state of the[...]

This is the final instalment of the Confronting Coronavirus podcast series. For part two of the final two-part episode, we’ve asked a handful of Irish Times journalists to reflect on the last couple of months and how the pandemic has played out. Today, we’ll hear from Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary, sports reporter Malachy Clerkin and[...]

This is the final instalment of the Confronting Coronavirus podcast series. For the final two-part episode, we’ve asked a handful of Irish Times journalists to reflect on the last couple of months and how the pandemic has played out. Today, we’ll hear from Public Affairs Editor Simon Carswell and our Political reporter Jennifer Bray.

Traditionally, one in five of the population experience mental health challenges. In the coming year there will be many more. In today’s episode, Clinical Psychologist Tony Bates speaks to Deirdre Veldon about the emotional impact of the pandemic and how different sections of society will be affected in the weeks and months ahead.

In today’s episode, we hear from Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden, who has been living in lockdown in Northern Uganda for the past three months. In March, during the onset of the pandemic, Hayden travelled across the border from Rwanda into Gulu, a city at the epicentre of a two decade long civil war which[...]

As the global race to find a vaccine for Covid-19 continues, the question of how it will eventually be supplied and distributed is now under the spotlight. Billions of euro have been donated by governments and philanthropic organisations to pharmaceutical companies for research and development of vital Covid-19 vaccines. However, in most cases, few if[...]

Ireland is approaching Phase 3 of the Roadmap for Reopening Business and Society. In this episode, Conor Pope talks us through some of the changes that will be coming into place as the country continues to ease lockdown restrictions.

The return of restrictions on life in Beijing comes as over a hundred new cases are linked to a huge food market. Peter Goff explains what's happening in Beijing, how the city is handling it and why the outbreak is a major blow to the efforts of China, and the world, to control the virus[...]

This week the Irish Prison Service put forward a paper to the World Health Organisation as a model of best practices for keeping Covid-19 out of it’s settings. With 3,738 prisoners nationwide and zero positive cases, there is a lot to be learned from their management of the virus. In this episode, Deirdre Veldon speaks[...]

In this episode, Irish Times Features Writer Patrick Freyne brings us back to the year 2011 and the release of the scientific thriller movie Contagion. Starring Matt Damon, Contagion tells the story of a deadly virus which explodes into a global pandemic, bringing society to its knees. Nine years on, in the midst of our[...]

Conor Pope has been looking at how Ireland is reopening this week, in shops and other public places. His assessment: it's going quite well, but many small problems remain, from queuing to distancing and the wearing of masks. And as more restrictions are eased, more such problems will crop up for Irish consumers and businesses.

In our hospitals and psychiatric clinics, it has already begun. Increasing numbers of people are seeking help for mental health problems associated, in one way or another, with Covid-19. Professionals warn that the psychiatric effects of the pandemic and the lockdown will endure much longer than the physical effects of the virus. And those psychiatric[...]

Next week, Ireland will enter phase two of the roadmap out of lockdown. We’ll be able to travel 20km from our homes and visit another household while maintaining social distancing. Street level shops will open and some sporting and fitness activities will begin again. But will this taste of freedom mean people will push the[...]

Should all retailers, restaurants and tourism be allowed to open sooner? Business affairs correspondent and columnist Mark Paul has been arguing for an accelerated easing of restrictions on businesses, especially for the sake of our small and medium sized enterprises, "the lifeblood of our economy". He tells Deirdre Veldon that no-one seems to be fighting[...]

Barry Smyth is a data scientist. Early on in the outbreak, he was among the first to realise the importance of looking closely at the number of excess deaths in the population, as revealed by website Rip.ie, to track the true toll of the virus. Since then, he has written about the nature of lockdown[...]

Coronavirus has presented a huge challenge for our health services, especially in our nursing homes. The devastating death toll in these settings has come under the spotlight this week for the Dáil's Covid-19 committee. On Tuesday, the committee heard from Tadgh Daly, the head of Nursing Homes Ireland who claimed the sector was left “abandoned[...]

Businesswoman and author Margaret Heffernan writes about leadership and strategic thinking. Her latest book Uncharted: How to Map the Future is about the pitfalls of forecasting. In it she argues that societies and businesses should develop a better kind of readiness that doesn't rely on the false sense of security such forecasts bring. Published in[...]

Yesterday we reached a significant milestone in our fight against coronavirus. For the first time since the 21st March, there were no new deaths from Covid-19 in Ireland. But how can we keep this figure down as the country continues to emerge from lockdown? In today’s episode, we hear from Dr David Nabarro, a professor[...]

Among the people most affected by this crisis are children and especially teenagers. Lockdown has put an abrupt stop to their education and their social lives. In today's podcast Deirdre Veldon speaks to psychotherapist and Irish Times columnist John Sharry about the developmental impacts the lockdown will have on young people and how parents can[...]

Is it time to dispense with nursing homes? The death toll from Covid-19 in these institutions is bringing the arguments for and against them into focus. Today we talk to two experts about what a different future might look like and the challenges getting there.  Professor Gerard Quinn is a legal academic who contributed to the[...]

Political correspondent Harry McGee tells Deirdre Veldon about the news that Ireland will begin a programme of testing for Covid-19 antibodies in the population next month. How does this test differ to how we are already testing, and what benefits will it bring?

Today we're recapping a very eventful few weeks in the United States' response to Covid-19 with the help of Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch. This week President Trump caused controversy when he announced he is taking an unproven drug to prevent infection. Meanwhile the politicisation of the virus response has been exacerbated by a growing feud[...]

Yesterday some retailers reopened in phase one of the easing of lockdown. Conor Pope went out to meet shoppers and see whether their behaviour had changed (and to pick up some lavender and compost. He tells Deirdre Veldon what he saw, and some ways he thinks retail will be different from here on.

The argument for taking 19 private hospitals into public control was clear in late March: to avoid the overrun of our health services with cases of Covid-19, as had happened in Italy. But now with that risk diminished, the decision about what to do next is much less clear-cut. Here we dig into how the[...]

Professor Sam McConkey has been one of the most prominent communicators of the science behind the pandemic response in Ireland. Here he talks to Irish Times deputy editor Deirdre Veldon about how we will live with Covid-19 in the months and years ahead, affecting how our businesses work, making smaller school class sizes necessary, and[...]

This week the Northern Ireland Executive published plans for easing out of lockdown, going against Boris Johnsons 'Stay Alert' exit strategy. The five stage plan revealed by Stormont is subject to change and will be guided by science and not by the calendar. In today's episode, Deirdre Veldon speaks to Dr Lindsay Broadbent, a virologist[...]

This week the special committee on Covid-19 met for the first time in the Dáil chamber. Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and HSE boss Paul Reid will be the first to appear before the committee next week, which was established to consider and take evidence on the State’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. So what[...]

Tourism makes a vital contribution to the Irish economy. It’s a lucrative industry employing over a quarter of a million people, yet in the space of just a few weeks, it has completely collapsed. In today's episode Deidre Veldon speaks to Irish Times Consumer Affairs Editor Conor Pope about the future of Irish tourism. Plus[...]

On Saturday afternoon, the Minister for Business, Heather Humphreys launched the ‘Return to Work Safety Protocol’ at Government Buildings. It sets out a series of steps employers and their workers must undertake before a workplace reopens, and while it continues to operate. In this conversation with Deirdre Veldon, Ms Humphreys outlines some of the requirements[...]

There have been a number of conflicting opinions on whether face masks can prevent the spread of coronavirus in the community. In this episode, Deirdre Veldon speaks to Heath editor Paul Cullen and Science and Environment editor Kevin O'Sullivan about the reasons for and against the wearing of masks.

Coronavirus has forced us to change every aspect of our lives including the way we grieve our loved ones. While funerals are still going ahead, under current restrictions, there must be no more than ten people in attendance. We have been asked to end the familiar customs and traditions that help us let go of[...]

As the world continues its battle against the spread of coronavirus, testing remains one of the key ways to keep infection under control. But how can we reach a level of testing which will allow the public to return to their daily lives while preventing a second wave of the disease? In today’s episode, we[...]

In today's episode, we hear from Professor Donal O'Shea, the HSE clinical lead on obesity and a consultant endocrinologist at St. Vincent's and St. Columcille's Hospitals in Dublin. Prof O'Shea speaks to Deirdre Veldon about the worrying decline in patients seeking primary care and the research which shows obesity and diabetes are major risk factors[...]

In today's episode Deirdre Veldon speaks to Irish Times political correspondent Jennifer Bray and Health Editor Paul Cullen about the roadmap for reopening Ireland as announced by Leo Varadkar on Friday evening. Most of the current restrictions will remain in place until May 18th and will be eased in stages, three weeks at a time.[...]

In today's episode, we hear from Irish Times Social Affairs correspondent Kitty Holland, who has been speaking to people availing of homeless services across Dublin City. At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, over 10,000 people in Ireland were registered as homeless and in recent weeks the demand on services has greatly increased. For those[...]

Yesterday French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced plans to ease lockdown restrictions in France. To find out more, Deirdre Veldon talks to Paris correspondent Lara Marlowe.

'The Hammer and the Dance' are terms used by Tomas Pueyo to describe two stages of Coronavirus management. The Hammer - major restrictions on most normal social activities - is where we are now. The Dance - managing to return to something like normality without allowing the virus to spread - is where we want to be.[...]

Today we hear from Diarmuid Ó’Dálaigh, owner of Oaklodge Nursing Home in Cloyne, Co, Cork. With sixty five residents, Oaklodge specialises in the care of those with dementia and so far, has no recorded cases of the virus. Almost half of the Covid-19 deaths in Ireland have been in nursing homes and the government has[...]

Coronavirus has put airlines and travel firms under unprecedented strain and consumers are baring the brunt of it. Airlines are holding back on refunds and pressing customers to take vouchers instead. The whole affair calls into question public confidence in airlines, which may have an impact on their very uncertain future. Irish Times consumer affairs[...]

Over the last week, small protests have been popping up across the US demanding the reopening of the country and its economy. Exasperated Americans took to the streets with signs and flags, with some holding rifles. Trump has handed control over to each state governor to implement a phased reopening, when the time is right.[...]

In today’s episode we hear from Jane Stout, a professor with the school of natural sciences at Trinity College Dublin. As an ecologist, Jane explores the link between the climate change crisis, global biodiversity loss and the increasing frequency of disease outbreaks across the world. So how has human interference in the natural world contributed[...]

Ireland may have to cope with repeated waves of Covid-19 epidemics until a large enough proportion of the population is infected to provide possible herd immunity, new research warns. But does that mean we have to stay locked down indefinitely, or is there a different strategy that can allow us to manage the disease? Dr[...]

The Leaving Cert class of 2020 might be the unluckiest ever. Covid-19 has upended the familiar rite of passage and left students feeling uncertainty, worry, stress and a bit of anger too. Education editor Carl O'Brien explains why the government made its decision to postpone the Leaving Cert, and the obstacles that still have to[...]

Europe correspondent Naomi O'Leary explains the new role the European Commission is taking on, setting out a "road map" for member states to end their pandemic lockdowns. What does ending a lockdown look like, and what is the role of your smartphone? Plus, remember Brexit?

After 76 days shut off from the rest of the world, China has finally lifted its lockdown order on the city of Wuhan. Now begins the process to resume normal life and get businesses back up and running. Wuhan is home to just over 11 million people, many of whom have not been able to[...]

As we enter yet another week in lockdown, many aspects of our lives have been placed on hold, but when it comes to pregnancy and labour, there is no pause button. How have Irish maternity hospitals adapted in the crisis and how are new parents coping with the stricter rules and regulations? In this episode,[...]

We're facing at least two more weeks of the current restrictions, and probably many more in one form or another. Pete Lunn, a behavioural economist with the Economic and Social Research Institute, talks about what will drive people to abide by, or break, the social distancing and stay-at-home rules in the weeks ahead. But first[...]

As the coronavirus outbreak forces us all to stay apart, technology is playing a crucial role in keeping us all connected. From online lessons, business meetings over zoom and Saturday nights spent on Houseparty with friends; interactions are now predominantly taking place in a virtual world. In this episode we hear from Irish Times tech[...]

To protect themselves from Covid-19, all those over 70 have been asked to "cocoon" - basically to stay at home all day, every day. How are they finding it? We ask cocooners Gemma, Kieran and Mary. And then we talk to Professor Des O'Neill, a specialist in geriatric medicine and director of the Centre for[...]

