Episodes
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“Scans rarely show the cause of low back pain,” says Prof Kieran O’Sullivan, chartered physiotherapist and head of the school of physiotherapy at the University of Limerick. He points out that so-called “abnormal findings” on scans such disc bulges, disc degeneration and arthritis are common and normal for most people without pain, especially as they get older.
So why do some people experience back pain when others don’t? O’Sullivan says 90 per cent of lower back pain is caused by a combination of physical and non-physical factors including poor sleep, relationship or family stress, job dissatisfaction or financial pressures.
It’s finding ways first to understand the cause of the pain and then ways to treat it that’s the key to successful management.
O’Sullivan talks to In the News about how to understand your lower back pain and what to do about it.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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What links an Australian app designer, a global police sting and this week's drugs bust in Wexford? A Dublin gang known as 'The Family.' Gardai say the group is now the primary drug trafficking cartel in Ireland after the Kinahan's network was dismantled. It's alleged to be involved in the multi million euro seizure of guns and cash in Dublin and Wexford earlier this week. The tip off came via Australian authorities which had infiltrated the Ghost messaging app. The encrypted software created by 32 year old Sydney man, Jay Je Yoon Jung, was the platform of choice for much of the Irish criminal fraternity. Security and Crime Editor Conor Lally explains how the Australians hacked into the app, how it was used in Ireland and analyses how gangs here might react.
Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan
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At least 26 people are dead and thousands injured following the simultaneous detonating of pagers and walkie talkies in Lebanon. Israel is believed to be behind the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, which were designed as much to cause a macabre spectacle as they were to kill Hizbullah fighters. Hannah McCarthy reports from Beirut for The Irish Times. Security analyst Colin P. Clark of New York’s Soufan Center looks at why Israel made this move.
Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A record 10,600 Irish people emigrated to Australia last year, according to the Central Statistics Office; the highest number since 2013. With its year-round sunshine, high wages and laid back lifestyle, it’s not hard to understand the attraction. Push factors in Ireland include the diminishing hopes of home ownership for many young people. But Australia’s economy is slowing down and property prices in Sydney are even higher than in Dublin. Irish Times columnist and returning emigrant, Brianna Parkins, outlines the Instagram V Reality of moving down under.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Washington correspondent Keith Duggan reports on what we know about the second attempt on the life of former US president Donald Trump in a matter of months. Who is Ryan Routh, the man who has been arrested after fleeing the scene of the alleged assassination attempt and charged with gun offences? And will this incident make an impact on the election?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The UK government has ordered a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, the Belfast solicitor shot dead in 1989 by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in collusion with British forces.
But why now? His family, led by his widow, have for 35 years pressed Westminster for a public inquiry to get to the truth of why Finucane was killed and to reveal the true extent of the collusion of the British state in his murder.
For decades, successive UK governments had resisted a campaign by the family for a full public inquiry into the killing.
London correspondent Mark Paul explains the timing – and the reaction to the announcement.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan
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An Garda Siochana has a serious retention and recruitment problem.
The Commissioner knows it, so does the Minister for Justice but despite public commitments to reach enrolment targets, ongoing recruitment campaigns and changes to admission criteria, efforts to increase the size of the force to the Government benchmark of 15,000 continue to falter.
There are now fewer sworn Garda members than at the start of last year.
Why? It’s a well-paying public service job, it offers career variety and progression and it offers the possibility of retiring with a full pension at 60 or even earlier.
Crime and security editor Conor Lally tells In the News the many reasons why encouraging citizens to join up is an uphill battle and what it means for policing in the State.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey and Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Kamala Harris needed a win on Tuesday night's US presidential election debate. After an initial honeymoon period as Democratic nominee, her campaign on the ground was running out of steam. Now she and Donald Trump are neck and neck in the polls of key battleground states. All he had to do on Tuesday night was keep his cool and stick the script provided by advisers. Instead, he made a string of rambling statements that ranged from the baseless to the downright absurd. But given how polarised the country now is, the victor of the debate depends on viewers' own political allegiances. So how much of a difference will the performances have in the minds of Americans? Can Harris' debate win do anything to change her trajectory? Irish Times Washington Corresondent, Keith Duggan, reports from Philadelphia where the debate was held.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Is an award of €13 billion a big win or an embarrassing loss? The European Court of Justice (ECJ) court yesterday said that the European Commission was correct in 2016 when it ruled that Apple owed Ireland €13 billion in tax relating to underpayments during 2003-2014.
The ruling represents a heavy legal defeat for Apple and the Irish Government – and a major win for the EU.
But how did it get to the point that Ireland had to go to Europe to defend a tax arrangement with a multinational?
Irish Times columnist Cliff Taylor explains how a big pay-day for the Government is also a reputational hit, with the court’s clear and final verdict that Ireland broke the rules and offered illegal State aid to Apple. And he looks at how to spend it.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
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Former British nurse, Lucy Letby, is serving 15 life sentences for the murder and attempted murder of 14 babies. All of the infants were under her care when they were killed between 2015 and 2016. This summer her case was thrown out of the Court of Appeal. And yet doubts remain amongst a cohort of people who believe she may have been wrongly convicted on circumstantial evidence. Bizarre interventions on her behalf include that of the former Brexit Secretary, David Davis, on Good Morning Britain last week. Families of the victims say they are dismayed certain elements of the 10 month trial have been taken out of context and fuelled with misinformation. So why exactly do Letby's supporters believe she should walk free? We speak to miscarriage of justice investigator, David James Smith, who sat on the UK's Criminal Cases Review Commission between 2013 and 2018.
