Newstalk Daily

Saudi Arabia has spent the last decade trying to reinvent itself — pouring hundreds of billions into futuristic cities, global sports, and infrastructure mega projects.   At the centre of it all is Mohammed bin Salman — MBS — the young, ambitious leader who promised to transform the Kingdom through something called Vision 2030.   But now, some of those biggest, boldest ideas ar...

Sinn Féin has spent the last number of years positioning itself as the natural leader of Ireland’s left.   But now, that position is being questioned after bruising by-election results and growing tensions with parties like the Social Democrats and Labour,    There are now real questions about where Sinn Féin is going and whether it still owns that space at all.   So,...

Pope Leo The Fourteenth has called for artificial intelligence to be designed to achieve the common good and welfare of mankind. His Holiness has finally weighed in on the AI debate, but there’s a lot more to this than meets the eye.  He’s comparing it to nuclear power… warning it could be used for domination, exclusion — even harm — if left unchecked.  So, who is the Pope really calling...

Ireland today feels like it’s in the middle of a conversation about immigration & identity.   We often think ourselves part of the great diaspora making communities amongst ourselves in other nations.   And we think immigration to our island is something relatively new.   But in reality, Ireland’s history with migration is a lot more than the famine and economic c...

Seventeen years after the financial crash, one of the most powerful institutions created in its aftermath is coming to an end.  NAMA — set up to take toxic property loans off the banks and stabilise the economy — says it returned billions to the State and helped rebuild parts of Dublin.  But critics argue assets were sold too cheaply, developers were shut out, and international funds wal...

Gen Z is having less sex than the generations before them... They’re approaching dating in a completely different way. And increasingly, they’re learning about intimacy not from real-life relationships — but from what they see online.   Arguments, disagreements and fundamental beliefs are being discussed online daily. The latest debate is about whether watching porn in a relationship is...

Married At First Sight on Channel 4 has been pulled from streaming after allegations of rape and non-consensual sexual activity during filming.   Police are now urging anyone who may have been affected to come forward, as investigations continue.   Some of the claims are understood to have been raised while filming was ongoing and yet the programme still aired.   So,...

Gardaí are warning of a rise in door-to-door scams across Ireland, with bogus traders targeting homes offering cheap repairs and taking payment for unfinished work. At the same time, online fraud is escalating, with over 200 scam websites identified last year impersonating trusted services like An Post and Revenue Commissioners. So, how do we spot these bogus traders and what can we do to protect...

Voters in Dublin Central and Galway West head to the polls this week. By-elections have a long history of delivering tough verdicts on governments — and the signs suggest these contest could follow that trend. In Dublin Central, Sinn Féin is leading and the Social Democrats are gaining ground, while Fianna Fáil faces a challenging fight. Add in high-profile independent candidates like Gerry “The M...

More controversy in football — and VAR is once again at the heart of it.   A last-minute Premier League goal ruled out after a lengthy video review, a decision that could prove decisive in a title race. Days later in Scotland, another major VAR intervention — a penalty call that swung the balance of the Scottish title.  As debates rage over consistency, transparency, and the authority of...

The Murdaugh family once ruled South Carolina’s Lowcountry like a legal dynasty — generations of power, political influence, money, and fear. Then came the murders.  Alex Murdaugh, the high-profile lawyer convicted of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul at the family’s sprawling hunting estate, is now heading for a possible retrial after his murder convictions were sensationally overturned.&...

Donald Trump is in Beijing for a summit dripping in spectacle, symbolism and global stakes. As China rolls out the military salutes and billboard diplomacy, is Xi Jinping flattering Trump — or strategically manipulating him?  From Taiwan and trade wars to Iran and a shifting world order, we ask whether this meeting marks the beginning of a deeper global realignment.  Ciara Dohe...

