Gardaí searching for a child who went missing when he was three years old have found human remains at a site in Donabate, north Dublin.

Confirming that skeletal remains had been discovered, Garda HQ also named the boy as Daniel Aruebose.

It is the first time he has been named since his disappearance and assumed death was placed under investigation three weeks ago.

Conor Lally reports from the scene on what is known and is yet to be uncovered about the tragic case.

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On Tuesday, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns returned to the helm of her political party for a think-in dominated by the controversy over TD Eoin Hayes.

The previous night, Mr Hayes issued an apology for wearing brown make-up on his face and hands while dressed up as former US president Barack Obama, at a party 16 years ago.

Mr Hayes was previously suspended from the Social Democrats last December after it emerged he had issued misleading information about when he sold his shares in Palantir, a company he worked with which has been linked to the Israeli military. He was readmitted to the party over the summer.

Ms Cairns said she was “hugely disappointed and annoyed” about the ‘blackface’ incident but has not yet revealed whether her colleague will face disciplinary actions.

How will the Social Democrats respond to this latest scandal and could they suspend the Dublin Bay South TD for a second time?

And how has the Social Democrats fared as an opposition political party during its leader’s maternity leave?

Today, on In The News, Holly Cairns’s return from maternity leave was spoiled by another embarrassing controversy involving Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes.

Irish Times political correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones discusses the fallout from the Hayes photograph and Cairns’ return to party leadership.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair and Declan Conlon.

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Last week, Brazil made history when its supreme court convicted the country’s former far right president Jair Bolsonaro, and seven other defendants, of attempting a coup after his failed re-election bid in 2022. Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.

The verdict brings an end to Brazil’s historical leniency in dealing with military men who have tried to overthrow democratically elected governments.

Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to celebrate the sentencing, while the leaders of neighbouring countries like Chile and Colombia paid tribute to the country’s democratic institutions.

However, some members of the Brazilian congress immediately embarked on efforts to secure an amnesty for Bolsonaro and his co-conspirators.

And Brazilian diplomats continue to anxiously await a formal response from the US, where president Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy” with the verdict and US secretary of state Marco Rubio described the trial as a “witch hunt”.

Will Trump, who has already imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Brazil, impose further sanctions in response to the conviction?

Can Bolsonaro’s supporters secure an amnesty for the divisive former leader? And what does this all mean for next year’s presidential election in Brazil?

Today, on In The News, Brazil’s Bolsonaro is facing 27 years in prison, but will he do his jail time?

Irish Times South America contributor Tom Hennigan discusses the national and international reaction to the Bolsonaro trial and verdict.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair. 

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As Pope Leo XIV turns 70 we look back at his first months in office, the messages he has been giving to his flock of 1.4 billion Catholics and what they reveal about the direction of his papacy.

Since May the Pope has used his Wednesday audience to condemn the actions of Isreal in Gaza and to call for peace in Ukraine. What he has chosen to wear and where to live has signalled a return to tradition – but as Irish Times Europe correspondent Naomi O’Leary explains he’s also spoken about the dangers and the promise of AI.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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In June 2024 French President Emmanuel Macron took a political gamble – and lost heavily.

Hoping to strengthen his centrist alliance he dissolved the National Assembly triggering an election. The result has been chaos – a legislature with no dominant political bloc in power and leading this week to France naming its fourth prime minister in 12 months and riots on the streets of Paris.

At the centre of the political chaos is the threat of austerity budgets. France is deep in debt and a succession of Macron-appointment prime ministers have proposed budgets with tax hikes and deep cuts.

On Monday, prime minister François Bayrou was ousted by a decisive vote after he proposed a tough budget. By Wednesday, Macron had appointed a replacement, Sébastien Lecornu.

The problem for the next government, Lecornu’s, is that a budget still needs to be passed and securing the backing of a very divided parliament will be difficult.

The world’s stage does see not much of French prime ministers because the president, Macron, holds substantial powers over foreign policy and European affairs.

