On today’s In the News podcast we look at a new report that reveals the shocking health problems affecting children who spend years spent living in emergency accommodation.

In May there were 4,316 homeless children in the State, living in a range of emergency accommodation types, from B&Bs to family hubs, often in overcrowded conditions – an entire family sharing one small room, for example – or without adequate cooking facilities.

At the Lynn Clinic in Temple Street children’s hospital in Dublin, Dr Aoibheann Walsh is seeing malnutrition effects more common in developing countries, such as rickets, anaemia, faltering growth and extreme tooth-decay, and skin “infestations” like scabies.

Kitty Holland, Irish Times social affairs correspondent, has visited the clinic and talked to some parents about the reality of child homelessness and the devastating impact on a growing group of children.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Security guard Gavin Plumb hatched an online plot to kidnap, rape and murder British TV personality Holly Willoughby. Yesterday he was found guilty of all charges.

His vile plans and years of obsession were uncovered when he tried to recruit a “crew” to help him. One was an Irish man called “Mark” - the other was an American policeman who saw in a dark chatroom what Plumb was writing online and considered him to be so dangerous - even though he had never heard of Willoughby - that he adopted a pseudonym so he could draw Plumb out.

His clever ruse worked, leading to the FBI contacting the British police.

Plumb (37) was arrested last October and at his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court over the past two weeks he faced charges of soliciting murder, incitement to rape and incitement to kidnap. He denied the charges, saying it was all just a fantasy. The jury disagreed.

Ellis Whitehouse, a reporter with Essex Live, attended the trial and he tells In the News how the troubling case unfolded.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced that five more countries have been added to the list of safe countries. They are Egypt, Morocco, India, Brazil and Malawi, and their addition has implications for anyone coming from there to Ireland seeking asylum.

There are already 10 countries on that list – and it’s a list that has changed and grown over recent years.

So why these countries, and why now? And what does ‘safe’ mean in the context of the International Protection process?

Sorcha Pollak has been looking into what this means for new arrivals and for Ireland’s system of assessing refuge applications.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a big week in US politics with Donald Trump's partial legal victory in the Supreme Court and Joe Biden's disastrous head-to-head debate with his predecessor. A debate that went so badly, Democrats have openly called for him to be replaced by a younger candidate with just 5 months to go before the election. Meanwhile Trump is highly unlikely to face trial over allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court has ruled that any president in the White House should not be held liable for any crime they may have committed in the course of their official duties. The liberal minority of judges could barely hide their contempt for their fellow justices with one declaring "with fears for our democracy, I dissent." Irish Times Washington correspondent, Keith Duggan, breaks down the ruling and analyses the likelihood of Biden withdrawing from the race.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three weeks ago, French president Emmanuel Macron stunned and bewildered French voters, and his own Government, by calling a snap general election. By Monday morning of this week, it appeared the president’s gamble had backfired.

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally led in the first round of these high stakes elections, taking 33 per cent of the popular vote. It was followed by the leftwing New Popular Front, which secured 28 per cent, while Mr Macron’s ruling centrist Together bloc trailed in third place with just 20 per cent.

The clear takeaway from this first round of voting is the National Rally party, currently led by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella, is now the dominant political force in France.

Is Le Pen’s anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic party on course to secure an absolute majority in France’s National Assembly?

Or could Mr Macron’s calls for voters to join together and prevent National Rally from taking control change the course of these elections?

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey.

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Last year, nearly 5,000 cars were stolen across Ireland – making it the worst year for car thefts in more than a decade.

Opportunists and joyriders have always stolen cars but what is new, according to Conor Lally, is the gangs now operating across the country. They typically steal high-value cars, bring them to remote chop shops, break up the cars and export the parts.

Lally explains how are they doing it and how owners can keep their cars safe?

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dublin’s housing market has reached the point where a three-bed semi-detached house in Coolock priced at €475,000 is deemed ‘affordable.’ The long awaited development of state-owned land off Oscar Traynor Road was supposed to yield public housing and affordable purchase homes between €204k and €306k. But now that the first sixteen homes are coming on stream, the actual price is up to €170k higher than what was quoted in 2021. It doesn’t appear to be down to cost over-runs on the developer’s side. Dublin City Council has confirmed Glenveagh Homes built the properties at the agreed cost, fixed at 2020 prices. The council insists the price tag still represents good value because it’s 18% cheaper than if the homes were sold on the open market. Dublin editor, Olivia Kelly, has been looking into why the homes are so dear, and why people earning €106k are qualified to apply for the state subsidy.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.