A recent study from the US has shown that countries with high BCG vaccination rates have fewer coronavirus deaths. This may be due to the known immunological benefits of the vaccine. Trials have now begun in Australia and The Netherlands to test whether the vaccination can prevent thousands of healthcare workers from becoming infected. To[...]

Berlin correspondent Derek Scally on the response to the pandemic in Germany, which has seen over 100,000 cases but yet reported far fewer deaths than Spain, Italy, the UK or France.

In this episode, we hear from Mary Leahy, the National Coordinator for Nurse/Midwife Safety, Health and Wellbeing. Mary has been instrumental in raising funds for much needed personal protection equipment for health care workers in Ireland. She recently set up the 'Heroes Aid' Go Fund Me Campaign which has raised over €55,000 for PPE and[...]

Dr Jack Lambert is a consultant in infectious disease at the Mater Hospital. In this in-depth conversation about Ireland's approach to the coronavirus outbreak, Dr Lambert tells Irish Times deputy editor Deirdre Veldon that testing in Ireland at its current rate won't be sufficient to "flatten the curve", and identifies other problems, too.

As India begins a second week under complete lockdown, we hear from Rahul Bedi, an Irish Times contributor based in New Delhi. Last week, In his address to the nation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that if action was not taken over these 21 days of lockdown, “it would set India back 21 years”.[...]

Dr Zoe Lynch is a young Irish medic who has recently returned home to Ireland to join in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. As Australia prepared to go into lockdown and airlines began cancelling flights, Zoe set about organising a rescue flight which brought nearly one hundred Irish doctors back to our shores. She[...]

What steps do we need to take to protect the economy and give ourselves a chance to bounce back quickly when it ends? We ask David McWilliams and Chris Johns for some ideas. Plus, Cliff Taylor has the latest economic figures, including a sliver of positive news.

It was another eventful weekend. To help make sense of the reasons for the new restrictions, and to understand how prepared our system is for a virus that's proving difficult to thwart, we talk to health editor Paul Cullen.

In today’s episode we speak with Dr. Oisin O’Connell, a respiratory consultant at the Bons Secours hospital in Cork. Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues have been in regular conversation with medical professionals in Italy and China, in a bid to stem the outbreak here in Ireland. So what have they learned from their counterparts in[...]

In this episode, Science and Environment Editor Kevin O’Sullivan brings us up to speed on the latest developments of the coronavirus vaccine. As Covid-19 spreads rapidly across the world, research is taking place at breakneck speed. It is a global effort involving many different countries, institutions and individual researchers, all facing huge challenges along the[...]

Yesterday the government announced new restrictions on personal movement and businesses, and also gave details of new measures to help those left out of pocket by the outbreak. What does it all mean for you? We ask Conor Pope.

In this episode, we hear from Irish Times digital journalist Glen Murphy who tested positive for Covid-19 just two weeks ago. This was the first case of coronavirus within The Irish Times and led to a complete closure of the office, with all staff asked to work remotely. Despite developing a high fever, persistent cough[...]

Today we talk to Sinead Walsh. Sinead was Ireland's ambassador to Sierra Leone and Liberia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and is currently the EU's ambassador to South Sudan. South Sudan doesn't yet have its first confirmed case of Coronavirus, but is a country massively reliant on foreign aid. That's coming under threat from Coronavirus[...]

First: Cliff Taylor on measures announced today by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. Then: Denis Staunton on the UK's confused and confusing response to the outbreak.

Podcast producer Suzanne Brennan talks to psychologist Mark Smyth about how to handle the anxiety many are experiencing as the Coronavirus outbreak continues and intensifies.

A new daily podcast about the Coronavirus outbreak in Ireland, hosted by Irish Times deputy editor Deirdre Veldon. It seems certain that the Coronavirus outbreak is going to worsen int he days ahead, and tougher restrictions may be applied to us all as we try to slow down the spread of the virus. But what[...]

A new podcast from The Irish Times covering the Coronavirus outbreak. On this episode, health editor Paul Cullen talks about how we should maintain distance between children who are now off school and their friends and also elderly relatives. And we find out about a case from the US that tells us a lot about[...]

Italy is in lockdown, but in The Netherlands there is a strangely calm response to growing rates of coronavirus infection. Naomi O'Leary on Europe's mixed response to the outbreak.  It is nine years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. This summer, part of Japan's motive for hosting the Olympic Games is to demonstrate how it has got to[...]

Not long ago he was written off but, following Super Tuesday primaries in fourteen states that handed him key victories and renewed momentum, Joe Biden is back and once again the front-runner to take on Donald Trump later this year. How did it come about, and where do the other candidates now stand? Suzanne Lynch is[...]

As the Covid-19 coronavirus spreads in Italy, Iran and elsewhere, we talk to health editor Paul Cullen about what we have learned about the disease so far. And we return to Peter Goff in China, to find out how life there has been affected by the implementation of strict measures designed to counter the spread[...]

Lara Marlowe on a complex and bizarre sex scandal that has robbed French President Emmanuel Macron of a potential ally and raised questions over the possibility of foreign interference in the democratic process.

Derek Scally on the shock resignation of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (or AKK), Angela Merkel's anointed successor, as leader of joint-ruling party CDU. AKK's authority had been undermined by the striking of a deal, against her wishes, between the CDU and the far-right Alternative for Germany party at the regional government level. What does the affair tell[...]

Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch reports from Des Moines on the recent chaos at the Iowa caucus. And as trade negotiations begin between Britain and the EU, Patrick Smyth in Brussels reveals who has the strongest hand.

An outbreak of disease caused by a new virus is spreading throughout China and beyond its borders. The death toll has risen to 106 and the number of infected is over 4,500. Our correspondent in China Peter Goff describes cities in lockdown, mass screening for fever and some panic buying as the state struggles to[...]

Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch on what to watch out for as the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump begins. And Dan McLaughlin is back in Kiev to find out how the involvement of Ukraine in the scandals surrounding Trump is affecting the troubled nation's relationship with the US, Russia and Europe.

In this episode, Chris Dooley is joined by Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden, who spent the Christmas break on board The Alan Kurdi, a migrant rescue ship which patrols an area close to the Libyan coast. It’s a 70 year old former fishing vessel run by the German charity Sea-Eye, which now tackles daring rescue[...]

This week we're focussing on the fallout from the assassination by a US drone strike of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani. Thomas Wright, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, calls the killing a strategic mistake by the US in the Middle East despite the legitimacy of Suleimani as a target. And[...]

To mark the end of the year, we ask four of our regular correspondents to reflect on a moment or event that defined 2019 for them. Suzanne Lynch, Denis Staunton, Paddy Smyth and Lara Marlowe.

London editor Denis Staunton on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's declaration that he will pass a law requiring Brexit to be complete by the end of 2020 - no extension of the transition period, then. What are the implications? And New Delhi-based journalist Rahul Bedi on the passing of controversial new citizenship laws that India's[...]

As the UK Election campaign enters it's final phase, London Editor Denis Staunton joins Chris Dooley to discuss what turned out to be a 'disastrous' day for Boris Johnson this week. With just two days to go until the vote, how will Labour use this to their advantage? Also, during a tense meeting in Paris[...]

Donald Trump touched down in London earlier today to attend the Nato summit, alongside 28 other world leaders. However, on the 70th anniversary of the military alliance, it’s future looks less certain than ever. Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch joins Chris Dooley to discuss the fraught build up to the gathering and what outcome we can[...]

The China Cables are leaked documents which detail the inner workings of the controversial detention centres in the Xinjiang region of China. An estimated one million ethnic minority Muslims are believed to be held within these camps under harsh and cruel conditions. Irish Times journalist Colm Keena is a member of The International Consortium of[...]

Denis Staunton on the risks facing Boris Johnson as he gears up to debate Jeremy Corbyn in a televised head-to-head debate. And from Washington, Suzanne Lynch on the key moments in the impeachments process so far.

The Vox party in Spain has become the thirst largest political party in the country, but with their controversial views on feminism, separatism and migration, how has this come about? Guy Hedgecoe joins us from Barcelona to discuss the meteoric rise of the far right in Spain. Later: With Nigel Farage declaring the Brexit Party[...]

As a six-week election campaign in the UK begins officially today, London editor Denis Staunton talks to foreign editor Chris Dooley about the various parties contesting the race, what their goals are, what challenges they face and, of course, how the Brexit factor plays into it all.

Paris correspondent Lara Marlowe talks to foreign editor Chris Dooley about the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, his successes and failures, and the major challenges he faces as he reaches the mid-point of his five-year term. How has France changed since he came into office, and how has the experience of leadership changed his politics?

London Editor Denis Staunton explains the forked paths and numerous pitfalls facing Boris Johnson as he tries to get his Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the House of Commons. Recorded at 2.30 pm on Tuesday, October 22nd.

On Monday, lengthy prison sentences were handed down by Spain’s supreme court to Catalan politicians involved in the organisation of an independence referendum two years ago. The 13-year sentences sparked protests across the region, reigniting the territorial crisis that has dominated Spanish politics in recent years. Guy Hedgecoe has the latest from Barcelona. Later: US[...]

From Brussels, Patrick Smyth on how the EU views Boris Johnson's Brexit proposals, where the problems lie, and what EU insiders think is going to happen next. From Washington, Suzanne Lynch with the latest on the accelerating scandal concerning President Donald Trump's efforts to uncover evidence of Joe Biden's corruption, a mess from which neither[...]

As the US House of Representatives moves ahead with its impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, we ask just how much trouble the US president might be in. Trump has, up to now, appeared to revel in the myriad controversies his term in office has been mired in, but has a tipping point now been reached?[...]

The UK’s supreme court has ruled that Boris Johnson acted unlawfully in suspending parliament for five weeks. “Parliament has not been prorogued. This is the unanimous judgment of all 11 justices,” the court said. The ruling, all the more powerful for its unanimity, is an enormous blow to the prime minister’s personal authority and has[...]

It's less than three years since a historic peace deal ended a 52-year war between the Colombian state and Farc guerrillas. Over 200,000 people were killed in that war and 7 million more were displaced. Today, the peace process is still taking root. But two weeks ago on August 29th, Colombians were shocked to see[...]

Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch on the events of the summer that has seen the lengthy list of Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential election race reduced significantly. Gone are no-hopers such as Swalwell, Moulton and Hickenlooper. Only ten will take to the stage for this Thursday night's televised debate, the third so far. Who are[...]

The House of Commons is set for a showdown as rebel Tory MPs seek to introduce legislation today, blocking a no-deal exit from EU. Prime minister Boris Johnson held a last-ditch meeting with potential rebels within his party this morning, including former cabinet ministers, but is reported to have failed in his bid to win[...]

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro found himself under the spotlight at last weekend’s G7 summit, amid international alarm at a spike in fires in the Amazon, linked to his administration’s disdain for environmental controls. Eight months after he was elected by a comfortable margin, Brazil's economy is still staggering along and Bolsonaro has so far failed[...]

The Chinese say their vocational training centres are voluntary and aimed at eradicating extremism and terrorism. Others say they are extra-judicial detention centres and part of an elaborate system to assimilate Muslims into Han China. Irish Times correspondent in China Peter Goff visited some of these centres in the country's barren northwest Xinjiang province, where[...]

The death in prison of financier Jeffrey Epstein has thrown up many questions, not least among them, how did US authorities allow this to happen? But who was Jeffrey Epstein and why was he such a notorious figure even before his arrest? Suzanne Lynch has the latest on this story from Washington. Plus: Large parts[...]

This week's podcast is a discussion with foreign policy expert Thomas Wright on: - The emergence of global "Great-power competition" - How Trump views the EU, and why the EU's 'wait-and-see' approach to Trump's presidency makes sense - The logic behind Trump's North Korea policy - The role of foreign policy in the Democratic Party's[...]

Donald Trump launched fresh attacks on black political opponents this week, labeling civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton “a con man” who “Hates Whites & Cops”. It follows comments he made on Sunday about Congressman Elijah Cummings, an African-American Democrat who represents Baltimore, describing the city as a “rodent-infested” place where “no human being would[...]

Boris Johnson is poised to become the next British prime minister after a resounding victory in the Tory leadership contest, beating his rival Jeremy Hunt by 92,153 votes to 46,656. Johnson began his career as a journalist and is the author of a number of books. London editor Denis Staunton has explored his back catalogue[...]

President Trump's tweets calling for four Democratic congresswomen to 'go back to where they came from' have elicited a strong international backlash - but not much condemnation from other Republicans. Will it matter in 2020? Meanwhile, for the Democrats the controversy may have helped heal some internal division. Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch talks to Foreign[...]

