Newstalk Breakfast

IPTU and UNITE members of the National Ambulance Service have begun their first twenty four hour work stoppage. Ciarán Sheridan of the SIPTU Health Division spoke to Anton from the picket in Letterkenny. 

A petition requesting equal parenting or time/shared parenting to become the default in Irish family law has been put forward for the consideration of the Oireachtas.  Anton gets more detail on this petition with Michelle Browne Senior Family Mediator and Author  .

When it comes to interacting with a chatbot, be it ChatGPT or Gemini, are we all sacrificing too much control? Anton discussed this further with Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska is a Psychologist, Author, Academic and Life Coach.

We take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Valerie Cox, Author and Journalist. 

While millions of fans will be tuning into the first Eurovision semi-final in Vienna tonight, Ireland is one of five countries boycotting Israel’s participation. Chatting to Anton live from Vienna was Journalist Daniel Rosney.

Do we need more red light cameras and are we likely to see them anytime soon? Anton asked Conor Faughnan, Transport Commentator and Independent Motoring Expert for Carzone .

The National Ambulance Service has warned that today’s 24-hour strike by SIPTU and Unite members will severely impact emergency response times, with over half of staff unavailable. Speaking to Anton was Conor Deasy, President of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine .   

The term ‘dynamic pricing’ hit the headlines around the time of the Oasis gigs, but could that model be coming to a supermarket near you? Anton asked Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly .

Newry-born University of North Carolina punter, Adam McCann Gibbs is set to make his college football debut in Dublin at the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Adam joined Anton on the show this morning.

The Government is considering a plan to pay for Ukrainians to return to their home country once reconstruction begins.  Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan confirmed the plan would be brought forward following reporting in yesterday’s Sunday Times. We get reaction to this from Peadar Tóibín, Leader of Aontú.

Last year over 20 undergraduate courses determined their entry by random selection. With the number of students reaching maximum points growing over the past few years, we talk to Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless about the impacts of this. 

Strike action begins today among some members of the National Ambulance Service. UNITE and Siptu members commence a work to rule today with a twenty four hour work stoppage beginning tomorrow. Speaking to Anton was Eoin Drummey is a Regional Officer in Waterford with the UNITE Union.

Two Irish passengers who were onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship that was hit by an outbreak of hantavirus have arrived back in Ireland. For the latest Anton spoke to Dr Eoghan de Barra Senior Lecturer in the RCSI and Infectious Diseases Consultant in Beaumont Hospital.

On-the-spot litter fines are to increase by €100 as part of a government crackdown on littering and illegal dumping. Speaking to Anton for more on this was Conor Horgan Spokesperson for Irish Business Against Litter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end”, despite earlier vowing victory during Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.     We discuss further with Emmanuelle Chaze, Ukraine Correspondent for France 24. 

We take a closer look at some of the stories you may have missed in the news this morning. Joining Anton this morning was Patti Shields Vice Chair Democrats Abroad in Ireland. 

Safety, infrastructure and theft have all been found to be barriers to people’s appetite to taking up cycling, that’s according to new research from RedClick. Anton discussed these findings with Ciarán Cannon is President of Cycling Ireland.

Tail strikes, runway excursions, and landing gear are the most frequent causes of airline accidents That’s according to a new report published this morning.   Kevin Byrne, Airport Safety and Security Auditor looked into these findings.

President Donald Trump has dismissed Iran's response to US proposals to end the war as "totally unacceptable". For more on this Anton spoke to Nicholas Hopton, Former UK Ambassador to Iran and non-resident  Senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. 

David Attenborough who turns one hundred today. Since his first natural history programme for the BBC in the nineteen fifties, Attenborough has pioneered a genre and showcasing the natural environment the world over.  We look at his legacy with Nick Gates, Producer and Director of the series David Attenborough series, Wild Isles.

Extended paid paternity leave and better protections for flexible workers are among the calls being made at the Association of Higher and Civil Public Servants’ Annual Delegate Conference.   Ciaran Rohan is General Secretary of the AHCPS spoke to Anton ahead of the conference.

Ireland’s 2030 recycling targets for municipal and packaging wastes will be difficult to achieve without further policy interventions. That’s according to new Waste Forecast models from Environmental Protection Agency.  Speaking to Anton was Warren Phelan, Programme Manager of the Circular Economy Programme in the Environment Protection Agency.

The US has said that three US ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked but not damaged and responded with self-defence strikes. Despite the hostilities in the Strait Donald Trump still maintains that ceasefire with Iran remains in place. We get the latest with Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at London School of Economics and Political Science.

An outbreak of hantavirus on board a cruise ship in the South Atlantic is not the start of a pandemic, the UN health agency has said yesterday as the MV Hondius continues its track towards the Canary Islands where it is due to reach in the next few days. For the latest on it's journey Anton spoke to Cliodhna O'Flynn, Freelance Journalist and broadcaster in Tenerife.

Ireland will ‘go it alone’ on social media restrictions for children if the EU can’t come to an agreement according to Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan. Minister O'Donovan spoke to Anton.