Newstalk Daily

A new Michael Jackson biopic has become the highest-grossing biopic of all time.   Fans are filling cinemas, his music is back at the top of charts, and younger audiences are discovering him again.   But critics have panned the film, calling it sanitised and accusing it of avoiding the allegations that have long surrounded Jackson’s legacy.   So why is it still such a...

The fallout from Jeffrey Donaldson’s conviction is now spreading beyond the courtroom.   The former DUP leader has been found guilty of serious sexual offences against children.   Questions are being asked as to who knew what and when?   The DUP has announced an independent review, Edwin Poots says he has nothing to answer for, and others are asking whether warnings,...

Ireland takes over the EU presidency today.   For the next six months, Irish ministers and diplomats will help steer the Council of the European Union.   But this is not a quiet moment to take the chair, and the role itself might not be clear to a lot of us.   So what does it really mean for Ireland?  Ciara is joined by Suzanne Lynch, Brussels Bureau Chief with B...

Six months ago, Australia brought in the world’s first social media ban.  It focused on people under-sixteen, and was a real test to see how an outright ban could work, in a similar way to alcohol and cigarettes.   But here we are six months later with the Australian government saying it is about to double the fines.  So, has this ban been a failure?  Ciara is joined by Ne...

On a sweltering June day last year, The Dublin-based French Mancel family left their apartment in Leopardstown in south Dublin, headed to Dublin Airport.   They flew to Reykjavik and checked into the luxury Edition hotel for what seemed like a holiday for Emeric Mancel, his wife Ming Ting and their daughter, Catherine.  However, on the day they were due to fly home, Emeric and...

Dublin’s Pride celebrations have been well underway since the start of the month.    But as the Pride parade is set to take the streets on Saturday, it may be an opportunity to remember what Pride is really about and who Pride continues to exist for.   Ciara is joined by Dr. Paraic Kerrigan, Assistant Professor in the School of Information and Communication Studies at University Col...

On December 14, 2025, the world watched in horror as the worst terrorist attack in Australian history was carried out on its most famous beach.    A local man, later identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed confronted the attackers and managed to disarm one of them.   Mr. Al Ahmed was shot repeatedly during the attack and continues to recover from his wounds.    His commendable b...

New research from Maynooth University’s School of Law and Criminology has found a significant year-on-year increase in restorative justice referrals and victim participation in Ireland.  The process allows those harmed by a crime and those responsible for that crime to communicate in a safe way.  Janet O’Brien’s eldest son Luke was killed in a one-punch assault in Tallaght in 2017 o...

The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of raping a woman while she was a primary school child.     Mr Donaldson was also convicted on four counts of gross indecency with or towards a child and 13 counts of indecent assault on a female in relation to crimes that were committed between 1985 and 2008.  His wife Eleanor was facin...

Former British Health secretary Andy Burnham made headlines last week with his resounding win in the Makerfield byelection.   Having swept aside the challenge of Nigel Farage’s Reform party candidate some are already speculating that Manchester’s outgoing Mayor might have views on Downing Street...  So who will be the next British PM? Starmer,...

A peace deal has been signed between the US and Iran.    Donald Trump will hope that this solidifies what was a shaky ceasefire born of fraught relationships within the region and a resounding lack of confidence at home.    But has the United States emerged as the loser of the war they started?    Where does this ...

New constituencies are due to be drawn and may jostle the political landscape many of us were already familiar with.    The goal is to accommodate the population growth the country has seen.    But with constituencies clashing and political lines growing jagged, is the prospect of a satisfactory solution unrealistic? Ciara is joined by Sean Defoe, Newstalk’s political...

Fifty years ago, three men were convicted of carrying out the Sallins train robbery.   Their convictions were based on confessions that had been obtained under duress.   Two were later cleared, the third was pardoned, and all three received compensation.   But the State has never apologised, and there has never been a public inquiry into what happened.  So,...

Ireland will play Israel in the Nations League.   But the home game will no longer take place in Dublin.   The FAI has moved it overseas, to a neutral venue, behind closed doors.   This has, as imagined, not satisfied anybody really... Now the dispute may be getting to the courts.  Ciara is joined by Stuart Gilhooly, legal adviser to the Professional Footballers’...

A public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane began last week.   He was shot dead in front of his family in 1989.   For 37 years, his widow Geraldine, and their children, have campaigned for a full public inquiry into allegations of British state collusion.   And finally, after all these years and campaigning, the hearing begins.  Ciara is jo...

Aughinish Alumina in Co Limerick is one of the biggest alumina refineries in Europe.  It is also owned by Rusal, the Russian aluminium giant founded by sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska.   Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, questions have been raised about whether alumina linked to the plant is feeding supply chains connected to Moscow’s war effort. But four years into the war, Au...

Switzerland is about to vote on whether to cap its population at ten million people.  The proposal comes from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.   They are saying that immigration is putting too much pressure on housing, schools, healthcare and transport.   But opponents say it could damage Switzerland’s relationship with the EU — and maybe create its own version of Brex...

The World Cup finally begins this week, after years of build up, much of which was in the form of criticism.   For the first time, it will be played across three countries — the US, Canada and Mexico.   48 teams, 104 matches, and record revenues for FIFA.   But with ticket prices rising, hotel bookings well below forecast, and questions over the sheer size o...

Donald Trump has walked out of another major TV interview.   This time, it was with NBC’s Kristen Welker, after he was challenged on his claims about the 2020 election and a proposed fund for people prosecuted under Joe Biden.   The row has opened up questions about January 6th and about Trump’s grip on the Republican Party. Ciara is joined by Law Lecturer at the University of...

Nearly 6,000 former racing greyhounds born in Ireland over just two years are now dead.   These animals were only between 4 and 5 years old are presumed to be destroyed after their “careers” ended.   This is also an industry that the Irish Government gives over 19 million euro annually, despite declining attendances.   So should the tax payer continue to support greyh...

A murder case in Southampton has now become a major row about policing, racism, and the far right.   Henry Nowak was stabbed last December but while he lay dying, police handcuffed him and forcefully arrested him.   Now there’s been violent protests across Southampton, championed by Tommy Robinson and the fallout in the UK could prove disastrous.  Ciara is joined by London...

Ireland is due to play Israel in October, with those calls for a boycott being raised since the game was announced back in February.   The Government says it is a decision for the FAI.   Opposition parties say that’s nothing but a cop-out.  So, who should really be making the call and paying the price if the boycott goes ahead?  Ciara is joined by OTB's Cameron Hill a...

The European Union is once again talking seriously about getting bigger.    Countries like Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and even Iceland are all on the path toward membership.   But expansion brings complications — from decision-making to political trust — and now, even ideas like limiting veto powers for new members are being floated. Ciara is joined by John O’Brennan, Je...

For generations in Ireland, communion and confirmation have marked an important moment in a child's life. For some families, they remain deeply religious occasions, and for others, they're just as much about tradition and family and celebrating a milestone. But as Ireland changes, more people are beginning to ask whether these ceremonies and the way they're organized through schools still reflect...

Donald Trump’s 80th birthday is being marked in a way few US presidents ever have... A full UFC event planned on the White House grounds. From an octagon on the Ellipse to weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial, “UFC Freedom 250” is shaping up to be one of the most unusual political-sport crossovers in modern history. So how did this alliance begin? And is this about a celebration or something more cal...