Reporter Sally Hayden talks to Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about the plight of migrants from countries across Africa and the Middle East who, while trying to make their way to Europe, have instead been detained in Libya. Some of them have talked to Sally about the conditions there, including indefinite imprisonment, forced labour and a[...]

Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch is live in studio to talk with Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about the Democratic Party primary debates, President Trump's own 2020 campaign launch, and the escalating tensions between the US and Iran.

Boris Johnson remains the front runner in the Tory leadership race. However, as his campaign appears to be faltering, Jeremy Hunt seems to be a more formidable candidate than first thought. Boris is under pressure. Can he handle it? Denis Staunton is on the line from London. Plus: Questions are being raised about the integrity[...]

The US is to send 1,000 extra troops to the Middle East, following a move last month to send 1,500 troops to the region. It comes as tensions between the US and Iran continue to escalate, amid fears that a misstep by either side could trigger a military conflict that nobody wants. Suzanne Lynch is[...]

Protesters gathered in Hong Kong last Sunday demanding a looming extradition Bill be quashed, in one of the largest rallies since the region was returned to China more than 20 years ago. The bill, if enacted, would allow for crime suspects to be extradited to mainland China to face trial. In this week's podcast China-based[...]

On the second day of his official State visit to the UK, US president Donald Trump on Tuesday promised Britain a “phenomenal” post-Brexit trade deal, suggesting Britain’s public health service should be on the table, and congratulated outgoing prime minister Theresa May. London editor Denis Staunton is on the line with the highlights from the[...]

This week's podcast features analysis of the European election results in the UK and across Europe, from Denis Staunton and Patrick Smyth. Plus, the slow race to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader and UK Prime Minister.

Less than two years after it came to power on an anti-corruption platform, the Austrian far-right Freedom Party is reeling from the resignation of its leader after an apparent sting in which he promised government contracts for campaign money. Heinz-Christian Strache stepped down as vice-chancellor last weekend after German media published footage secretly recorded in[...]

First: Theresa May’s cabinet has set the Westminster summer recess as the deadline to pass the EU withdrawal agreement bill and agreed to continue their discussions with the Labour party in a bid to reach cross party support. With pressure growing on both the prime minister and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn from within their own[...]

Europe Editor Patrick Smyth looks ahead to the EU summit in Sibiru, Romania. It was billed as a Brexit-Free opportunity to plan for Europe's future, but the failure of the UK to leave on time means the meeting still takes place in Brexit's shadow. Also looming is the probability of a realignment of power in[...]

It has been a good election for Spain's centre left Socialist Party. But incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will still have difficulty forming a government in a political landscape overshadowed by the Catalan issue. Guy Hedgecoe reports. Joe Biden launched his campaign to become the next US president at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a[...]

Brexit talks between the British government and the Labour party resume today as MPs return to Westminster following the Easter break. Prime Minister Theresa May is on borrowed time and no closer to a deal with Jeremy Corbyn, after the EU extended the UK’s withdrawal period until October 31st. Meanwhile, the anti-Brexit party Change UK[...]

The partial destruction of Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral has stunned France, a nation already suffering from social and political unrest. What do we know about the cause of the fire, and will the country unite in the face of this calamity? We ask our correspondent, and recently-naturalised French citizen, Lara Marlowe. Plus: Mark Weiss on[...]

Theresa May is expected to be granted a Brexit extension when EU leaders meet tomorrow, but the British prime minister will first have to convince the bloc that she has a credible plan in place to get a deal passed. European Council president Donald Tusk has floated the idea of a ‘flextension’ of up to[...]

Denis Staunton on the ever-narrower set of options facing UK Prime Minister Theresa May as Parliament fails to find a way forward and the April 12th Brexit deadline draws near. Plus: Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, on the electoral defeat of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in local elections[...]

The Mueller report is complete and while we only know what President Trump's Attorney General has told us about its contents, it is being interpreted as a major fillip to the Republicans and their leader. Will they now seek to take revenge? Suzanne Lynch reports. Plus: Five years after their Maidan uprising ousted Russian-backed leader[...]

Patrick Smyth in Brussels and Denis Staunton in London talk about the latest Brexit developments, including Speaker John Bercow's very consequential ruling, and why the EU is likely to agree to Theresa May's request fora short extension but may baulk at a long one.

Theresa May secured what she claimed were significant legal changes to the Brexit backstop in Strasbourg on Monday night, but it hasn’t been enough to convince MPs. With just 17 days left until the UK is due to leave the EU, the prime minister’s plan appears doomed to failure before it faces a vote in[...]

Is the net closing around Donald Trump? Certainly the pressure has intensified in recent weeks. With the publication of the Mueller report just around the corner, chairman of the House of Representatives judiciary committee Jerrold Nadler added further fuel to the fire on Monday when he said that it was "very clear" the president has[...]

First: Denis Staunton on a whirlwind Brexit week in Westminster. Driven by fear of losing control of Brexit altogether, UK Prime Minister Theresa May has given ground, meaning Brexit is much more likely to be delayed if no deal has been struck by March 29th. Later: Rahul Bedi on an air strike carried out by[...]

Guy Hedgecoe on a looming general election in Spain that may herald the return of deadlock to the Cortes Generales. What role will Vox, the new right wing party, play? Middle East analyst Michael Jansen on Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's tour of Pakistan, India and China. Cold-shouldered in the West following the killing[...]

In July 2014 Washington Post Iran correspondent Jason Rezaian was on the brink of a two-month sabbatical in the US with his wife Yeganeh when his Tehran home was raided by police. A gun was pointed at his head, he was arrested and accused of spying. Yeganeh, who is Iranian, was released after two months,[...]

First: Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch on the achievements President Trump is likely to highlight in his State of the Union address this evening. Will he use the opportunity to declare a national emergency in order to get funding for his border wall? Suzanne also reports on the twists and turns in the story of the[...]

First, Chris talks to Tom Hennigan about the political crisis in Venezuela. Protests had been growing since Nicolas Maduro began a second term as president this month. Then last week, opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself president, a move that has been recognised by more than 20 countries, including the US, which has imposed sanctions[...]

After her Brexit deal was rejected by MPs last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May returned to the House of Commons on Monday with her Plan B. Is it any different to Plan A? And, are there any other alternatives should it too be rejected by MPs? Denis Staunton is on the line from London.[...]

After more than two years of talks, British MPs will gather this evening to vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. There is no doubt the deal will be rejected by the House of Commons, but what is not clear is just how big that defeat will be. Even less clear is what comes next. On[...]

Denis Staunton from London as Westminster braces for a vote, finally, on Theresa May's Brexit deal. Has anything changed over Christmas? Suzanne Lynch from Washington on the continuing US government shutdown over President Trump's demand for border wall funding, which is about to be felt in a serious way as pay checks and food stamps[...]

Brexit has dominated the agenda in the EU throughout 2018 but today we take a look at the other major trend: how political parties on the far right have taken control in a number of member states, creating new tensions between those states and the European Union. What are the policies that challenge the authority[...]

Denis Staunton on the last news from London including Jeremy Corbyn's motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May and a growing optimism among members of her government that her deal can pass. And Dan McLaughlin reports from Budapest where street protests against Hungarian PM Viktor Orban have been taking place. What is behind[...]

EU leaders have made it clear: there will be no renegotiation of the Brexit deal. So what then is left to be said? But Europe Editor Patrick Smyth says there still are things the EU can do to help Theresa May get her deal through the House of Commons. Plus: Suzanne Lynch in Washington on[...]

In a major political humiliation for French President Emmanuel Macron, a tax increase on diesel, due to take effect in January, has been suspended for six months. The spectacular climbdown came on Tuesday after weeks of protests and rioting by the so-called Yellow Vests movement that have left four people dead. A fourth demonstration, to[...]

(An earlier version of this podcast was deleted due to a problem with the audio file. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.) As the conflict in eastern Ukraine grinds towards its fifth winter, there’s still no sense of how it will end. Thirty days of martial law have been announced by President Petro Poreshenko after Russia[...]

The European Council is expected to endorse the draft Brexit withdrawal text when it meets this Sunday 25th November. Theresa May appears to have seen off the detractors within the Tory party for now, but the real challenge for the British Prime Minister will come in the form of parliamentary arithmetic when she attempts to[...]

As Brexit negotiations enter what the British prime minister Theresa May has described as the ‘endgame’, what is the likelihood of a second referendum being held? Resigning as Transport Minister last week, Tory MP Jo Johnson said it would be a democratic travesty not to go back to the people for another vote. London editor[...]

First: In Brexit negotiations over the Northern Irish border, sides have moved closer in the last 24 hours, facilitated by new forms of words over the 'backstop'. Denis Staunton explains. Later: Donald Trump recently announced he wants to tear up the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and told reporters he would increase the US nuclear[...]

Suzanne Lynch previews some key battles in next week's midterm elections for the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Plus: Tom Hennigan on why Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro's moderate victory speech should not reassure you.

The immediate threat to British Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership receded this week as she made some progress and delivered a defiant speech to the Commons on Monday, setting out four Brexit backstop solutions. But even if she strikes a deal with the EU, can Mrs May get it through the house and will she[...]

First: German chancellor Angela Merkel faces another potential state election disaster in two weeks time, after her CSU allies were punished at the polls in Bavaria at the weekend, shaking an already wobbly coalition. Berlin correspondent Derek Scally is in studio to explain what might happen next. Later: Saudi Arabia is reported to be preparing[...]

Science Editor Kevin O'Sullivan on a major new report on climate change. The report paints a dire picture of a world devastated by the effects of climate change by the middle of this century unless action is taken now. Plus: Tom Hennigan from Sao Paolo on Jair Bolsonaro's strong showing in the first round of[...]

The FBI has broadened its investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But will they find anything conclusive? Expectations are low. Democratic lawmakers are instead focussing on the judge’s embittered comments in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, arguing he demonstrated a partisan attitude unsuited to the highest[...]

Denis Staunton is in Liverpool for the Labour Party conference. The party's official stance on Brexit has always masked a deep division between principle and pragmatism. Is that about to change? Tom Hennigan reports from Sao Paolo on the candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right demagogue with a history of misogyny and a fondness for[...]

First: Historical sexual assault allegations against President Trump’s supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have complicated what had appeared to be a smooth confirmation process. Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of a 1982 sexual assault, will give their sides of the story when they testify in the Senate next Monday. With memories[...]

First: The White House press corps had their first briefing in 19 days on Monday, after weeks of a news cycle dominated by scandal. There were leaks from an explosive book by Bob Woodward offering insights into a chaotic presidency, followed closely by an anonymous and damning Oped by a senior administration staffer in the[...]

First: It's a familiar story. A far right party on the rise, causing a rightward shift across the political spectrum. It has happened across the continent and Sweden is no different, where a sense of doubt has crept in to a society once better known for its successes, but now concerned about migration and a[...]

The Ebola virus exploded in West Africa in 2014, causing the deaths of over 11,300 people. Sinead Walsh was there, serving as Ireland's ambassador to Sierra Leone, and she witnessed first-hand how the international humanitarian system operated, and failed to operate, under the toughest of circumstances. Getting to Zero, the book Walsh has co-written with[...]

What happens if the UK crashes out of the EU? On the EU side, there is a special task force dedicated to figuring just that out, while the UK is publishing numerous papers covering what will happen in all walks of life. Little, though, is certain, and much is entirely unclear. Especially unclear is what[...]

Lara Marlowe has worked at the Irish Times for the past 22 years. During that time she has reported from far-flung locations including Algeria, Kosovo, Georgia and Iraq. She was the Irish Times Washington correspondent for the first term of Barack Obama's presidency and as Paris correspondent - her current role - she has covered[...]

First: Derek Scally on the harshening of political rhetoric emanating from Bavaria, and in particular its ruling party the CSU. Later: Dan McLaughlin looks back at the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. What caused it, how did it play out, and what did it symbolise?

This week's podcast: Suzanne Lynch on the week in Washington. Ahead of crucial midterm elections, the downsides for Republicans of President Trump's tariffs are becoming clear, while Trump's deepening feud with billionaire right-wing donors Charles and David Koch threatens to further alienate elements within the party. Plus: Bill Corcoran in Zimbabwe on what we know[...]

It is 26 years since Imran Khan cemented his status as a national hero by leading its cricket team to glory in the World Cup. Throughout that time, three things have remained constant in Pakistani politics: the Sharif dynasty, the Bhutto dynasty and the powerful military. But now polls show Khan's party leading ahead of[...]

