In The News The Irish Times

On Wednesday, British prime minister Rishi Sunak stood in the rain outside 10 Downing Street and called a general election. But why? The Tories are performing poorly in the polls and his party is divided.
Six weeks out from election day on July 4th, the odds of him winning look slim. By Irish standards, the campaign is long, so is there anything he can do in the run up to election day to change the hearts and minds of British voters or has Labour leader Keir Starmer’s time come?
Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul went to Derby to see Sunak in action on Thursday on his first day of campaigning and he tells In the News about the timing of the election, the disarray in the Tory party and why Sunak is taking the chance of going to the country after less than two years in office.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Declan Conlon.

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A pair of trainers for the price of a sandwich; a Dyson-dupe hair straightener for a fraction of the real thing – just about everything you can think of buying, and random, bizarre things you couldn’t even imagine exist, are for sale via Temu, the ecommerce app that is taking over the online shopping world. With millions of bargains, it promises buyers can “shop like a billionaire”.
In January 2024, the app recorded nearly 47.8 million downloads worldwide. Once you buy from Temu, the bombardment of emails begins, offering deals and discounts on already rock-bottom prices.
But authorities worldwide have been quick to investigate; to warn for example that some toys and electrical goods on the site do not meet safety standards. And the US State Department has cautioned that the labour conditions in some of the factories that make the goods for the third-party sellers on Boston-headquartered Temu could amount to forced labour.
So while the prices might be attractive, the quality of some of the products and relentless sales techniques are less so according to Irish Times consumer editor Conor Pope who explains Temu’s business model and why it has got such a hold so quickly.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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On Tuesday, a leaked report revealed the Housing Commission’s criticism that the Government has not resolved the “fundamentally systemic” failures in the State’s housing system.
The report from housing experts also suggests there is an underlying housing deficit in Ireland of up to 256,000 homes.
Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones joins the podcast to discuss the most significant elements of Tuesday’s leak, while architect Mel Reynolds examines the Government’s failure to control the current housing model.

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On Sunday afternoon, a helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and several of his delegates, including the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, crash-landed in a remote part of northwest Iran. 
President Raisi was returning from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, where he had officiated the opening of two dams, alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 
Three helicopters were in the Iranian President’s convoy, but only two landed safely. On Monday morning, following an extensive search and rescue effort, Iranian officials confirmed that no one had survived the crash. It is believed adverse weather conditions were to blame. 
President Raisi was elected to power in 2021, in a presidential election that had the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. He was seen as a conservative, hardline cleric who was tipped to replace Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei later this year. 
As Iran begins five days of official mourning and the interim President Mohammad Mokhber steps forward, what will the death of Raisi mean for the future of Iran? 
Will this sudden loss of leadership have ripple effects across the wider Middle East? 
And what impact, if any, will it have on the rising tensions between Iran and Israel?
In the News presenter Sorcha Pollak talks to Sky News Middle East Correspondent Alistair Bunkhall about the death of the man nicknamed “the butcher of Tehran”.
Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey.


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Later this year, UK citizens will cast their votes in a general election. And, with polls showing Labour well ahead of the Tories, it appears Keir Starmer is set to become the next prime minister.
This week, Mr Starmer pledged to “rebuild Britain” and set out what he called his first steps in government if his party wins the election, making it clear that Labour is ready to govern Britain.
To most people in Ireland, Starmer remains relatively unknown. But after a period of decline in UK-Irish relations, could the Dublin-London relationship be heading towards brighter days under a Labour leader?
Today, on In the News, who is Keir Starmer and what would his leadership mean for Ireland? London correspondent Mark Paul on the man leading the Labour party towards victory in the next UK general election.

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New Yorkers have been given a window into how some Dubliners behave in front of a camera. The portal is the city's newest public art installation; a two-way, real-time live stream between North Earl Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan's Flat Iron district. Except some lewd behaviour on the northside has got it shut down... twice! In The News producer, Declan Conlon, spoke to observers enjoying the atmosphere around the portal when it was still operating this week. Bernice Harrison chats to art critic, Tom Lordan, about the interactive sculpture that's got everyone talking.
Produced by Declan Conlon and Aideen Finnegan.

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