In The News

On Sunday, authorities in Mexico attempted to capture the notorious cartel boss known as “El Mencho”.

They tracked Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes down to a cabin in the western state of Jalisco – his stronghold – and he was fatally wounded in the raid. The firefight also killed several of his heavily-armed accomplices, including his likely successor.

He was head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), known for trafficking vast quantities of fentanyl and cocaine into the US.

In 2025 it was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by Donald Trump‘s administration.

His death prompted waves of violent retaliation as the cartel put on a show of strength in areas far beyond Jalisco and into tourist hotspots.

The authorities have calmed the situation – for now – but fears are mounting that more violence will erupt as the cartel seeks to regroup after the death of its leader.

And that has brought the soccer World Cup – just months away – into sharp focus with questions about the ability of the Mexican authorities to keep soccer fans safe.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.
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Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31st when her son-in-law dropped her off there after an evening at her daughter’s house nearby. She lived alone.

Just hours later it is believed she was abducted from her home, her disappearance reported by friends the following day when she failed to show up for a church service.
As the daughter of Savannah Guthrie, presenter of NBC’s Today show, she is well-known to audiences having appeared several times on screen.

Every step of the investigation by local police and the FBI has been poured over by US media and true crime amateur sleuths.

But the mystery remains. More than three weeks later, Nancy Guthrie is still missing.

Richard Ruelas reporter from Arizona Republic has been covering the case from the beginning, visiting the scene many times and following every development.

He explains why this case has gripped the US.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
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Former British prince Andrew's fall from grace continued last week with his arrest as part of an investigation into whether he abused power by sharing confidential information with his friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Up to now the scrutiny of Andrew's relationship with the notorious Epstein has focussed on allegations of sexual exploitation. But this affair has shifted the focus onto Andrew's conduct while working as a trade envoy for Britain. In that time he travelled the world at British taxpayers expense, promoting British business but also making plenty of connections that he would use to his own advantage.

So what did Andrew get up to in those years? And how much did his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, and his brother King Charles know about the way he was behaving and the people he was associating with? The answers could determine the future of the Royal Family.

On today's In the News podcast we talk to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled, a biography of Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
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What started as a one-man play about the life and times of Gerry Hutch became a two-hander this week when, in a curtain-raising surprise, Hutch himself appears on stage to deliver a prologue.

Rex Ryan premiered his play The Monk – called after the widely used nick-name of his subject – last summer but for its second outing it moved to a much larger Dublin venue, The Ambassador, for a weeklong run.

Ryan, who produces, stars and directs The Monk is, says Irish Times crime and security editor Conor Lally, a powerful presence on stage.

Hutch, adds little says Lally – except audience pulling power. He went along to a performance to see how Hutch, whose career he has followed closely, is portrayed. He gives his plain-speaking review here.

Lally found the section on the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin deeply distasteful and the extent to which RTÉ journalist Paul Reynolds lives rent-free in Hutch’s head simply bizarre.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
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The Geran-2 is a deadly weapon; a drone bomb that can be launched from thousands of kilometres away and yet hit its target with precision accuracy.

Low cost and easy to make, this winter it has become a key weapon in Russia’s armoury as it pummels Ukraine, causing hundreds of deaths and cutting off energy supply.

And a key component in the Geran-2 design is a chip manufactured years ago by Taoglas, which is headquartered in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

So how did it make its way into Russia’s armament supply chain – especially given EU rules which ban the export to Russia of “high priority” dual-use technology that can have both civilian and military applications.

An investigation by The Irish Times in partnership with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and others has revealed that technology from EU companies is making its way into Russia in vast quantities, where it is used in weapons such as the Geran-2.

This includes various components manufactured by Taoglas and another Irish-based company, TE Connectivity.

Irish Times crime and security correspondent Conor Gallagher was part of that investigative consortium and he explains how these drones work and why stopping their manufacture has proven difficult.

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