When historians reflect on Donald Trump’s presidency, will yesterday’s press conference alongside Vladimir Putin in Helsinki be seen as one of its defining moments?Trump sided with Putin over his own intelligence agencies, saying he saw no reason not to believe the Russian president when he said they did not try to fix the 2016 election.[...]

British Prime Minister Theresa May has faced down the 'big beasts', David Davis and Boris Johnson, as she pushes for a soft Brexit. It is just the first of many battles she will have to win, at home and abroad, to get Brexit over the line and keep the Conservative Party intact - potentially including[...]

This week: Derek Scally on the last-minute deal struck to save Angela Merkel's coalition government, after her Christian Democratic Party's Bavarian sister party threatened to pull the plug over immigration. But there are doubts over the legality of what is being proposed, and over whether the weakened Chancellor can endure much more political punishment. And[...]

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party claimed victory in presidential and parliamentary polls on Sunday, overcoming a revitalised opposition that in recent weeks had gained considerable momentum and looked capable of staging an upset. Stephen Starr reports on the win, which gives Erdogan sweeping executive powers and extends his grip on[...]

Two world leaders, in two key elections, 10,000 km apart: One is a political novice, whose election last Sunday threatens to undo a historic and hard won peace deal. The other has been criticised for authoritarian tendencies after 15 years in charge of his country. Tom Hennigan reports from Colombia where Iván Duque, the conservative[...]

On this week's podcast, Clifford Coonan reports from Singapore where US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in a historic summit today. Comparisons have been drawn with president Richard Nixon’s 1972 trip to China to reopen relations with Chairman Mao Zedong. But with a good deal of vagueness in the wording[...]

Guy Hedgecoe on a dramatic week when Spanish politics was turned on its head. Mariano Rajoy is out. What comes next? Dan McLaughlin on the strange story of Ukrainian journalist Andrei Babchenko, who faked his own death in order to expose an alleged Russian plot to assassinate him.

Chris Dooley talks to Patrick Smyth about Italy's unfolding constitutional and political crisis, and to Suzanne Lynch about the scarcely believable saga of the Trump-Kim Summit.

A bizarre political experiment in underway in Italy, and Brussels is watching with concern. Patrick Smyth on the makeup of the new government, its internal contradictions, its plans for the economy and immigration - and the novice who will likely become the next Prime Minister. Plus, Tom Hennigan on the reelection, widely seen as democratically[...]

Today's guest is Thomas Wright, director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Washington-based thinktank The Brookings Institute. Last summer, Thomas talked to us about his expectations of the Trump Administration in the foreign policy arena. Almost a year on, the Trump Administration has made many consequential foreign policy moves, including[...]

Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch explains the many twists and turns in the story of porn actor turned political player Stormy Daniels, and her alleged affair with President Donald Trump. Could his attempts to handle the controversy, including a payment made by attorney Michael Cohen that is now under investigation, potentially lead to his downfall?

On this week’s World View podcast, London Editor Denis Staunton reports on the appointment of Conservative MP Sajid Javid as Home Secretary following the resignation of Amber Rudd. The son of Pakistani immigrants, Mr Javid has promised action on the Windrush immigration targets scandal that led to the exit of his predecessor. Described as unsentimental,[...]

This week podcast features Beijing Correspondent Clifford Coonan on the historic inter-Korean summit taking place at Panmunjeom in the Demilitarized Zone this week. How did we get here, and what are the two nations hoping to achieve? The Korea summit will also be watched closely in Washington, where our correspondent Suzanne Lynch is covering the[...]

London Editor Denis Staunton on the two stories dominating Westminster this week: Theresa May's decision to join the United States and France in bombing Syria last weekend, and the appalling treatment of a group of immigrants who were welcomed to the United Kingdom as children but have lately found their lives becoming more difficult.

This week's podcast.

Hungarians head to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections whose results may have consequences across Eastern Europe, says Dan McLaughlin on this week's podcast. At stake in Budapest is Prime Minister Victor Orban's supermajority in parliament, which he has used to push through a number of authoritarian reforms. On the campaign trail Mr Orban[...]

Ireland today joined the collective move by western nations against Russia, announcing that one diplomat is to be expelled after a nerve attack on a former Russian agent earlier this month. It follows similar declarations by 16 other EU countries on Monday, as tensions between Russia and the West deepen over the attack on Sergei[...]

"I've covered a lot of financial scandals in French politics.... they usually get off". Lara Marlowe talks to Chris about the latest financial scandal to cross her desk: the arrest of former president Nicolas Sarkozy on suspicion of taking illegal cash donations from the late Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi. And it's been yet another significant[...]

Theresa May says it's “highly likely” that Russia was behind the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a military-grade nerve agent in Britain. Denis Staunton has the latest from London. Also, Clifford Coonan reports from Shanghai, after China’s rubber-stamp parliament cleared the way for Xi Jinping to rule indefinitely at[...]

A hung parliament in Italy and the prospect of a government led by one of two populist parties has caused a considerable amount of nervousness in Brussels. The maverick, eurosceptic Five Star Movement, which before the election rejected any prospect of a coalition government, has softened that stance since emerging the victor with 32 per[...]

Another week, another milestone on the road to Brexit. This week features three such markers: a speech by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that has caused a fresh headaches for Prime Minister Theresa May, a speech from May herself (to come on Friday) and the release of a crucial document by the EU. London Editor Denis[...]

The surge in support for populist parties across Europe in recent years is well documented. Right-wing populists are in office in Poland, Hungary and Austria, and in the Czech Republic, recently re-elected president Milos Zeman campaigned on an anti-immigration and Eurosceptic agenda. Next month in Italy, the Five Star Movement could capitalise on anti-immigration sentiment[...]

Today's podcast focusses on Colombia. It is now over a year since the government ratified a peace deal with Farc rebels that had been rejected by a narrow majority in a referendum. Today, progress is stalling as the country faces into national elections. Many citizens still struggle to tolerate the normalisation of former guerilla fighters,[...]

The UN estimates that more than 200 million women and girls around the world have undergone female genital mutilation. Today has been designated UN Zero Tolerance Day on FGM, and on today's podcast reporter Sally Hayden describes her recent visit to the Karamoja region of Uganda in east Africa. In parts of Karamoja, FGM is[...]

Former Brazilian president Lula da Silva, the charismatic man of the people once dubbed 'the most popular politician on Earth' by Barack Obama, is barred from contesting the country’s presidential elections in October, after his conviction for corruption was upheld on appeal last week. Lula, who has two appeals left, has the support of 33[...]

On today's podcast: Suzanne Lynch on the government shutdown in Washington and what next for President Trump and Congressional Democrats and Republicans. Derek Scally on the tortuous path to a new 'grand coalition' between Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the reluctant Social Democrats, and how the two major parties have not come to grips with[...]

Sean Spicer talks to Irish Times Foreign Editor Chris Dooley about his time in the West Wing, the nature of his former role, the contents of Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury, the Mueller investigation and more.

Islamic State, or ISIS, has lost 98% of its territory in Iraq and Syria. But it persists, and even as its enemies declare victory, recent fatal attacks across the world, from New York to Kabul, remind us of the threat it still poses. Rukmini Callimachi is a three-time Pulitzer-nominated reporter covering terror groups for The[...]

The death toll is still rising in Iran as protests continue across the country. Middle East analyst Michael Jansen says that, while economics are behind the demonstrations' unexpected strength, the spark for the protests came from conservative hardliners opposed to moderate president Hassan Rouhani, seeking an opportunity to undermine him - a move that seems[...]

Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch, Europe Editor Patrick Smyth and foreign affairs specialist Ruadhan Mac Cormaic stay down with host Chris Dooley to look back on another historic year in world affairs.

Catalonians cast ballots for the regional government on Thursday. Guy Hedgecoe reports on the campaign and some of the likely outcomes. In South Africa, the dominant ANC party has elected a new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa. Reformers hope he will be a new broom after the Zuma years, but he comes with his own baggage and[...]

Some Alabama Republicans are ignoring President Donald Trump's call to back their own party's candidate for the Senate, Roy Moore, and are instead voting for Democrat Doug Jones. But many others are still backing Moore despite accusations he sexually assaulted several underage girls. The race is on a knife edge. On today's podcast Suzanne Lynch[...]

From Barcelona, Guy Hedgecoe explains how things are shaping up for the Catalonian regional parliament's snap election in two week's time, the results of which could determine the future of the region - inside or outside Spain. In part two we talk to Richard Barrett about the threat posed by ISIS fighters returning to Europe[...]

Ratko Mladic, commander of ethnic Serb troops in Bosnia’s 1992-5 war, has now been convicted of genocide and jailed for life. But for years to come his victims and many others will continue to be unearthed across parts of former Yugoslavia.

The collapse of negotiations to form a coalition in Germany have led many to question whether Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold power for much longer. But the Christian Democratic Union leader has confounded critics before. And the rival Social Democratic Party may decide it is in its interests to stave off a fresh election, says[...]

Prime Minister Theresa May is facing trouble on every front: in her Cabinet, in Westminster, with Taoiseach Varadkar and Minister Coveney in Dublin, and at the Brexit negotiating table. Who would want her job? Denis Staunton is on the line from London. In part two: heads were turned toward Poland last weekend as an Independence[...]

This week's podcast features Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch and Middle East analyst Michael Jansen.

Suzanne Lynch reports from Washington as the city comes to grips with the indictment of former Trump campaign personnel. Former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates plead not guilty to 12 charges. Meanwhile it was revealed that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty earlier[...]

This week's podcast features Europe Editor Patrick Smyth and Berlin Correspondent Derek Scally. The Brexit negotiations look painful from here. How do they look from Brussels? Can negotiations get back on track? Is the problem of the Irish border still high on the agenda? Plus, what are the E.U. institutions' attitudes to political unrest in[...]

This week's podcast.

As a candidate, President Trump promised to rip up the Iran nuclear deal. Is he about to partially fulfil that promise by refusing to certify that the Iranians are keeping their side of the bargain? Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch explains how all sides - Trump, the Iranians, Republicans in Congress and the other international signatories[...]

Guy Hedgecoe, who reports from Spain for The Irish Times, talks to David McKechnie about the events of the weekend in Catalonia as a prohibited vote on independence went ahead, the atmosphere there now, and whether Catalonian attitudes have much changed following the police crackdown that caused hundreds of injuries and faced widespread condemnation.

In Spain, conflict between Madrid and Catalonia has reached a new high, but it is still not clear whether an independence vote will take place on Sunday. Guy Hedgecoe reports from Barcelona. And in Germany political party Alternative für Deutschland are holding the first parliamentary meeting of a far-right party in Bundestag since World War[...]

On today's podcast we talk to Erin Kilbride of NGO Frontline Defenders who is on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees are fleeing a campaign of village torchings, extrajudicial killings and gang rape by the Myanmar military, according to survivors and international rights groups. Days away from a general[...]

"This was specifically one of the issues he said he would speak up about. Whenever American values are threatened, whenever various groups of Americans are targeted". Cody Keenan helped former U.S. president Barack Obama draft his recent statement criticising President Donald Trump's decision to end the Dreamers programme, removing legal protection from the children of[...]

Maureen Dowd, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with the New York Times talks to Chris Dooley about the Trump presidency, which she says is "the craziest thing that's ever happened in American political history". She shares her unique insight into the pressures faced by occupants of the White House and the psychology of its current tenant, and[...]

The delay in dealing with the case of Ibrahim Halawa has left Irish observers with a negative view of Egypt's human rights record. It is a view apparently shared by the U.S. State Department, which last week cut $300 million in military and economic aid to the country and its president Abdel el-Sisi, a leader[...]

In eastern Ukraine people are still being killed every day in a conflict between the Kiev government and Russian-backed separatists. And the conflict could be set to intensify. The two sides are drawing nearer, and the Unites States is ramping up its material support for Kiev, defying expectations of a Putin-friendly Trump presidency. Dan McLaughlin[...]

Why did it take Donald Trump several days to explicitly renounce the racist groups behind a weekend protest that turned violent and left one counter-protester dead? Suzanne Lynch on the fallout from Charlottesville, the enduring, painful legacy of slavery in the United States and how the White House could change following this latest crisis. And[...]

Our Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch is travelling south from the capital city through states that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. It's a region divided by race, class and political dispensation. What she has heard will not be welcome news to those who would wish the Trump presidency to end prematurely.

