Early Edition

Crime gangs are disguising cocaine as coal, paper and treacle to smuggle it into the State and are changing the genetics of cannabis plants to circumvent Irish drugs laws, the head of Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) has said. Updated cost projections for the Metrolink now estimate the project will cost somewhere in the region of €14.5 bill to €17.5 billion. The Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien will ask for cabinet approval today to put the Metrolink project out to tender. Meanwhile the Dáil resumes after its summer recess. Our political editor Pat Leahy outlines some of the flashpoints to watch out for during the coming term. After The Irish Times revealed last week that Dublin City Council is to overhaul the way it enforces parking, you’ve been sharing some of your horror experiences of being clamped. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most Irish drivers still have no idea just how much it’s really costing every year, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute. An Irish Times investigation has found that the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, is the largest farming landowner in the Oireachtas. Fewer victims are reporting crimes to Gardaí, with many saying they don’t believe anything will be done, or that the incident isn’t worth reporting. Shares in some of the world’s biggest technology and chip companies have fallen sharply after leading figures in artificial intelligence called for the industry to slow down the development of its most advanced systems. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Authorities in Northern Ireland say they don’t know how many immigrant families displaced in the summer race riots in Belfast have been able to return home. The Irish Times looks at the fall out after Donald Trump said he’s “love” to see a united Ireland. Tusla’s chief executive has warned that vulnerable children and families could face poorer outcomes if the agency is forced to absorb budget cuts in next year’s budget. Our correspondent Sally Hayden visits an asylum centre in Italy amid new European migration rules. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attacks of September 11 were perpetrated 25 years ago today ushering a new era on which our correspondent Denis Staunton reflects. The European Unions foreign policy chief has told The Irish Times sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Banks would be justified. The son of Gerry Hutch, Jason Murphy, has appeared in court charged in connection with organised crime following his extradition from Lanzarote. Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority asked Amazon to remove dozens of drugs listed on its site. Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeil has told The Irish Times she worried about taking the role because of a medical injury her son had at birth. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Four HSE regions are to be stripped of their powers over day-to-day spending by the Government in response to an overspend of hundreds of millions of euro, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has said. Of 12 teenagers before Dublin Children’s Court on Wednesday, facing charges including for theft, assault, stealing cars, possession of drugs, and carrying weapons, just one had a solicitor due to the ongoing strike over legal aid reforms. “9/11 was the last day of my New York summer,” writes Emer McLysaght in her column today. “It will never leave me.” Patrick Freyne reviews The Grand Tour as completely new series with new presenters begins on Amazon Prime. Patrick prefers to call it “Continuity Top Gear” or maybe even “Men!” Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clamper vans will but disappear from Dublin city centre in what’s to be the biggest shake up in parking enforcement in almost 30 years. Hospital incomes have been hit by the move to public-only consultant contracts, notes a confidential HSE report seen by The Irish Times. Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, will be on the Inside Politics podcast with Hugh Linehan later today. Paddywagon, the well known tour operator, is continuing to sell packages to the Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare despite earlier this week being hit with a legal bill of over €5,000 for running coach trips there without the necessary documentation. The Irish Rugby Football Union has launched a search for a development partner to deliver its proposed Lansdowne Quarter beside the Aviva stadium . The development would include a 257-room hotel, 77 apartments, and conference facilities on a site next to the Lansdowne Road level crossing in Dublin 4. While post-Brexit Britain wrestles with issues of identity and national characeristics, our London correspondent Mark Paul gets a seat in first class and a lesson in Englishness. Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There has been a sharp rise in children living in households below the poverty line, according to new figures for 2024 from the Economic and Social Research Institute. Carrigaline, County Cork, has the lowest rate of commercial rental vacancies in Ireland showing a busy local economy and strong competition for consumers. Ireland’s most senior civil servant has criticised Government departments for delaying work on bring EU rules into Irish law, opening the government to legal action in Brussels. Fine Gael’s Neale Richmond has told The Irish Times that older generations need to tell young people about the Troubles in Northern Ireland in order for a “practical conversation” on Irish unity to take place. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has claimed the largest share of the vote in elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. New data centres could be offered lower gas connections if they agree to have their supply interrupted during periods of extreme demand. A special cost recovery team has been deployed to Naas General Hospital amid concerns it could go over budget by as much as 41 million euro this year. The Irish Times speaks to the rural pub landlords fighting for survival. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland was one of only two European countries to increase spending on foreign aid last year, with €1.9 billion spent on official development assistance. The government has defended public transport fares rises, coming in January, saying it will help fund new services. The HSE remains significantly over budget, despite efforts to tighten spending controls across the health service. An investigation has begun into the release of seven invasive skunks in Co. Kildare, which were later captured. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bus and train fares are to increase by an average of 15% under new measures to be announced on Thursday. There has been a steady increase in the number of childcare providers under investigation for possible overcharging of parents since 2024. Make no mistake, last week’s 18 billion dollar settlement in the US was really a win for Meta, writes Emmet Ryan in his column today. Ireland can expect an unusually mild and wet autumn as a “supersized” El Nino develops, disrupting weather patterns worldwide. As “The Girls” begins streaming on Disney plus, Patrick Freyne takes aim at the latest absurdity from the Kardashian family. “None of these people are frightened at the thought of flaunting their wealth before a troubled, impoverished nation,” he writes. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The battle to keep global heating from passing the agreed 1.5 degree threshold has been lost, United Nations (UN) environment chiefs have conceded. More than half of primary school pupils and two-thirds of secondary students refused to go to school at least once last year for reasons including anxiety, difficulties engaging with lessons and problems with friendships, according to a new study. Of all covid’s victims, writes Kathy Sheridan today , we rarely consider the families of conspiracy theorists who’s relationships were irreparably damaged. One of Europe’s leading consumer watchdogs, Which? magazine, was able to list 10 Downing Street as a holiday rental on booking.com and accept payments from people keen to stay in the UK prime minister’s home. The Cuban owner of a Belfast sandwich shop has suspended Deliveroo orders following the company’s failure to pay him due to US economic sanctions on what he describes as “anyone associated with Cuba”. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cancer survival rates have improved substantially over the past 20 years, with many more people now living with and beyond cancer, according to the National Cancer Registry Ireland. Several staff at Bloomfield Hospital in Rathfarnham were either dismissed or resigned following an investigation into the treatment of residents at the mental health facility. Rescuers in Nepal are trying to reach hundreds of workers who have been trapped in tunnels since Wednesday’s massive flash flood. A British warship was deployed off the coast of Co. Wicklow on Monday amid heightened security during this week’s meeting of foreign ministers at Druid’s Glen. Met Éireann has just unveiled its new list of storm names for the next year which include Austen, Evelyn, Kilian and Miriam. Heather, Laoise and Phelim were suggested by the Public. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tánaiste Simon Harris has been trying to stop Ireland from once again becoming the EU country responsible for approving Israeli state bonds. Former independent election candidate Gerry “The Monk” Hutch is set to receive a reimbursement of almost all of his campaigning expenses. A controversial housing development near the Dublin-Wicklow border is to be torn down over a breach of planning permission. It’s expected to be the last day of high temperatures on Friday, but there is no sign of drought conditions easing. Presented by Andrew McNair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government is planning a crackdown on money laundering including stricter rules on using cryptocurrency on gambling sites. National roll out of one-to-one counselling for school children is threatened by a shortage of qualified mental health professionals. Irish Times science and climate correspondent Caroline O’Doherty looks at Phoenix Park’s herd of fallow deer, and their having on biodiversity. What can scientists learn from the data collected during Wednesday’s eclipse? Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is Dan O’Toole, the Irish Fifa executive at the heart of deal to sell off World Cup? The Dubliner was reportedly handpicked by Gianni Infantino to work on his controversial Wold Cup sell-off plan. Gavin Cooney is profiling him today. Jars of honey harvested from the roof of the Department of Justice – but no loud trad music – were ordered up for visiting dignitaries during the Irish EU presidency last month, internal records show. Fuel prices have risen substantially in August with further increases expected in the coming months. The price of diesel in Ireland has risen by 11 per cent in August to an average of €1.92 per litre, up 19 cents from July, according to AA Ireland’s latest fuel price analysis. Fourteen young cattle died of dehydration last week at a farm owned by Coolmore Stud after the animals’ drinking water supply was disconnected. The incident occurred at a farm in Brodeen, Co Tipperary, near the world-famous Coolmore Stud in Fethard owned by businessman John Magnier. Many places in Ireland are looking good for the solar eclipse on Wednesday evening– the most complete until 2090. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An international money laundering investigation has been launched into the Kinahan cartel following the extradition of Daniel from the United Arab Emirates. The Department of Children has intervened to stop the planned closure of a creche in Limerick amid growing concerns over a shortage of childcare places. Dozens of people are known to have died in a powerful earthquake in Colombia, causing widespread destruction. Irish Times readers tell of full and often broken machines as part of the Deposit Return Scheme for recycling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Kinahan has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation in the Special Criminal Court, after being flown to Ireland under armed guard yesterday . Israel has rejected Donald Trump’s Board of Peace plan for withdrawing from Gaza. Ever wondered what it’s like to live in the various lodges dotted around Dublin’s Phoenix Park? Kitty Holland has been speaking to the families who call the park their home . This generation of Irish emigrants tends to leave after graduating, spend ten years abroad before moving back home to Ireland, writes John Fitzgerald in his column today. Do you tend to sit on the fence? It may be an Irish thing. In his Unthinkable column today Joe Humphreys explores how our colonial history, geographical location and the centuries-long influence of the Catholic Church are typically cited as factors in shaping “The Irish Mind”. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dozens of people rough sleeping on the streets of Belfast have been moved from the city centre, according to a homeless charity. Donald Trump has dismissed reports that the United States is running low on key military munitions. Residents are mounting a growing campaign against Fingal County Council’s proposed Dunsink City Quarter, a massive housing development that could become Ireland’s largest town. A dispute is growing in Berlin over the proposed demolition of an underground bunker in Adolf Hitler’s Reich Chancellery. The Irish Times reports from the Dublin Horse Show where one woman won €10,000 for best dressed on Ladies Day. Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Tradwife” influencers and other online trends that pressure women into “particular care roles” will be challenged by a new Government funded public awareness campaign, which is expected to be launched next year. The Government had to provide a €30 million bailout for its electric vehicle grant scheme in April as consumers started to feel the fuel crisis really bite. The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is unhappy about the All-Ireland Fleadh taking place in Belfast this week, but this has not proved typical of unionist opinion. In fact, what unionist visitors are discovering is that the Fleadh is not repellingly “political”, as that term is applied in Northern Ireland. If you are having to shell out on a new laptop as part of preparations to send your son or daughter to college, our tech columnist Ciara O’Brien has some tips for picking one that should see them through the next few years. Have You Never Heard of Bill Fuller? is the provocative title of new feature documentary hitting cinemas tomorrow, about a Kerryman and entrepreneur at the centre of London’s music scene, who booked acts like Johnny Cash in the US, and who was also an urban builder, gold prospector and IRA bailsman. Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Re-Turn chief executive Ciarán Foley and board members earned a 16 per cent increase to their pay last year. The not-for-profit company paid out total compensation of €700,000 to Foley and private sector executives from Coca-Cola HBC Ireland, Britvic, Heineken, Musgrave and Diageo who sit on its board. Some parents are taking out loans to cover back-to-school expenses this year, according to a new survey from Barnardos . The children’s charity has urged the Government to prioritise a review of digital devices and reduce costs after parents reported being asked to pay up to €850 for tablet computers. Lawyers could be referred to their professional regulatory body or forced personally to pay legal costs if their use of artificial intelligence (AI) leads to fake sources being quoted in court documents . More than a third of the county’s sandy coastline is deemed at risk of erosion, leaving businesses and homes ever closer to the edge . Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.