So does this open the door to a snap election? And how damaging is this for Macron that his own country is in chaos while he bestrides the stage, positioning himself as a powerful European leader.

Naomi O’Leary, Irish Times European correspondent, explains a bleak week in French politics.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. 

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At just 18 committed Christian and college drop out Charlie Kirk established Turning Point USA, an organisation with a mission to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US universities.

On Wednesday, now aged 31 and a father of two young children, Kirk was once again at a university campus to debate and spread his socially conservative viewpoint.

A roof-top sniper shot him dead in what is being viewed as a politically motivated assassination.

In those 13 years, the young man had become one of the most influential voices in US politics and well-known media personality.

Kirk’s ability to galvanise young people to vote Republican, through his rallies, prolific social media posts, daily podcast, TV appearances and website led to Donald Trump crediting him with being one of a handful of people who helped secure his 2024 election win.

His murder, captured on camera, has shocked the United States and the reaction from the president and his supporters has been quick and heartfelt.

But who was he and how did he become one of Trump’s most avid supporters and trusted confidants?

Irish Times Washington correspondent Keith Duggan explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon. 

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An escalating series of threats made to Tánaiste Simon Harris in recent weeks went from an online threat to kidnap his children to co-ordinated bomb warnings on his Wicklow home.

Politicians say online trolling and verbal abuse now goes with the territory; dealing with it is part of the job.

Some have also had to face threats to their families with those against Harris being the latest.

It has prompted a debate about the growing security risks faced by our politicians.

But what can the Garda do, and typically who makes these threats and why?

Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Lally explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair. 

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Earlier this year, US president Donald Trump sent shock waves across America’s medical and scientific community by appointing Robert F Kennedy jnr, one of America’s most prominent vaccine-sceptics, as secretary of health and human services.

Since then, the controversial health secretary has caused large upheaval within America’s public health system, making appointments and changing vaccine policies which impact the lives of millions of Americans.

RFK Jnr has also been widely criticised for firing Susan Monarez, the director of the Centre for Disease Control, the federal agency in charge of protecting the health of Americans.

Kennedy claims his new appointments to oversee disease control are committed to “evidence-based medicine” and “gold standard science”.

But, scientists and doctors across the US say he is putting Americans’ health in danger and undermining public trust in highly safe and effective vaccines.

What has been the impact, so far, of a prominent vaccine-sceptic, with no medical background, leading America’s health agenda? How far will Trump back him?

And what does Kennedy’s anti-vaccine approach mean for the future of scientific research in the United States?

Today, on In The News, RFK Jnr has vowed to upend American healthcare. But how far will he go?

UCD Clinton Institute professor of American Studies Scott Lucas discusses Robert F Kennedy Jr’s tightening grip on America’s public health system.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey and Andrew McNair. 

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Tom Phillips, a fugitive father who spent four years hiding in New Zealand’s remote wilderness with his three children was shot dead on Monday by police probing an armed burglary. The children were found unharmed. But why did Phillips disappear in the first place, and how did he manage to evade capture for so long? New Zealand journalist Tony Wall tells the story to Bernice Harrison. 

Produced by Andrew McNair. 

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Could new technology help to finally reveal who killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier? 

After prime suspect Ian Bailey’s death last year, Sophie's uncle Jean-Pierre Gazeau said their family would never get the truth. 

But now a Garda cold case team has used new technology, called M-Vac, to harvest DNA from items recovered at the West Cork crime scene.

We talk to Jared Bradley, the man behind M-Vac, about how it has helped US investigators to crack decades-old cases. 

But first, Southern correspondent Barry Roche shares what we know about progress in the du Plantier case.

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Nearly half of everyone watching Irish TV on Sunday evening tuned in for the scheming, lying and game-playing on The Traitors Ireland. It’s a hit.

RTÉ has joined more than 30 broadcasters worldwide in making a version of the Dutch format which sees players strategising, “killing”, banishing and lying – all to win a cash prize.

