Early Edition

Minister for Finance Simon Harris brought a group of “finance influencers” who run popular Instagram accounts into the Department of Finance this week to brief them on the new State savings scheme.Government TDs are seeking extra scrutiny of legislation scrapping the three-day waiting period for abortion services due to fears of a backlash over it being “railroaded” through the Dáil.Ireland’s heatwave is set to peak today with temperatures on course to top 30 degrees.Many CAO applicants change their lists of courses at this time of year for various reasons. Most are valid, of course, but Andree Harpur cautions against “the most dangerous one”.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been told by a judge to expect a lengthy prison sentence after he was convicted of all 18 sex abuse counts, including the rape of a woman when she was in primary school.The UK will get a new Prime Minister following the announcement by Kier Starmer that he is to stand down. Our political editor Pat Leahy says he improved the relationship between the UK and Ireland.There is new legislation being proposed on dog breading to include a requirement that prospective buyers are shown a puppy’s biological mother on-site, and banning animals being handed over in car parks.Met Éirann has issues a yellow weather warning as a heatwave sweeps across Europe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A full memorandum of understanding has been published on the peace deal between Iran and the US including an end to the conflict on all fronts, a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran will not produce any nuclear weapons.The jury in the sex abuse case against Jeffrey Donaldson, who’s 63 and from Dromore, County Down, will continue its deliberations at Newry Crown Court today. He denies all charges. An amendment to Ireland’s abortion law removing the mandatory three day wait between initial consultation and access to termination will go to a vote in Seanad Éireann. What impact would the change have on pregnant women?Parents of dyslexic school pupils have their say on the assistance given to their children during the state exams.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The timing of when the Natural History Museum will reopen, and the final budget for its redevelopment, remain unclear almost two years after it closed for refurbishment.Readers have been having their say on the UK’s plans to introduce social media ban for under 16s, with many of you believing it would be far more effective to ban harmful algorithms instead.The government’s new pilot scrappage scheme could help stretch your budget towards one of our pick of the best EVs under €25,000.The greater Wigan area west of Manchester is currently the centre of Britain’s political landscape due to the byelection this week involving Labour’s Andy Burnham. The area is usually more famous in the north of England for something else. Pies.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions says the Government risks industrial unrest unless it delivers a budget that supports working people.Survivors of abuse by Bill Kenneally will meet the Justice Minister this week, calling for a new law, making misconduct in public office a criminal offence.There has been a steady rise in the number of asylum seekers choosing to leave Ireland voluntarily according to the Department of Justice.The Irish Times In The News podcast examines rise of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The trial of Riad Bouchaker resumes today and the Central Criminal Court. He has pleaded not guilty to a number of charges relating to the stabbings in Parnell Square in 2023 in which several people, including children, were injured.Smaller pockets of protests occurred in Northern Ireland on Wednesday night following the knife attack on Steven Ogilvie in north Belfast on Monday. Around 200 people gathered in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, were a street sweeper was set on fire, and objects hurled at police.Independent Senator Tom Clonan has told the Oireachtas Health Committee his office is currently “inundated” with older people who are homeless.Irish children’s reading and maths skills have declined since the Covid-19 pandemic according to the latest Children’s School Lives study.Irish Rail officials have told an Oireachtas committee it wanted to terminate a contract with the firm behind a new IT management system as far back as last year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean McGovern, a senior figure in the Kinahan cartel, has received what The Irish Times understands to be one of the longest gangland sentences in Irish history.There has been a rise in reports of wildlife habitat destruction, but according to new figures, prosecutions for it aren’t keeping up, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.An “exponential” rise in Irish language exemptions among school children could be “disastrous” for identity and education, according to a new study.Should Ireland consider overturning the ban on nuclear energy?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A confidential report by Swedish authorities claims the Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, still controls the metals giant Rusal, which owns the Aughinish Alumina plant in County Limerick, despite sanctions meant to limit his power.Researchers at Maynooth University say the record for the hottest day ever in the month of May was smashed by more than 2 degrees, and it wouldn’t have happened without manmade global warming.The European Commission says peat cutting is taking place across parts of Ireland without planning permission, environmental assessments, or enforcement.A turf war is brewing between supermarket chains Lidl and Supervalue over planning permission for new stores.It’s day three of the state exams and The Irish Times speaks to one Leaving Certificate student and a careers consultant.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People with petrol and diesel cars that are more than 13 years old are to be eligible for grants of €8,500 to purchase a new electric vehicle (EV) under a State scrappage scheme.The Rotunda maternity hospital has been warned it could have its funding pulled if it does not withdraw permission for consultants on public-only contracts to practise privately on its premises.60,000 students will not only have to sit the first paper of the marathon Leaving Cert exams today, but also listen to an unknown quantity of people telling them they “did terribly, but turned out just fine!” Jen Hogan has some advice for students and parents alike.John McManus writes in his column today that if Elon Musk succeeds in listing SpaceX on the stock market, “our pensions could be invested in this one-sided racket.”After a lifetime of being foot-shamed, Genevieve Carbery has ordered new shoes from Denmark: Duckfeet, size 8, and she is “finally liberated from the shame of the larger-footed woman.”Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are concerns ‘hostile’ agents may be among the 14,000 Russians granted Irish visas in the past four years.The Government hopes to make “swift progress” pushing forward negotiations on Ukraine’s stalled bid to join the European Union when Ireland holds the union’s rotating presidency in the second half of this year.Dating apps are struggling with the AI revolution as users lose faith. Can the industry recover?From today Trinity College Dublin is offering a course free of charge to anyone who wants it, in response to findings which highlight the prevalence of neurodivergence amongst users of drug addiction services. There was a warm reception for Bertie Ahern yesterday in Croke Park as members of the muslim community gathered for the feast of Eid al-Adha. Some 500 men, women and children had gathered for the seventh annual Eid celebration at the famed GAA stadium.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are tensions between left wing parties and Sinn Fein on the policy direction of Mary Lou McDonald’s party following its performance in the Dublin Central and Galway West byelections.Ireland’s Defence Forces are ramping up anti-drone measures to prepare for new threats.A search for the body of Seamus Maguire, one of the so-called disappeared who were murdered and buried in secret during the troubles, is to begin.Proposals to fund graduate-entry medical fees in exchange for mandatory service is being criticised as missing the point on why doctors leave Ireland.A Department of Enterprise presentation seen by The Irish Times shows growth in employment could be about to slow significantly.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Voters in Dublin and Galway are going to the polls in two byelections on Friday after intense canvassing in the closing days of the campaign and efforts by candidates to ensure their supporters turn up to vote.The Government has exceeded its annual spending target by an average €5.1 billion in each of the last three budgets, new figures from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac) indicate.Meanwhile, spending in the justice and transport areas seem set to be hit by the impact of the new levy being imposed across Government to offset a €640 million overrun in the education sector, an initial breakdown of the new savings being sought suggest.Ask any millennial which novels they remember reading as a child, and odds are they’ll list the fictional famine tale Under the Hawthorn Tree as one of them. In today’s Me Myself and Ireland, its author Marita Conlon McKenna says the inspiration to write it came during a ghostly dream.“I’m such a fan of this city and this country,” actor Paul Rudd tells Tara Brady while speaking about his new movie Power Ballad, which was filmed on location in Dublin.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.