In Venezuela, the arrest of opposition leaders and the establishment of a new assembly with no opposition representation is a major rupture with the nation's democratic past. At the same time, economic breakdown could imminently lead to a 'complete social collapse', says our correspondent in South America Tom Hennigan. But newly applied U.S. sanctions on[...]

It has become a truism that the global order is weakening and American power in particular is on the wane. But what should or can be done to arrest the decline? Should the U.S. now step back, having failed to spread liberal democracy to Russia, China and the Middle East? In a new book, Thomas[...]

Article 155 has been called “the biggest taboo in the constitution” of Spain. That's because it grants unspecified but potentially broad powers to the government and could be used to forestall a push for Catalonian independence. Guy Hedgecoe reports. But first we hear from Ruadhan Mac Cormaic about how malnutrition or even starvation threatens a[...]

Donald Trump jnr was told by the publicist Rob Goldstone that he had information “that would incriminate Hillary Clinton and her dealings with Russia” and that the information was “part of Russia and its government’s support” for Trump, the president’s eldest son has revealed. Suzanne Lynch has the details. And in London Prime Minister Theresa[...]

So you don't have to, Lara Marlowe reread all 18 pages of President Macron's highly unusual "State of the Union" style address. She breaks it down for us. But first we talk to Canadian journalist Jared Lindzon about another popular young leader, Justin Trudeau, and how his popularity is strangely dependent on Donald Trump.

The latest on the Republican Party's struggle to pass legislation replacing Obamacare, and what failure means for Donald Trump's young presidency. A report from Berlin on the latest twists and turns on the run-in Germany's general election campaign. Chancellor Angela Merkel is leaving few hostages to fortune by making canny, perhaps cynical, policy shifts. And[...]

Today Republicans are hoping voters in Georgia's Sixth Congressional District will choose their party's candidate again, as they have four decades straight. But the race is tight. How did this red district turn purple? Is Donald Trump to blame? And why is Barack Obama appearing in Republican attack ads? Suzanne Lynch reports. The murder of[...]

The leaders of France and the United Kingdom are having very different weeks. Theresa May's occupancy of Number 10 is perhaps fatally threatened after she failed to secure the overall majority and must now rely on the DUP for support. In light of Brexit, the result has huge implications for Ireland and Europe as well[...]

Another terror attack, this time in London, has placed security issues firmly on the political agenda just days ahead of a general election in the United Kingdom. From London Denis Staunton reports on the final days of the campaign. Meanwhile in Yorkshire, Conservatives are eyeing a seat safely held by Labour since 1931. It's one[...]

In Britain the general election is back on. As the campaign progresses, its beginning to look like the likely winners will feel like losers and the losers will be quite pleased with themselves, says London Editor Denis Staunton. Angela Merkel has been criticised in some quarters for her comments on the necessity for Europe to[...]

Denis Staunton, our London Editor, is in Manchester today where a bomb killed 22 people last night including several children. Denis assesses the particular depravity of this assault on the innocent, and the wider implications for UK security and politics. And, as controversies at home continues to grow, President Trump is on first major foreign[...]

On the podcast this week: Washington Correspondent Suzanne Lynch on the latest scandal to embroil Donald Trump's White House. Iran analyst Ellie Geranmayeh on the issues and candidates in next weekend's presidential election. Voters are unhappy that the lifting of sanctions made possible by last year's nuclear deal is yet to deliver much economically. And[...]

On the podcast today, Lara Marlowe explains what comes next for France after the election of Emmanuel Macron last weekend. And Rosita Boland tells us about her recent trip to Laos, reporting on the horrific legacy of unexploded bombs dropped on the country by the United States Air Force. Rosita's trip to Laos was supported[...]

Part one: Denis Staunton and Pat Leahy on a pivotal weekend in Europe. Just as we were celebrating the outcome of an EU Brexit Summit that contained a commitment to protecting Ireland’s interests in any Brexit deal, news emerged of a disastrous conversation between Theresa May and Commission President Jean Claude Juncker. A report of[...]

Part one: How can Emmanuel Macron, a political neophyte, govern in the Élysée Palace? (That is, if he beats Marine Le Pen in the second round of French presidential elections two weeks from now, as polls strongly predict he will.) And what will his victory mean for Europe's diminished political centre ground? Or for tortuous[...]

This week's podcast is all about political power and the ballot box. In the United Kingdom, Theresa May is gambling that a snap election will give her a mandate to push Brexit through with authority, says London Editor Denis Staunton. In France, the rising popularity of left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has made an uncertain presidential[...]

What is President Trump’s plan for Syria? That’s the million dollar question, says Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch in the latest episode of the World View podcast. Last week’s US missile attack on Shayrat air base in response to a suspected gas attack by Assad forces that killed 86 people in the town Khan Sheikhoun, marked[...]

As well as throwing the delicate balance of power in Syria into further confusion, the missile attack on a Syrian air base ordered by Donald Trump has won support from traditional conservatives and foreign allies, but been condemned by many of his own supporters as well as the Russians. Suzanne Lynch provides analysis of the[...]

A little storm has erupted over promises from the European Union that Spain will have a veto on any post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK affecting Gibraltar. London Editor Denis Staunton has the latest on the British reaction to news, following over the top comments by former Conservative leader Michael Howard that[...]

On the eve of Theresa May's triggering of article 50, kick-starting the Brexit divorce proceedings, Denis Staunton reports from London where there have been attempts to wind down tensions as both sides prepare for negotiations. Michel Barnier this week warned Britain of the colossal "bar bill" it must agree to pay to the EU before[...]

After her bruising election defeat, Hillary Clinton, one of the most scrutinised women in history, may be "ready to come out of the woods", she told a St Patrick's Day event last week. On this week's podcast we talk to Amy Chozick, a New York Times reporter who has written about Clinton's career since 2007,[...]

Just as Theresa May prepares to pull the trigger on Article 50 and start Britain's departure from the EU, Scotland’s first minister has thrown a spanner in the works with plans for a second referendum on Scottish independence. Denis Staunton reports from London, where the Brexit stakes have been raised by Nicola Sturgeon who will[...]

Part One: President Trump has empowered immigration 'police' to deport more migrants. Now those with minor convictions or marks on their record are at risk. Fear is spreading among migrant communities, says Suzanne Lynch in Washington. Part Two: Some of the content of Mark Zuckerberg's recently published 6,000 word manifesto on the future of Facebook[...]

Part One: Donald Trump's behaviour has whipped liberal opponents into a frenzy over the past weeks. But is his chaotic presidency really in crisis and facing a premature end? Not likely, says Fintan O'Toole, who talks to us from New Jersey. Part Two (15:55): Mark Weiss on what a one-state solution in Israel might look[...]

Speculation is mounting in Washington as to whose head will roll next in the Trump administration, after the resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn on Monday night. The president’s fiefdom is in chaos, with the precariousness of press secretary Sean Spicer’s position being highlighted in the US press, as well as that of Trump’s[...]

Donald Trump will have many critical dealings with the judiciary in the next four years, from picking Supreme Court justices to tweeting out criticism of those judges who oppose him. Ruadhán Mac Cormaic explains what is known about Trump's choice for SCOTUS, Neil Gorsuch, and why Democrats are in something of a bind over how[...]

On the podcast this week: Denis Staunton in London about what Theresa May's visit to the US tells us about the “special relationship” between the UK and the US and also about Donald Trump’s international philosophy – what’s it with the war on the idea of multilateralism, for long the cornerstone of international relations? Lara[...]

On the podcast this week: Simon Carswell on Donald Trump's eventful first weekend in the White House and what's on the new President's agenda in the days ahead. Stephen Starr on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan using the state to build a bigger personal fiefdom. And Clifford Coonan in Beijing talks to us about Foxconn,[...]

Theresa May's Brexit speech, a life of crime in the south of Spain and a report from Davos feature on this week's World View podcast. Prime Minister May has finally given us a few clues as to how Britain will take leave of the EU. In Ireland her commitment to preserve an open border between[...]

Back in 2015 at the height of the migrant crisis in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel met Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and asked him what was being done about false reports on refugees appearing on his social network. He said he was working on it. But in 2017 the issue of 'fake news' is seen as[...]

Happy New Year to all out listeners. To celebrate the end of 2016, we've asked some of our regular contributors to pick a cultural high points from the year that saw so many low points in world affairs. Featuring: - Denis Staunton on Glenda Jackson's performance as King Lear - Lara Marlowe on a battlefield[...]

Approaching the end of his tenure as Washington Correspondent for The Irish Times, Simon Carswell joins Patrick Smyth to reflect on a tumultuous period in America. Happy Christmas and thanks to all our listeners in 2016.

Angela Merkel is expected to come under further pressure to take a hard line on law and order following Monday night’s attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, says Berlin Correspondent Derek Scally. He spoke to The Irish Times World View podcast from the city where 12 people have been killed and 48 others injured,[...]

In Aleppo "the situation, which has been so horrifying for so long, is coming to an apex and possibly a very bloody conclusion," says Daniel Gorevan, Syria crisis policy director with Oxfam. There are reports of government-allied militias going from house to house shooting civilians, says Daniel, while survivors describe their friends and family being[...]

South Korea’s National Assembly has voted to impeach president Park Geun-hye and suspended her authority after a corruption and influence peddling scandal that has seen huge protests in the capital Seoul. Clifford Coonan explained how the scandal developed on a recent episode of World View.

Angela Merkel's announcement that face veils should be banned in public "wherever possible" shifts a reversal in her position on the issue and an attempt to fend off populist forces. The remark will be welcomed by the conservative right wing of her Christian Democratic Party, who have been frustrated by her approach to the migrant[...]

Francois Fillon has emerged as the centre-right contender for the 2017 french presidency. Who is Fillon and what are his views? His broadly Thatcherite views will give Marine la Pen plenty of points of discussion in the the lead up to the election, says Lara Marlowe. Israel always has a vested interest in the outcome[...]

Having a "shaman adviser", as South Korean president Park Geun-hye does, is not as much of a problem for South Koreans as we here might expect, says our Beijing Correspondent Clifford Coonan. But Koreans do have a problem with political corruption, an alleged case of which now embroils the president and her adviser both. Germany's[...]

The ripples set off by Donald Trump’s election across the Atlantic are feeding into Europe’s election cycle. We talk to Lara Marlowe in Paris and Derek Scally in Berlin about what this means for France’s presidential election next year and the rerun of Austria’s presidential election in December. In both cases, candidates of the far-right[...]

So, what now? How will president-elect Trump influence the world when in power? There are few certainties, and Trump has taken contradictory positions on many issues. But there are three points on which he has been consistent throughout his campaign and before, argues Tom Wright of the Washington think-tank Brookings Institute - and they should[...]

Donald Trump looks certain now to pull off one of the greatest upsets in political history by beating Hillary Clinton to the White House. How did he do it, and how did the pundits get it so wrong? Hugh Linehan talks to Simon Carswell and Ruadhan Mac Cormaic, who are in New York at the[...]

Britain has hit a fresh snag on its way out the European door. As we know, Britain must trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the EU. But today's court ruling that parliament must vote on Article 50 has the potential to severely complicate an already complex process, if not to derail it[...]

Today's World View podcast features reports from Florida on the US presidential race, from Moscow on how the campaign is being viewed there, and a discussion of Ireland's role in UN nuclear policy. With time running out to overtake Clinton, Donald Trump is visiting states seen as unlikely to vote for a Republican, like New[...]

How influential would Elizabeth Warren be in a Clinton Administration? Maybe it is too early for that kind of talk, but with Trump still slumping in the polls, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats might be forgiven for thinking ahead to November 9th and down the ballot to Senate and House races. Simon Carswell reports. They've[...]

Ahead of Wednesday's presidential debate in Las Vegas, an embattled Donald Trump seems to be preparing ground for defeat, going as far as questioning the veracity of the voting process itself. Ruadhán Mac Cormaic joins us on the line from Nevada. Will the EU act "to stop the massacre of the population of Aleppo"? Our[...]

As pundits struggle to find the words to describe Donald Trump's performance in the US presidential election over the last week, Donald himself is continuing his campaign and leaving the Republican Party leadership in a lose-lose situation. Simon Carswell reports from the campaign trail in Ohio. In Italy, a referendum on political reform, a cornerstone[...]

British Prime Minister Theresa May has come off the fence on the side of a "hard" Brexit. But what does that mean, for life on these islands and for May politically? London Editor Denis Staunton has the latest. In Colombia the rejection by referendum voters of a peace deal with communist militia FARC has left[...]