It is hosted brilliantly with more than hint of theatricality by Cork actor Siobhán McSweeney, who changes her elaborate costumes more often than the contestants change their minds about each other.

Just three episodes in and favourite players are emerging but it is impossible to accurately predict the winner.

The rules are complicated but the appeal is easy to understand.

For Irish Times features writer Patrick Freyne “it’s a game of skill and strategy and not just the random weaponisation of groupthink and paranoid pattern recognition that you get in any office, school or newsroom”.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

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Gardaí are attempting to unravel several conflicting witness accounts of what happened to a boy who went missing four years ago and is feared dead.

Searches for the child’s remains in an area of ground in north Dublin are expected to continue for several more days.

The boy spent about a year in state care before returning to his family in 2020, with Tusla confirming it had no contact with the child between 2020 and last week.

The case comes one year after it emerged another boy, Kyran Durnin, had not been seen for several years and is now feared dead.

Conor Lally and Kitty Holland report on the search for the Dublin boy and the questions that must be answered about how a child once in the care of the State could vanish for years.

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This week, Britain’s Labour Party returned to Westminster from a summer recess defined by anti-migrant protests, and during which, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK dominated the news agenda.

British prime minister Keir Starmer resumed business in parliament by announcing a small reshuffle of his Downing Street team. However, the Labour leader is still facing an array of domestic and foreign policy conundrums, most notably Farage’s rapidly rising popularity.

His right-wing Reform UK party has led Labour in about 90 successive opinion polls, while recent polls show 71 per cent of British voters believe the prime minister is handling the asylum hotel issue badly. Nearly four in ten British voters now cite immigration and asylum as the most important issue facing the country.

With Starmer facing calls from Labour Party heavyweights to take a more radical approach to the small boats crisis, and calls led by Farage for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, the Labour Party is undoubtedly facing a rocky autumn season.

What are the main challenges facing Starmer’s Government in the coming weeks and how does he propose to overcome them?

And how much have Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party benefited from Labour’s plummeting support?

Today, on In The News, can Keir Starmer claw back control as Nigel Farage soars ahead?

Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the political perils facing Keir Starmer as the summer recess ends.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. 

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Kathleen Folbigg was convicted over the deaths of her four babies in 2003 in a case that shocked Australia.

In 2023 a judicial review found that the babies may have died of a genetic condition and having served nearly two decades in prison she was freed.

Her case is now regarded as one of Australia’s greatest miscarriages of justice.

In the second episode on the Katheleen Follbig case, McDermot explains how a scientific breakthrough eventually exonerated the mother of four.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. 

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Kathleen Folbigg was convicted over the deaths of her four babies in 2003 in a case that shocked Australia.

The first three were treated as cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) but when Laura died, the authorities looked to Meadow’s Law and arrested the grieving mother.

That controversial theory held that “one sudden infant death is a tragedy, two is suspicious and three is murder until proved otherwise”.

She always maintained her innocence.

In 2023 a judicial review found that the babies may have died of a genetic condition and having served nearly two decades in prison she was freed.

Her case is now regarded as one of Australia’s greatest miscarriages of justice.

In August, the now 58-year-old woman, who was once branded “Australia’s worst mother”, was awarded just AUS$2million for 20 years of wrongful imprisonment.

The sum was far less than anyone predicted says award-winning investigative journalist Quentin McDermott. He wrote the book on Meadow’s Law and made the TV documentary that helped raise questions about the safety of her conviction, leading to the review that freed her.

In the first of two episode on the case, McDermot explains how the now discredited legal concept led police to Kathleen Folbigg's door.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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Brazilian couple Gil Rudge (39) and Natalia Bonadia (36) rented a room in a shared apartment from Eduardo Gonzaga’s company, Leevin Ireland.

All was fine until their landlord advised them that unless they accepted a third person to share their bedroom their rent would have to double.

Janiedson da Silva dos Santos was sharing a house with eight others – students rented a bed, not a room – until Leevin Ireland abruptly issued him with a month’s notice. While he was away for a few days, he returned to his rental to find it in disarray and his property gone from his room.

