In The News

The killing of Renee Nicole Good (37) in her car on the streets of Minneapolis by an immigration officer has been witnessed by millions of people around the world.Countless bystanders took videos on their phones from all angles on the snowy suburban street as the mother and US citizen drove by, was surrounded by armed Ice (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents and was shot dead.So it should be possible to quickly reach a definitive conclusion as to what happened.But as Rachel Leingang, Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US, explains the killing instantly became politicised in a city where tensions were already on a knife-edge, with armed Ice officers swarming neighbourhoods as part of the Trump administration immigration crackdown.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday US president Donald Trump said he needed Greenland “very badly”. It’s a sentiment he expressed during his first term, but what then sounded like something of a fantasy wishlist has now hardened into policy.Reaction to Trump’s intentions has taken on some urgency following his removal by military force of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, last weekend,Quite how he might move to take over the vast Arctic territory is unclear.This week the White House said the use ‍of the US military is “always an option”; it also said it might seek to buy the island from Denmark.Greenland is part of the Danish kingdom. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, has said an attack by the US on a Nato ally – Greenland as part of Denmark – would mean the end of the alliance.But in a week that saw the Trump administration doubling down on its intention to take over the mineral rich island, the EU is scrabbling to respond to the threats from Washington in a way Trump might take seriously, as Brussels-based Irish Times reporter Jack Power explains.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since he took over as head coach at Manchester United Ruben Amorim has been outspoken, dishing up post-match commentary that frequently centred on how poor he felt his players had performed.On January 4th, after a desultory 1-1 draw with Leeds, he took aim, not at his players but at United’s top brass – his bosses. He was, he said, the manager, not the coach; the heavy implication being that he wanted to make his own decisions and that management were getting in his way.On Monday it was announced that Amorim would be leaving the club with immediate effect.Once again Manchester United is on the hunt for a manager – or to be more accurate in the modern game – a coach.Irish Times columnist Ken Early explains why Amorim was never a good fit for United and why coaches at top-flight clubs have an increasingly short sell-by date.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a court in New York City on charges including drug-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. The pair pleaded not guilty to all charges, with Maduro telling the court, “I’m innocent. I am not guilty … I am a decent man. I am still president of my country”. But if Maduro is in New York, who is in charge in Venezuela? US President Donald Trump says, “we are” – but what does that really mean? In today’s episode, Tom Hennigan who reports on South America for The Irish Times explains what Maduro’s arrest means for the country and its people. Presented by Declan Conlon, produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Hyrox came to Dublin’s RDS last November, it was a completely sold out event. The tickets for the fitness race were snapped up in minutes of going on sale, with organisers adding extra dates just to meet demand. But one person who was able to get their hands on a ticket was Irish Times sports writer Gordon Manning. The only problem? He'd never tried Hyrox before and hadn’t done any training for the event. Manning - who isn’t even a member of a gym - decided to take on the gruelling challenge to find out why this fitness craze has become so popular in Ireland and around the world. But with so little preparation, did he survive the race? And what does it involve anyway? In today’s episode, we’ll hear all about Manning's Hyrox experience, whether he’d do it again and whether you should do it too.Presented by Bernice Harrison, produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.