In The News

When news emerged at the weekend that one of China's most decorated generals had been purged, rumours swirled around Beijing.

The official line was that Zhang Youxia, and later another top general, had been ousted from their jobs due to “serious violations of discipline and law”.
That is widely understood as code for corruption but no more details were forthcoming.

This led to speculation that the reason Chinese president Xi Jinping took the action against Zhang, a man believed to be untouchable because of his military background and his long, personal relationship with the president, was because he was no longer loyal and was plotting against him.

For Irish Times Beijing based-correspondent Denis Staunton, talk of a coup by military generals is wide of the mark. Instead it appears that Xi, who has been on an anti-corruption sweep of government at all levels since he took office, began looking at the military and the top brass came into his sights.

So is Xi simply – and ruthlessly – consolidating his power? And what does this sudden and dramatic change in military leadership structure mean for the country’s long-stated ambition of taking control of Taiwan?

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey.
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In the three weeks since Donald Trump sent thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, to the state of Minnesota, and its capital city, Minneapolis, over 3000 people have been detained suspected of being illegal immigrants.

But there’s strong local opposition in this liberal city. When agents appear in a neighbourhood, protests begin and that’s putting ordinary people into contact with the armed and masked officers.

Two citizens have been shot and killed. Renee Good earlier this month and, at the weekend, Alex Pretti.

Can the Trump administration ignore the growing calls for deescalation and accountability?

Declan Conlon speaks to The Irish Times US Correspondent Keith Duggan.

Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.
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White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is the most zealous supporter of the MAGA agenda. That much is expected from a Trump administration insider, but Miller is much more that a suit in the background.

He is the aide tasked with turning even the most vaguely thought-through policy announced by the US president into action – and he relishes the job.

To understand just why ICE is so brutally on the ground in American cities, its necessary to know Miller’s own tough stance on immigration.

Miller’s aggressive style has served up some of the administration’s most startling soundbites whether that’s on Greenland, tariffs, Europe or immigration.

He is not afraid to upset people as he ruthlessly implements Trump’s agenda.

But who is Stephen Miller and how did he rise, as Trump says: “to the top of the White House totem pole”.

Today’s guest is Ashley Parker, a journalist with The Atlantic Magazine who has been following Miller’s career from Washington intern to hard-right Oval Office enforcer.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ADHD is commonly characterised by traits like impulsivity, difficulty regulating emotions, and difficulty maintaining focus.

But mounting research suggests adults and adolescents with the condition are far more likely to develop substance addiction.

Rates of diagnoses for ADHD have been soaring in recent years and addiction programmes in Ireland report high numbers of people with ADHD seeking help for substance misuse.

On today’s In The News podcast, Eric, Oonagh and Shane, three adults with ADHD, share their journey navigating addiction.

And the head of the charity ADHD Ireland Ken Kilbride calls for addiction services to be better equipped to help people with ADHD who come to them.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump's address at the World Economic Forum made the headlines yesterday as the US president appeared to rule out using force to take over Greenland. But It was Tuesday's speech by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney that may be remembered in the long run.

Carney’s used his address to tell allies that the "rules-based international order" is over and that "middle powers" like Canada and the EU needed to band together to resist great powers like China and the US.

Carney's message came after recent overtures to China, resetting relations with the superpower as he seeks a less reliant relationship with Trump's erratic US next door.

But what exactly does Carney's message imply, and would the leaders he was addressing have the wherewithal to follow through on such a course of action?

Irish Times China correspondent Denis Staunton explains what Carney’s new vision for the world means and how Beijing views this growing distance between once close allies.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.