In The News

On April 16th, the Supreme Court in London ruled unanimously that “the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.The ruling came in response to a legal dispute between the activist group For Women Scotland and the Scottish government over whether trans people with gender recognition certificates (GRC) identifying their gender as female were considered as having the sex of a woman.For Women Scotland had argued that the sex-based protections in the Act should only apply to people born female and that sex is “immutable biological state”.The judgment, which ran to more than 80 pages, found that “the concept of sex is binary” – there is a female and a male.It went on to say that the legislation gives transgender people “protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender”.The judgment has come as a blow to the transgender community, particularly to transwomen who fear it will marginalise them further.Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul explains the ruling and its implications.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan and John Casey. 

Have you ever wondered what your recourse would be if you were hit by someone riding an e-bike? 48 year-old Karl Leonard assumed Gardaí would prosecute the man who left him with a catastrophic leg injury, after he was knocked down in Swords last year. But after officers failed to pursue the case, Leonard took the rider to the criminal courts as a private citizen - and won. This episode contains graphic details of injury and surgery which some listeners may find distressing.Karl's story originally featured in this Irish Times article by legal affairs correspondent Mary Carolan.

Irish Times contributor and former religious affairs correspondent Patsy McGarry discusses the contenders for the job and how the Vatican conclave’s decision-making process will work.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

Last Tuesday in Conor McGregor’s Black Forge Inn, the Irish Far Right were out in force. It was a celebration after a day showing US broadcaster Tucker Carlson around. He had arrived in Ireland to interview McGregor.But all is not what it seemed: the Irish far right are divided with splits and divisions multiplying since last year’s local and general elections.But why? What has happened to their common goals and political ambitions? McGregor has pledged to contest the upcoming presidential elections on an anti-immigration platform so is he, with his fortune and global recognition, a unifying force or a divisive one?Conor Gallagher, Irish Times crime and security correspondent explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

While walking through Dublin city, journalist Quentin Fottrell was scammed.A pleasant sounding, nicely dressed man stopped him and started chatting. Didn’t Quentin remember him? After all, the man said, he had worked on his house some years ago. Not wanting to be rude and a little embarrassed at forgetting a face, Quentin continued the chat which slowly turned to the fact that the man had forgotten his wallet and needed some help to get home. It was only when he had walked away, €40 lighter, that Quentin realised he had been scammed.He wrote about the experience in The Irish Times and his article elicited multiple replies from men who had also been scammed by the same man in Dublin city centre.Donal Cronin was one such reader. Although he is a communications expert and deeply knowledgable in the psychology behind persuasion, he too fell victim to the smooth-talking scammer. He took a photograph of the man while they were chatting and Quentin was able to confirm it was the same confidence trickster.This episode was first published in January 2025Quentin and Donal came into studio to explain how the scam worked and how they feel now having being duped.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan

Most of China’s roughly 10 million Catholics attend officially sanctioned churches but a substantial minority belong to the so-called “underground church”, attending masses in unapproved venues and private homes.Under Pope Francis, the Vatican entered into an agreement with China in 2018 aimed at ending the division between the two Catholic communities by regularising the appointment of bishops.But the agreement, which was renewed last October for four years, has drawn criticism from some Catholics who fear it cedes too much influence to the Communist Party.Irish Times Beijing correspondent Denis Staunton explains the controversy and why Catholicism is growing in China.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and John Casey.

Your 2007 Facebook posts, videos of your children or maybe your voice on Instagram stories. Everything you have ever publicly posted on Facebook and Instagram will now be used to train Meta's artificial intelligence model, Llama. Notifications will start appearing in your social media feed asking whether you want to opt out of the practice which was paused last year on foot of a request from the Data Protection Commissioner. Meta says its AI will improve the service it provides its EU users but campaigners have concerns around privacy and bias. Meanwhile, a group of Irish authors have launched legal action against the company over allegations that pirated versions of their work were used to train Llama. Irish Times business and technology journalist Ciara O'Brien explain it means for your historical uploads and how you can choose to opt out.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.

While ADHD diagnoses among Irish children have risen significantly in recent years, growing numbers of adults are now opting for an assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.ADHD Ireland, a charity supporting those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, says there had been a “tsunami” of demand in recent years that is “overwhelming” services. And in the last budget, the Government announced funding for four new adult ADHD teams.But what does an adult diagnosis of ADHD – a common neuro-developmental disorder which makes it harder to concentrate and manage time – mean for a person’s life?Why are more adults choosing to be assessed for the disorder? And does a diagnosis have a positive impact on a person’s life?For Mairéad Deevy, a Waterford-based barrister, her ADHD diagnosis seven years ago brought a “sense of relief”.“There was probably a sense of hopefulness that things would improve,” Ms Deevy told the In The News podcast. “For me, and I think for a lot of people, when they get the ADHD diagnosis, other symptoms of anxiety and depression very much go into the background. It’s an important piece of an overall diagnostic picture.Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

Unsuspecting Irish shoppers are being duped by scammers who have figured out a fiendish way to win your trust. Consumer Affairs correspondent Conor Pope explains what the scam is, how it works and how to avoid it.