Irish Times housing reporter Niamh Towey and Dublin-based Brazilian freelance journalist Alekson Lacerda tell In the News how landlords are exploiting the dire housing situation and how a lack of English and an understanding of tenants’ rights mean foreign students are easily exploited.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

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Despite all the talk over the summer, the names that came and went, the speculation and supposition – there is still only one name confirmed for the presidential race.

Catherine Connolly, who launched her candidacy early with the support of Labour, the Soc Dems and others will be on the ballot paper.

She will be joined by other presidential hopefuls – that much is certain – but who?

Today in The Irish Times Pat Leahy reports that Fianna Fáil may have found its candidate.

On today's podcast political correspondent Ellen Coyne looks at GAA legend Jim Gavin's potential candidacy, why Fine Gael picked Heather Humphreys over Sean Kelly, and whether the independents pushing for a place on the ballot have a real shot.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon

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This podcast was first published in June 2025.

The use of so-called 'dodgy box' technology to illegally stream television is widespread. Last week Mary Hannigan reported on the impact dodgy boxes are having on Irish sports broadcasters like Clubber, LOITV and GAA+.

“I said it before, it’s no different to going in to your local shop, picking up a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk and just walking out the door without paying,” said Jimmy Doyle, the founder of Clubber, the subscription platform that streams GAA club games. “It’s theft, at the end of the day.”

Individuals have been prosecuted for selling dodgy box services. But so far there have been no consequences for those using them.

Back in June on In the News Conor Pope reported on whether dodgy box users will ever face the law.

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In the space of a few short years, generative AI has exploded into our daily lives, impacting the way we learn, work and understand the world around us.

Open AI, the American artificial intelligence company cofounded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk in 2015 which runs ChatGPT, claims its non-profit “mission” is to ensure these systems “benefit all of humanity”.

And while the launch of ChatGPT has undoubtedly lightened the workload of many, engineer, journalist and AI expert Karen Hao says the AI race for world domination carries a huge human and environmental cost.

In 2019, Hao spent three days embedded in the offices of OpenAI and discovered this company, which claims to be transparent and operating “for the good of humanity”, was in fact highly secretive.

In her bestselling book ‘Empire of AI: Inside the reckless race for total domination’, Hao warns that the world has entered a new and ominous age of empire, where a small handful of companies are writing the future of humanity.

Today, on the In The News podcast, how the race for total AI domination is repeating the worst of human history.

Karen Hao discusses the severe cost of the seemingly unstoppable growth of OpenAI.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Aideen Finnegan. 

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For years the Irish Republican Brotherhood – the IRB – was remembered annually in a curious ceremony at Dublin’s Mansion House when its self-styled president Billy McGuire conducted a ritual that involved turning a golden harp to reaffirm the sovereignty of Ireland.

The existence of an IRB will come as a surprise to historians who consider that the secret-oath-bound society of the same name was disbanded more than 100 years ago.

But in recent years, a new cohort has taken over the IRB name, turning it into a growing organisation steeped in the pseudo-legal language of the sovereign citizen movement, which believes citizens are not subject to State laws.

This has caused officials in Dublin and nationally to become increasingly nervous about the group’s intentions.

The leaders of the modern IRB are in large part veterans of the Covid-19 anti-mask and anti-lockdown campaigns, along with property owners who turned to conspiracy theories after losing vast sums during the crash. Its leaders include a prominent Clare businessman, a teacher, a healthcare worker and a life coach.

This version of the IRB has a shadow government, a nascent court system and a network of local government bodies. It has also adopted a new time zone, Irish Rising Time, which is 25 minutes slower and based on the time zone used in Dublin until the 1916 rising. It even claims control over Óglaigh na hÉireann.

So is this fringe group like those harmless re-enactors who cosplay historical events or does it have the potential to go the way of some sovereign citizen groups in the US and Germany who have escalated their actions to include violence?

Irish Times Crime and Security Correspondent Conor Gallagher explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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