Maybe it’s something we only notice when the sun comes out, but it's always a hot button issue when we do see it.   Why can’t you have a drink in a park or on the street in Ireland?  And it feeds into a bigger question, not just about alcohol, but about space, and who gets to use it. Ciara is joined by Una Mullally, columnist with the Irish Times and Sunday Independent columnist, to...

It's meant to be a celebration of music spectacle and European unity but as the Eurovision Song Contest marks its 70th anniversary this year, the atmosphere surrounding the competition is more complicated than ever. What does the future hold for the Eurovision? Ciara is joined by Johnny Fallon, Director at Carr communications and Eurovision analyst,  and Mara Hvistendahl, author of a recently...

This week marks 100 years since Fianna Fáil was founded by Éamon de Valera in May 1926. It's a century in which the party helped to shape modern Ireland and dominated Irish politics.  But at 100 years old, is Fianna Fáil now a remarkable survivor story, or a warning about how Irish politics struggles to change? Ciara is joined by Irish Examiner Special Correspondent Mick Clifford and Fianna F...

Fuel prices… cost of living pressure… and protests that, at first glance, looked like they were coming straight from the ground up.   But online, there was a different conversation being had...   Some were amplified… shaped… and pushed by voices far outside Ireland.   So, how much of what we saw was actually homegrown and who is attempting to control to narrative?&nbs...

For nearly 50 years, Irish troops have been deployed to southern Lebanon as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.   Now, that half a century mission is coming to an end.   But, is now the right time, or could the UNIFIL Mission be needed now more than ever?  Ciara is joined by security analyst Declan Power and Senator Tom Clonan, both of whom served in Lebanon.

In August, 2020, 21 year old Katie Simpson was rushed to hospital in Derry with severe injuries. The explanation given at the time was that she had tried to take her own life, but almost immediately, there were questions.  Quiet ones at first from those who knew her, from people who felt that something about the story didn't sit right. What followed was a case that would unravel layer by laye...

A multi-platinum superstar — a TikTok icon — on trial for murder.  David Anthony Burke, the 21 year old singer from Los Angeles known as D4vd, is now on trial for the murder of a 14-year-old girl.  Details of this case have been heard over the last few weeks, and some are truly disturbing. Ciara is joined by journalist Dani Anguiano.

They’re everywhere again… baggy jeans, low-rise fits, VHS filters… even Italia ’90 references creeping back into everyday life. From TikTok trends to pop music and fashion, the 1990s revival is in full swing. It's a longing for a simpler time… When we weren’t so chronically online. Our nostalgia paints the time as carefree and cool… The reality was more complicated — from extreme body standards to...

They’ve been hailed as miracle drugs… reshaping bodies... changing lives... and fuelling a global weight-loss boom. But now, there’s a new phrase creeping into the conversation — “Ozempic breasts.” It might sound flippant... Maybe even a bit ridiculous. But doctors have finally confirmed that the changes behind it… are anything but. Ciara is joined by Rosalind Skillen from Irish Country Living &am...

A drug feud. A chase. A discarded gun found and subsequently fired by an 11 year old. What is going on, on the streets of Dublin? Ciara is joined by Stephen Breen, the Irish Sun’s Crime Editor

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is back, confirming he’ll run in the Dublin Central by-election after narrowly missing out on a Dáil seat in 2024.  His candidacy blurs the line between notoriety and politics, raising fresh questions about protest votes, public frustration, and what kind of TD voters are willing to elect.  With nominations closing this Friday and the race tightening, how seri...

Tina Satchwell went missing from her home in March 2017.   In the months that followed, there were appeals, media interviews, and repeated searches of the house that she shared with her husband Richard in Youghal.   He spoke publicly... Spoke to journalists... He even invited them into the home.   And for a long time, the case remained officially one of a missing pers...

Almost 48 hours on from what appears to be a third attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, we’re left with more questions than answers.   Has political violence become the norm in US politics?   Does the President have adequate security in place?   And what will it all mean for the coming mid terms?  Ciara is joined by Sky News’s US Correspondent, David Blevins who...