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Last Wednesday, a 14 year-old American student walked through the doors of his highschool in Georgia and opened fire. Terrified students and teachers ran for shelter as Colt Gray took aim, killing four people and injuring many others. The teenager, who was apprehended at the scene, used a lightweight semi-automatic rifle, a type of gun that’s become associated with school shootings.
Two days later, his father Colin Gray was arrested and charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder. This is not the first time that parents of a school shooter have been charged. Instead of addressing laws on gun ownership, US prosecutors are increasingly going after the parents of mass shooters – but will it make a difference?
Guest: Emma Long, Associate Professor of American history and politics at University of East Anglia.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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Sinn Féin has published its plan to solve the housing crisis.
Party spokesman on housing Eoin Ó Broin says A Home of Your Own, is “comprehensive, detailed and fully costed”.
The headline figure is that 300,000 homes will be built in five years; a mix of social, affordable and private homes. The plan costs €39 billion.
The document is nearly 110 pages long so In the News asked Irish Times economics analyst Cliff Taylor to go through it and explain the details.
He also answers the key questions – is it visionary and could it work?
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hundreds of primary, secondary and special schools run by religious congregations have been named for the first time as having complaints of child sexual abuse. The scoping inquiry was set up in the wake of revelations in 2022 of historical cases at Spiritan-run schools. Its author has recommended a full Commission of Investigation be set up to provide accountability for survivors. The report recommended every school in Ireland should be covered by the inquiry's terms of reference. Irish Times contributor, Patsy McGarry, was the paper's Religious Affairs Correspondent for 25 years. He explains the latest developments, what will happen next and questions whether religious orders will pay redress to survivors, when so many have refused to compensate other victims.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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If you don't have young children in your life, you may be completely unaware of one of the world's biggest game platforms. Roblox is a digital playground where children can create block-like avatars, pay to accessorise them, use them to take part in role-playing games and talk to others. Therein lies the inherent danger. While it's mostly harmless fun, several terrifying cases of grooming, abuse, blackmail and even kidnapping have been highlighted in the US. This week an Irish report found most primary school children who'd had upsetting experiences online had experienced them on YouTube or Roblox. Irish Times journalist Conor Capplis argues the platform is social media by stealth, and should be regulated as such to keep users safe.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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On Saturday morning, Irish Times consumer expert Conor Pope logged on to Ticketmaster, ready to take his own advice about navigating the sales platform to buy tickets for one of the Oasis gigs in Dublin next summer.
He found himself behind 138,692 people in the queue and hours later, when he was finally offered tickets, they were nearly four times what he had expected to pay.
Tickets had been advertised at €86.50 but they were no where to be seen and soon social media filled up with stories of people paying nearly €1,000 for two “in demand” standing tickets on the pitch in Croke Park.
Oasis fans in Ireland and the UK were quick to vent their frustration at the pricey tickets and the lack of transparency in the sales process.
But who is to blame – Ticketmaster, MCD, the promoters, or Oasis? And can the competition watchdog do anything?
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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Last week, an Australian man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for what has been described as one of “the worst sextortion cases” in history.
Muhammad Zain Ul Abideen Rasheed sexually blackmailed victims online in more than 20 countries across the world, including Ireland.
Rebecca Trigger from ABC news attended the 29 year old's trial earlier this year and details the global scale of his crimes and the devastating impact on his young victims.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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A key element of the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan kicked in on Monday and Olivia Kelly, Irish Times Dublin editor tells In the News that she was out on the streets early to see how it is working.
Under the plan, private motorists can no longer drive the length of the quays – both north and south – instead they must turn off at O’Connell Street and take a detour before returning to the quays.
The idea is to stop motorists using the city centre as a drive through, with the knock-on effect of reducing car traffic in the city centre.
That should free up space for public vehicles – particularly buses – and we hear from a Dublin Bus driver on how it is working.
And what about compliance – how can motorists be convinced to obey the new rules?
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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An Irish chef living in the US has been killed after being shot outside his own business in Kansas City.
Shaun Brady, originally from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was the co-owner of Brady’s KC, a popular restaurant in the Brookside area of Kansas City, Missouri.
Brady was a popular and well-known figure in Kansas City's large and vibrant Irish community.
His friend and Kansas City resident Pat O'Neill talks to Bernice Harrison about how the violent loss of Shaun has shocked the community.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy jnr has dropped out of the race in America's key swing states, but vows to remain as an alternative choice for voters in red and blue states. Washington Correspondent for The Irish Times, Keith Duggan, analyses whether getting out of Trump's way in places like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania will help the former president get re-elected. Or whether RFK's would-be voters will opt for the Democrats' new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris where she currently has a tight lead.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Brasserie Sixty6, Rustic Stone and Ukiyo are just three of the high-profile restaurant closures in Dublin this month. 577 eateries across Ireland have announced their closure over the past year, according to the Restaurants Association of Ireland. But how can so many food businesses be going to the wall when they appear so busy. Restaurateurs Vanessa Murphy and Anna Cabrera explain the tide their businesses are swimming against and the daily battle to keep afloat. Irish Times restaurant critic, Corinna Hargrave, explores the changes in consumer behaviour and market demands that are driving the shuttering of so many of our favourite places to eat.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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