On this bonus episode of World View we bring you reflections on the state of British politics post-Brexit, and on Englishness, immigration and the state of the Union, from the commentator, columnist and former Tory and Thatcher aide, Sir Ferdinand Mount. He has just published a book of his essays on English public figures in[...]

Simon Carswell and Paddy Smyth look at last night's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton: - high and low points for both candidates - Clinton's canny debate strategy - Trump veering off message - where does the campaign go from here?

On World View this week: one year ago the EU laid out its plan for member states to take their fair share of asylum seekers. Today it is clear the plan has not worked. Ireland has taken only 69 of its promised 2,600 refugees. What's the hold-up? Ruadhán Mac Cormaic reports. In part two, Derek[...]

Uncertainty over the reported timeline of events culminating in Hillary Clinton's near-collapse outside a 9/11 commemoration has allowed her opponents to repeat the claim that she is not honest or trustworthy enough to be president. On this week's World View podcast Simon Carswell reports on the turn of events and how damaging they are to[...]

On the podcast this week: The minister with responsibility for Brexit, David Davis, yesterday gave a speech to the House of Commons on what progress is being made. Are we any clearer as a result? Not very much, says London Editor Denis Staunton, but there were some takeaways from the lengthy address. Denis also explains[...]

Part One: After 52 years Farc rebels have lain down their weapons in Colombia. But the legacy of death and upheaval left by their conflict with the central government present a major challenge to future peace. Former Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, now EU envoy to the Columbian peace process, explains how the settlement is designed to[...]

Part One: Middle East analyst Michael Jansen on the tragedy still unfolding in Syria and the significance of the battle for the divided city of Aleppo. Part Two: Eight months of political paralysis in Spain may at last have been broken. If it hasn't, yet another fresh election may loom. Guy Hedgecoe reports. Part Three:[...]

Part One: Donald Trump's few electoral paths to the White House are growing fewer by the week as polls show him lagging in the key swing states. One of them is Pennsylvania where, with its history of economic stagnation, his message should be resonating. Why is he failing there? Simon Carswell reports. Part Two: Scottish[...]

The ANC, the political party of Nelson Mandela, has barely lost a vote since the end of apartheid in 1994. Now it has lost control of several districts in municipal elections, in what's being called a tipping point in the nation's political history. Bill Corcoran reports from Johannesburg. Akihito, Emperor of Japan, is not allow[...]

Could Donald Trump have really gone too far this time? London Editor Denis Staunton reports on his trip to Philadelphia, where Hillary Clinton's nomination party was overshadowed by yet more controversial remarks from Trump, this time criticising parents of a dead soldier. Has he holed his campaign under the water? Plus, what do Democrats make[...]

Part One: Stephen Starr reports from Istanbul where the heavy crackdown on alleged plotters against President Erdogan is continuing. Part Two: Bavaria, and its capital Munich, is reeling from four terrorist attacks in the last week. How much pressure will this heap on Angela Merkel, and how much can she withstand? Part Three: Our Moscow[...]

Part one: Following Turkey's failed coup, President Erdogan has seized the opportunity to purge his political opponents. Some eighteen thousand have been arrested at last count, is Erdogan forcing his agenda or did the plot go that deep? To offer some insight, Ruadhan Mac Cormaic reports from Istanbul. Part two: "A most unconventional conventional", is[...]

Lara Marlowe reports from the scene of the attacks in Nice, France that have left 84 dead and hundreds injured.

Part One: Race relations in the United States, always fragile, hit a low point in the last week with the shooting of police officers in Dallas, in apparent retaliation for the shooting of African Americans. Simon Carswell reports on the aftermath of the bloodshed and how it is spilling over into the election campaign. Part[...]

Part One - Who will be the next Tory leader? Tough, pragmatic Theresa May, who has survived the 'political graveyard' of the Home Office longer than any other politician? Charming ideologue Michael Gove, whose reputation for courtesy belies a willingness to wield the political knife? Or Andrea Leadsom, a hardline Leaver? Denis Staunton reports from[...]

Historian Timothy Garton Ash has called Brexit the “upending of politics and middle-class assumptions in both the developed and the developing worlds". On World View Patrick Smyth and a panel discuss the significance of Brexit in historical terms, Britain's relationship with Europe, and some of the practical implications for Britian, Europe and Ireland. On the[...]

Irish Times correspondents Denis Staunton, Suzanne Lynch and Amanda Ferguson report from London, Brussels and Belfast on Britain's vote to leave the European Union that has shocked the world this morning.

Part 1: With the vote for Britain's membership of EU imminent Paddy Smyth speaks with our London Editor Denis Staunton about the reaction from both sides to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, Cameron's middle England appeal and what next for the PM should the Leave vote prevail. Part 2: Kevin Cullen of the[...]

The vote that may profoundly change Europe is one week away, and on this special edition of World View we look at the campaign, the polls and the voters. In London Denis Staunton reports on how discredited UK pollsters are trying to up their game ahead of next Thursday's vote. Newton Emerson says this is[...]

Part One: Simon Carswell updates us on the Clinton and Trump campaigns. Clinton is upping her game, while Trump is... still Trump. Part Two (15.30): Leave is ahead in some polls and Brexit is beginning to look less unlikely. How are the Brexiteers doing it? Denis Staunton reports. Part Three (23.50): Micheal Jansen explains the[...]

Will strikes in France scupper the travel plans of millions headed for the Euro 2016? The strikes are intensifying at the worst possible time, but there is cause for optimism, reports Lara Marlowe. To explain how Trump has gone from no-hope candidate to nominee, and what the divisive billionaire needs to do in the next[...]

On this week's World View podcast Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem where the appointment of a controversial politician as defence minister marks a shift to the right for Benyamin Netanyahu against a background of increasing tensions between the government and the army. Vienna-based journalist Eric Frey is on the line from Austria, where the narrowest[...]

Back in April Berlin Correspondent Derek Scally reported on Austrian far-right presidential candidate Norbert Hofer, his policies and his party, the Freedom Party of Austria, (FPÖ) after Mr Hofer won the first round of voting on April 24th, 2016.

Part One: As the UK debates leaving the EU, other member states marked Europe Day by pressing the case for a future of further integration. Suzanne Lynch reports. Part Two: (13:30) Amidst accusations of malfeasance, Brazil's Congress voted to impeach the president Dilma Rousseff. But what of the Congress itself? Its 594 members, including suspected[...]

In France extremist fighters, imprisoned on their return from Syria, are being sent to 'deradicalisation centres' to bring them back into the fold of French society. How does it work? Doesn't it sound a bit like "A Clockwork Orange'? Lara Marlowe reports on that story from Paris, and also on the unpopular, teetering government of[...]

The row about anti-Semitism in the British Labour Party has become an exercise in name-calling, but behind the politics lies a thorny issue for public discourse in Europe and the Middle East. How are anti-Semitism and and anti-Zionism defined, and where do they overlap? Where is the line between legitimate criticism and abuse? To discuss,[...]

Part One: Donald Trump has appointed a new campaign manager. Is he about to introduce a more measured, muted Trump? Is such a thing possible? He might moderate his positions but the evidence suggests insults will continue to fly, says Simon Carswell. Part Two: Austria has moved one step closer to electing a far-right president[...]

The vote to impeach Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has left the country in crisis. Rouseff's supporters are calling it a coup, albeit one within the confines of the constitution. Where do Rousseff and Brazil go from here? (12.15)Bernie Sanders may be beloved by youthful Democrats, but it is likely that the New York primary will[...]

The podcast that brings you news from The Irish Times' global network of correspondents. Part one: Damian Mac Con Uladh in Greece and Suzanne Lynch in Strasbourg on the EU-Ankara deal to return migrants from Greece to Turkey. Part two: Denis Staunton on David Cameron's handling of the Panama Papers leak that linked his family[...]

The Panama Papers have revealed how close some global leaders are to a vast network of offshore wealth, insulated from prying eyes and domestic taxes by the now-famous law firm Mossack Fonseca. Dan McLaughlin and Clifford Coonan report on what the leaked documents reveal about Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Chinese[...]

In part one of this edition of World View Tom Wright joins us on the line from Washington to discuss Donald Trump's long held views on foreign policy and how his "America first" approach could prove dangerous and destabilizing should he become president. Holy but imperfect, in part two Paddy Smyth is joined in studio[...]

European Correspondent Suzanne Lynch speaks to us amid the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Brussels. Our man in Havana Simon Carswell is on the line to discuss President Barack Obama's groundbreaking visit to Cuba. Tom Hennigan reports from Brazil where ex-President Lula is under investigation for corruption and the implications that could have for[...]

In part one David McNeill talks about how Japan are marking the five year anniversary of the devastating tsunami and the costly recovery from the resulting nuclear disaster. In part two Derek Scally looks at the upsurge in support for the right wing AfD party following the German state elections and whether this should be[...]

In part one Suzanne Lynch sheds some light on a new deal the E.U. has brokered with Turkey in an effort to ease the migrant crisis gripping the Eastern Mediterranean. In part two Dan McLaughlin reports on the troubling rise of the far right in Slovakia where an unapologetically Nazi party has won eight seats[...]

In part one Simon Carswell reports on the victories for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the Super Tuesday primaries that leave the two with considerable - but not insurmountable - leads for the nominations of their respective parties. In part two Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid on the ongoing struggle of the four main[...]

Dan McLaughlin reports from the Greek-Macedonian border on the unhappy situation there for many migrants who are being refused entry to Macedonia. Gerry Moriarty explains attitudes to Brexit in Northern Ireland, where support and opposition for remaining in the EU is complicated by the region's relationship with the Republic. And Davin O'Dwyer explains why Apple[...]

Can David Cameron convince the rest of Europe to accept the deal with which he wants to fight Brexit? An EU summit on Thursday will decide whether he can start the domestic campaign against an exit vote in earnest. Suzanne Lynch and Denis Staunton explain what is at stake. The death of US Supreme Court[...]

The Syrian rebel stronghold of Aleppo is almost encircled now by Bashar al-Assad's forces. Foreign Affairs Correspondent Ruadhán Mac Cormaic details how the tide has turned against the rebels and the major role played by Russia. In part two, Paris Correspondent Lara Marlowe explains why the French are up in arms about changes to their[...]

Washington Correspondent Simon Carswell reports from Iowa where Democratic and Republican caucuses have produced a number of suprising results. Cruz managed to beat Trump but the big winner of the night was Marco Rubio who cemented his position as the establishment candidiate. London Editor Denis Staunton has read the draft deal on Brexit and outlines[...]

From Rome Paddy Agnew reports on a bill to introduce civil unions recognising same sex relationships to Italy. The Pope has intervened in the debate, but how much sway does the Catholic Church still hold? Is time up for Venezuela's socialist revolution? The fall in oil prices has caused spiraling debt and hyper-inflation in a[...]

The wealthiest 62 individuals now have as much wealth as half of the rest of us - 3.6 billion people. That's according to an Oxfam report on inequality released this week. Jim Clarken of Oxfam Ireland and Foriegn Affairs Correspondent Ruadhan Mac Cormaic discuss the implications of this striking inequality and whether it is responsible[...]

Derek Scally discusses the political and social fallout from the robberies and sexual assaults of women in Cologne and Hamburg on New Years Eve. Tsafrir Cohen of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation gives his view on the controversy over a novel about a romantic relationship between a Palestinian man and a Jewish woman, which has shot[...]

In part one Middle East Analyst Michael Jansen explains the complex background to the escalating tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia over the latter's execution last week of a prominent Shia cleric. In part two David McNeill is on the line from Tokyo to report on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's apology to Korea for[...]

2015 was a tumultuous one in world affairs as leaders struggled to cope with a range of problems, from political unrest and economic instability to global warming and the rise of violent extremism. Foreign Policy Editor Patrick Smyth asked our correspondents to reflect on a few of the individuals who played key roles in major[...]

The Greek economy and the refugee crisis presented the EU with two unprecedented challenges in 2015. European Correspondent Suzanne Lynch and Dr Paul Gillespie join Paddy Smyth to look back at a most difficult year for the European institutions. They also discuss what Brexit would mean for the EU. In part two: a landslide in[...]

Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid on the forthcoming general election in Spain, where Mariano Rajoy's centre-right party looks likely to outpoll its three rivals but may be forced into coalition with one of them. In part two Washington Correspondent Simon Carswell profiles Texas Senator Ted Cruz, "further right than Trump", who is polling ahead of[...]

This week's podcast looks at the rise of far-right, anti-migration politics in Europe. From Paris Lara Marlowe reports on the success of Marine Le Pen's anti-migrant, anti-Islam National Front party in regional elections, the normalisation of far-right politics in France and the crumbling alliance of traditional parties to keep Le Pen from power. From Stockholm[...]

In this 100th episode of World View Paddy Smyth talks to Frank McDonald in Paris and Harry McGee in Dublin about Cop 21 and Ireland's part in it. Later in the podcast he talks to Tom Hennigan in Brazil about the latest corruption scandal there. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is[...]

In this week's World View podcast Paddy Smyth discusses the rise of Europe's young jihadists with Middle East analyst Michael Jansen, Denis Staunton in London and Suzanne Lynch in Brussels. Later in the podcast he chats to Paddy Agnew in Rome about the start of the Vatican leaks trial and the Pope's upcoming trip to[...]

In this week's World View Paddy Smyth explores the aftermath of the Paris attacks with Lara Marlowe, Vincent Durac and Paul Gillespie. Later in the podcast Paddy speaks to Suzanne Lynch in Brussels to hear more about the latest news on the attacks from there. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is[...]

In this special edition of World View Paddy Smyth hears from Ruadhan MacCormaic and Lara Marlowe in Paris, Suzanne Lynch from Brussels, and Denis Staunton from London. Together they discuss what is known about these attacks, and their likely implications. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is presented by Paddy Smyth and[...]

In this week's World View podcast Patrick Smyth discusses the aftermath of the Burmese elections with Ruadhan Mac Cormaic. Later in the podcast he is joined by Dan McLaughlin to hear about the Bucharest nightclub fire which has so far resulted in 46 deaths. The tragedy has led to mass protests and the resignation of[...]

This week Paddy is joined from Beijing by Clifford Coonan who reports on the lifting of China's one-child policy and whether it will be enough to kickstart population growth in the greying country. The also look at phenomena from forced abortions to "Little Emperors" that have arisen from the decades-old restriction. In part two (8.39)[...]

In this episode of World View Patrick Smyth discusses the momentum of the Brexit referendum campaign with Denis Staunton and Paul Gillespie. In the second half of the podcast Derek Scally presents an audio column from Warsaw in the aftermath of the Polish elections which he describes as the replacement of one right leaning government[...]

In this edition of World View Patrick Smyth discusses the prospects for COP21 and France's determination to lead the charge against global warming with Harry McGee and Diarmuid Torney, author of European Climate Leadership in Question: Policies toward China and India. They also evaluate Ireland's role in this issue. Later in the podcast Patrick is[...]

In this week's World View Paddy Smyth hears about life for Syrian refugees in Jordan with Ruadhan MacCormaic following his visit there last week. They also discuss Jordan's approach to the refugee crisis and its standing within the international community. In the second half of the podcast Paddy Smyth analyses the aftermath of the bombing[...]

In this week's World View podcast Foreign Policy Editor Patrick Smyth takes over presenting duties from Denis Staunton. He begins with an essay by Derek Scally on the twin crises besetting Germany as it celebrates twenty five years of reunification. Later in the podcast he is joined by Simon Carswell to discuss the latest shooting[...]

In this week's World View Denis Staunton discusses the shift in U.S. policy towards Syria with Paddy Smyth, Michael Jansen and Isabel Gorst in Moscow. In the second part of the podcast Denis and Paddy analyse the victory of pro-independence parties in Catalonia's unofficial referendum last weekend. They are joined by Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid.[...]

In this week's World View Denis Staunton discusses the victory of Tspiras and Syriza in the Greek elections with Damian Mac Con Uladh in Athens and Paddy Smyth in Dublin. Later in the podcast Denis and Paddy hear about the migrant crisis in Croatia with Dan McLaughlin in Vukovar. Inside Politics is a weekly foreign[...]

In this week's World View podcast Denis Staunton discusses the election of Jeremey Corbyn and what it means for the UK, EU and Scotland. He is joined by Alex Massie and Paull Gillespie. In the second half of the podcast analyses the latest developments in the EU migrant crisis which this week looks to have[...]

In this week's edition of World View Sinead O'Shea discusses the EU proposal to accept more refugees with Suzanne Lynch in Strasberg. Denis Staunton talks about China's military might with Clifford Coonan in Bejing. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast.

Dan McLaughlin reports from the Hungarian-Serbian border, the crossing point for thousands of refugees fleeing Africa and the Middle East in the hope of reaching the EU. He explains the political significance of Hungary's razor-wire fence, the closing of Budapest's main train station to those lacking travel visas, and how the EU's unwelcoming stance is[...]

In this week's World View podcast Denis Staunton discusses the progress of the U.S Presidency race with Foreign Policy Editor Patricky Smyth and U.S. correspondent Simon Carswell. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

This week's podcast discuses the explosion in Tianjin, China and its broader implications for the Chinese economy. Denis Staunton is joined by Bejing correspondent Clifford Coonan. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

The presidential race in Argentina is hotting up, with a first-round result giving hope to opponents of the ruling Victory Party and a drug scandal involving one of its members threatening to tarnish its candidate Daniel Scioli and outgoing President Cristina Kirchner. Tom Hennigan reports from São Paulo. In Yemen, conflict between the Hadi government[...]

In this week's podcast Denis Staunton discusses the anniversaries of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings with David McNeill in Hiroshima. Later in the podcast he previews the Catalan vote for potential independence with Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis[...]

In this week's World View podcast Denis Stauntons hears about conditions in Damascus from Michael Jansen, and discusses the latest developments from within the EU with Suzanne Lynch. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

In this edition of World View Denis Staunton discusses the impact of the bombing at Suruc in Turkey and its likely effect on Turkish/Islamic State relations. He is joined by Michael Jansen and Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom. Later in the podcast Denis examines the German state of mind regarding the EU and Greece with[...]

This week Denis Staunton analyses the Greek deal and what it means for the future of the EU. He is joined by Suzanne Lynch in Brussels, Ruadhan MacCormaic in Athens and Cliff Taylor, Paddy Smyth and Fintan O'Toole in Dublin . Later in the podcast he discusses the latest phase of the Iran nuclear talks[...]

In this episode of World View Denis Staunton discusses the no vote in the Greek referendum within the context of the EU structure. He is joined by Ruadhan MacCormaic, Paddy Smyth, Suzanne Lynch, Paul Gillespie and Cliff Taylor. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast presented by Denis Staunton and produced by Sinead O'Shea.

This week Chris Dooley discusses the Greek debt crisis with Suzanne Lynch in Brussels and Damian Mac Con Uladh in Athens. He also hears about the latest from Tunisia with Lara Marlowe in Sousse where a gun attack last week resulted in the deaths of 38 foreign tourists. World View is a weekly foreign affairs[...]

This week Denis Staunton analyses the latest round of EU/Greek talks with Paddy Smyth, Cliff Taylor, Suzanne Lynch in Brussels and Ruadhan MacCormaic in Athens. He also hears from Dan McLaughlin in Szeged on the Hungarian border with Serbia about the efforts of the Hungarian government to keep migrants out of the country. World View[...]

In part one of this week's podcast Denis Staunton is joined by Washington Correspondent Simon Carswell and Foreign Affairs Editor Patrick Smyth to look at Jeb Bush's presidential candidacy declaration, Hillary Clinton's continued domination on the Democratic side, and whether their dynastic status harms their chances of winning the race. In part two Jerusalem Correspondent[...]

Turkey's long-ruling AK party unexpectedly lost its parliamentary majority in elections last week. Stephen Starr reports from Istanbul on the fallout for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the prospect of a coalition government. Foreign Affairs Correspondent Ruadhán Mac Cormaic is in studio to analyse what the result may mean for Turkey's global relationships and waning[...]

This week Chris Dooley hears about David Cameron's campaign for EU reforms from Mark Hennessy and Suzanne Lynch and he discusses the Turkish elections with Stephen Starr in Istanbul. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

Recent gains by ISIS in Iraq have led to criticism of both the Iraqi army by the Obama administration, and of Obama's foreign policy by his political opponents at home. Simon Carswell joins Chris Dooley to discuss the growing support for an increased US military role in Iraq. Clifford Coonan reports on reaction to the[...]

This week Denis Staunton discusses the latest situation in Macedonia with Erwan Fouere who served there previously as EU ambassador. He also hears about Modi's first year in office from Rahul Bedi in New Delhi. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. It is produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

In this week's edition of World View Denis Staunton discusses the options for the UK's participation in the EU after the latest elections with Paddy Smyth and Paul Gillespie and Daithi O'Ceallaigh who have edited a new book on the subject called Britain and Europe: The Endgame - An Irish Perspective. Later Denis hears about[...]

Denis Staunton discusses the extraordinary election results from the UK with Paddy Smyth, Mark Hennessy and Alex Massie. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast produced by Sinead O'Shea and presented by Denis Staunton.

In this week's podcast Denis Staunton discusses the latest from the UK elections with Prof. Colin Talbot, London correspondent Mark Hennessy and Foreign Policy Editor Paddy Smyth. Later he hears about new developments within the Saudi royal family from Michael Jansen. World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast. Is is produced by Sinead O'Shea[...]

In this week's edition of World View Denis Staunton discusses the latest talks between Greece and the EU, and the replacement of Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis as leader of the debt talks. Denis is joined by Suzanne Lynch, Damian Mac Con Uladh and Paddy Smyth. Later in the podcast he and Paddy hear from[...]

This week Denis Staunton discusses the loss of up to 950 people at the weekend off the coast of Libya with Paddy Smyth, Suzanne Lynch in Brussels and Paddy Agnew who is at the Cara di Mineo Refugee Camp in Sicily. In the second half of the programme Denis analyses the latest from the UK[...]

This week Chris Dooley is joined by Clinton confidant and IrishCentral founder Niall O'Dowd and The Irish Times' foreign policy editor Patrick Smyth to discuss Hillary Clinton's campaign for president, the growing field of Republican candidates that may challenge her should she win the nomination, and the high financial cost of running. Plus Derek Scally[...]

This week Denis hears about the situation in the Yarmouk refugeee camp in Damascus which has fallen under the control of Islamic State. He discusses it with Chris Gunness from UNRWA and Michael Jansen. He also analyses the latest prospects for the SNP in the upcoming British elections with Mark Hennessy in Scotland.

This week Denis Staunton discusses the burgeoning crisis in Yemen with Peter Salisbury and Michael Jansen. In the second part of the programme he analyses the start of the British election campaign with Mark Hennessy and Paddy Smyth.

Denis is joined by Mark Weiss from Jerusalem and Simon Carswell from Washington to talk about Netanyahu's victory in the election and increasing tensions with The White House. Plus, Simon gives the background to Texas Republican Ted Cruz's campaign for the presidency.

In this edition of World View Chris Dooley discusses the latest events in Russia and Ukraine with Dan McLaughlin in Crimea and Isabel Gorst in Moscow. He also hears about life in Syria from Michael Jansen in Damascus.

This week Denis discusses the Israeli elections with Mark Weiss and Ruadhan MacCormaic. He also analyses Junckers potential idea for a European army with Paddy Smyth, Suzanne Lynch and Derek Scally.

This week Denis Staunton discusses the fallout from the Boris Nemtsov killing with Paddy Smyth in Dublin and Isabel Gorst in Moscow. He also hears about the political tensions in the Maldives where former President Mohamed Nasheed faces another hearing. He is joined by Mary Boland and Maldivian journalist Azra Naseem.

In this week's edition of World View Denis discusses the latest Greek deal from Brussels with European Correspondent Suzanne Lynch and Greek Correspondent Damian Mac Con Uladh. Plus he analyses the current situation in Egypt with human rights activist Scott Long and writer Sharif Nashashibi.

This week Denis discusses the latest from Ukraine with Dan McLaughlin in Slovyansk and security issues for Jewish people in Europe with Paddy Smyth and Mark Weiss.

This week Denis discusses the next moves for Putin and Merkel in Ukraine with Jane Ann McKenna from Medecins Sans Frontieres, Paul Gillespie, Derek Scally in Berlin and Dan McLaughlin from Ukraine. He also chats about AAP's huge election result in Delhi with Rahul Bedi.

This week Denis Staunton is joined by Paddy Smyth, Guy Hedgecoe and David McNeill to discuss the options for Podemos in the wake of Syriza's election victory and the aftermath for Japan and it's government following the killing of two Japanese hostages by Islamic State.

This week Denis Stauton measures reaction across Greece, Europe and Ireland to the election of Syriza. He is joined by Damian Mac Con Uladh in Athens, Suzanne Lynch in Brussels and Arthur Beesley, Paddy Smyth and Paul Gillespie in Dublin.

In this week's show Denis reviews the new security measures being adopted across Europe in the wake of the Paris attacks. He is joined by European correspondent Suzanne Lynch.

This week Denis examines the causes and consequences of last week's Paris attacks with Lara Marlowe, Paddy Smyth and Vincent Durac.

This week Denis discusses the possibility of a Greek exit from the euro with Damian MacConUladh in Greece, Derek Scally in Berlin and Paul Gillespie and Cliff Taylor in Dublin.

Denis Staunton, Paddy Smyth and Paul Gillespie anticipate what will make the news in 2015.

This week Denis Staunton discusses the persecution of Christians across the world with Patsy McGarry and Michael Jansen.

This week Denis discusses the successful snap election called by Abe in Japan and Erdogan's crackdown in Turkey. He is joined by Paddy Smyth, David McNeill and Stephen Starr.

This week Denis Staunton discusses the Israeli elections with Paddy Smyth and Mark Weiss.

This week Denis hears from Asia Correspondent Clifford Coonan on the resurgence of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and whether the movement can sustain itself. He also discusses the successes of radical left parties in Europe, and how they resonate with the social movements of Latin America, with European Correspondent Suzanne Lynch, Latin American Correspondent[...]

This week Denis discusses the decision not to charge Darren Wilson over the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. He also analyses the options for Iran's nuclear ambitions and the leadership contest within France's UMP.

This week Chris Dooley hears from Paul Cullen about the Western response to the Ebola outbreak, the shock result in the Romanian elections and the challenges facing Obama in respect of the environment.

This week Denis hears about rising tension in the West Bank, the bid for independence in Catalonia and Ed Miliband's struggle to consolidate support within his own party.

A special podcast to mark 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall with Denis Staunton, Paul Gillespie and Patrick Smyth. Plus what's next for eastern Ukraine after Sunday's unauthorised election with Dan McLaughlin.

This week Denis discusses election results in Brazil, Ukraine and Tunisia.

Denis discusses the loss of two female ministers in the Japanese government, Ukraine's parliamentary elections and Juncker's new European Commission.

This week Denis hears about the mid terms from Simon Carswell and the surprising statements from the Vatican on gay marriage.

This week Denis discusses the future of Dilma in Brazil, corruption in Bulgaria and the Hong Kong protests.

This week Chris Dooley hears from Clifford Coonan in Hong Kong and Simon Carswell in the U.S.

Climate Change, Sarkozy by The Irish Times

Scottish Result by The Irish Times

In this week's show Denis hears a final account of Scotland as we know it from Mark Hennessy who has been there for the last few weeks and is braced for a tight finish on Thursday. He also discusses the international plans to defeat Islamic State, Isis, with Patrick Cockburn and Soner Cagapty.

This week's World View begins in Scotland where the latest poll has put the Yes side ahead of the No side for the first time. The British government is promising it will do all it can to save the Union but is it too late? Denis Staunton is joined from Edinburgh by Alex Massie, Mark[...]

In this week's show Denis discusses Ukraine with Dan McLaughlin in Volnovkha, Suzanne Lynch in Brussels and Foreign Policy Editor Paddy Smyth in Dublin. He also considers the future role of the Irish peacekeeping troops in Golan Heights with Michael Jansen and about China's move to limit the choice of election candidates in Hong Kong[...]

After seven weeks of bombardment and rocket fire there appears to be agreement between Israel and the Palestinian factions about a new ceasefire. Denis Staunton discusses with Mark Weiss in Jerusalem and Michael Jansen in Nicosia. The show begins in Scotland the day after the second debate of the independence referendum campaign. Mark Hennessy was[...]

This week Denis discusses the latest from Ferguson with Kevin Cullen and analyses events in Iraq with Michael Jansen and Vincent Durac. Finally he moves to Islamabad Pakistan and hears about the power struggle between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif with Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy[...]

This week Denis hears about the advance of ISIS from Patrick Cockburn and the talks between the Israelis and Palestinians in Cairo with Michael Jansen and Mark Weiss in Jerusalem. He also discusses the latest from Scotland with Alex Massie, Mark Hennessy and Paul Gillespie. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy[...]

This week Denis discusses the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire brokered by Egypt with Mark Weiss, Michael Jansen and Paddy Smyth. He also discusses the Argentine default with Tom Hennigan. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy editor of the Irish Times Denis Staunton and produced by Sinead O’Shea. It can be listened to and[...]

In this week's World View Denis Staunton discusses Gaza with Ruadhan MacCormaic in what is to be his final dispatch from Gaza for now. Later in the show he meets with Mary Lawlor, the executive director of Front Line Defenders, an Irish organisation that protects human rights defenders at risk across the world. Earlier this[...]

In this week's podcast Denis hears from Ruadhan MacCormaic who has spent the last week in Gaza and is now on the Israeli/Gaza border. He also discusses the diplomatic options with Paddy Smyth. The other story on World View this week concerns MH17, the passenger airliner which was brought down over Ukraine with the loss[...]

In this week's podcast Denis hears the latest from Jerusalem where Gaza is considering the Egyptian proposal for a truce. Israel has accepted but Hamas is considering. Mark Weiss and Paddy Smyth analyse the options. Denis next moves to Washington where Simon Carswell has just returned from a trip to Murrietta in Southern California where[...]

In this week's podcast Denis hears from Jerusalem on the mounting tensions between Israelis and Palestinians following the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair. He also hears the latest from Berlin where the U.S. has been accused of behaving like a 'digital occupying power' after the emergence of fresh spying allegations. Worldview is a[...]

In this week's podcast Denis hears from Mark Weiss in Jerusalem where the Israeli authorities have reacted swiftly to the discovery of three kidnapped Israeli teenagers with the launch of 30 air strikes on the Gaza strip. He then moves on to Brussels where the new Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has been mounting a[...]

In this week's podcast Denis talks to Suzanne Lynch and Mark Hennessy in London about the now imminent election of Jean Claude Juncker and its consequences for the EU and David Cameron. He is also joined in studio by Irish Times columnist Paul Gillespie. He then discusses Obama's response to the latest from Iraq with[...]

In this week's podcast Denis Staunton begins in Iraq where insurgents led by Isis have taken Mosul and are battling the Iraqi army 60km outside Baghdad. He discusses the situation with Lara Marlowe in Tehran, Michael Jansen in Cyprus and Paddy Smyth in Dublin. He then moves to Brussels to analyse the latest on the[...]

In this week's World View Chris Dooley talks to Simon Carswell about Hillary Clinton's new book Hard Choices. He also hears from Suzanne Lynch in Brussels about the controversy surrounding Juncker's candidacy for the European Commissioner job and he chats to Mark Hennessy in Scotland about the latest on the referendum preparations there. Worldview is[...]

In this week's show Chris Dooley discusses the latest travails of the World Cup competition with Tom Hennigan in Sao Paulo and Ken Early from the Second Captains. He also hears from Michael Jansen in Damascus as the Syrian elections take place and from Paddy Worthworth on the abdication of King Juan Carlos. Worldview is[...]

May 27th 2014 The European election results are in and there has been a sharp reaction across Europe to the relative austerity of recent years. In this week's podcast Chris Dooley hears about the incredible gains by the National Front in France from Lara Marlowe. He speaks to Mark Hennessy in London about the success[...]

In this week's World View Denis discusses the latest from Thailand with Clifford Coonan where the military has declared martial law. He hears from Rahul Bedi in Delhi where Modi's is about to begin his rule. Finally Denis speaks with Dan McLaughlin in Lviv, Ukraine where the country is preparing for a presidential election vote[...]

In this edition of World View Denis asks what the victory of Austria's bearded transvestite Conchita Wurst means in geopolitical terms for Europe. He hears from Clifford Coonan in Thailand and discusses the letters of Jackie Kennedy with Michael Parsons. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy editor of the Irish Times[...]

May 6th 2014 As news breaks of a further kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram Chris Dooley asks our correspondents Simon Carswell in Washington and Mark Hennessy in London about the potential for international intervention. We also examine the state of politics in South Africa where the elections are[...]

29/04/14 In this week's show Denis discusses the latest on the Middle East peace talks with Mark Weiss and Patrick Smyth. He hears from Simon Carswell in the U.S. about the potential for Elizabeth Warren to run for president. Plus he chats to Derek Scally in Warsaw about the Polish reaction to events in Ukraine.[...]

22/04/14 World View: Will Scotland say yes? World Cup Disaster in Brazil? In this week's edition of World View Denis begins in Brazil with Tom Hennigan in Sao Paolo and Second Captains Ken Early in Dublin to discuss preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Next we move to Ukraine and hear from Dan McLaughlin in[...]

15-04-14 In this week's edition of World View Denis begins in Ukraine with Dan McLaughlin in Donetsk. Pro Russian separatists are occupying government buildings there and in a number of key cities across Eastern Ukraine. The government in Kiev is showing uncertainty. The international community is threatening further sections. Next World View moves to France[...]

08/04/14 In this edition of World View Denis discusses the continuing search for MH370 with Clifford Coonan in Bejing. He also hears about the unstoppable rise of Narendra Modi from Rahul Bedi in Delhi and he considers Italy's fresh start under Matteo Renzi with Paddy Agnew in Rome. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented[...]

01/04/14 In this week's show Denis Staunton hears about the Central African Republic from Lara Marlowe who is on her final day in the capital Bangui and has been witnessing the conflict there. He next moves to Egypt and discusses the rise of General Sisi and the new alliance with Saudi Arabia and UAE with[...]

25/03/14 In this week's podcast Denis returns and discusses the fate of MH370 with Clifford Coonan. He hears from Stephen Starr in Istanbul about Erdogan's extraordinary decision to ban Twitter in Turkey. Plus he provides analysis of the Ukrainian situation with Dan McLoughlin in Kiev, Irish Times Foreign Policy Editor Patrick Smyth and Suzanne Lynch[...]

In this week's World View Chris Dooley fills in for Denis Staunton and discusses the situation in Catalonia with Madrid correspondent Guy Hedgecoe. They consider whether Catalonia will now be better positioned to break away from the rest of Spain, a move that Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy has said he can 'guarantee this will[...]

11/03/14 In this week's World View Denis Staunton talks to Dominic McSorley from Concern. Next month marks the twentieth anniversary of the start of a 100 day massacre that left up to a million people dead. Today genocide is taking place again in the Central African Republic. Thousands are said to have died in fighting[...]

04/03/14 This week Denis Staunton talks to Dan McLoughlin in Crimea, Foreign Policy Editor, Paddy Smyth. He then moves to Washington and Berlin with contributions from Simon Carswell and Derek Scally. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy editor of the Irish Times, Denis Staunton and produced by Sinead O'Shea It can[...]

25/02/14 This week Denis Staunton finds out the latest from Ukraine with Dan McLaughlin. He also chats to Paddy Smyth, Suzanne Lynch and Harry McGee about the upcoming European elections. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy editor of the Irish Times, Denis Staunton. It can be listened to and downloaded via[...]

18/02/14 In this week's show Denis Staunton takes a look at the Scottish referendum campaign and examines the potential consequences for Ireland with Paul Gillespie and Mark Hennessy. He also analyses the prospects for new Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, with Paddy Agnew in Rome. Worldview is a foreign affairs podcast presented by the deputy[...]

11/02/14 Who is winning the Olympics? Putin or sport? This week Denis Staunton hears from Malachy Clerkin in Sochi and Isabel Gorst in Moscow. He also talks about immigration reform with Simon Carswell in the U.S and about the Swiss decision to go it alone with EU correspondent, Suzanne Lynch.

04/02/14 In this week's show Denis Staunton chats to Derek Scally about Habermas's denunciation of German economic policy. He also discusses the recent troubles in Kiev with Ross McDonnell and Paulo Nunes does Santos, two award winning photographers who were working there last week. Plus he hears from Clifford Coonan in Bangkok where tensions continue[...]

24/01/14 Pilot for the new Irish Times Foreign Affairs show, World View. This week, deputy editor, Denis Staunton, discusses the new waves of immigration in Europe with London editor, Mark Hennessy, and European Correspondent, Suzanne Lynch. He hears from the paper's Middle Eastern correspondent, Michael Jansen, who is in Geneva to report on the Syrian[...]