Early Edition

The opposition parties have laid out their alternative budgets ahead of the government’s Budget 2027 next week.Grinds 360, Ireland’s biggest online education platform, was plunged into a boardroom battle after its CEO was temporarily suspended in a dispute over company finances and governance.Next week, the European Union and China head into what could be one of their most consequential trade showdowns in years.Domestic rugby falls far behind the financial viability of the international game, but what can fix it?Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An American conservative Catholic university, founded by Domino’s Pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan, is facing questions over plans to open an Irish campus at the former Mount Melleray monastery in Co. Waterford.Irish unification stirs widespread debate but the decision for a vote on the matter falls to one person under the Belfast Agreement; Northern Ireland’s secretary of state. Rachel Lavin examines what metrics might be used to judge whether to trigger a border poll.A law intended to protect rape complainants from being quizzed about their sexual history is “not working”, with almost one in four complainants facing such inquiries last year, Rape Crisis Ireland has said.A friend of Emer McLysaght recently became an official Irish citizen and, as Emer prides herself on being a considerate gift giver, she set about coming up with the perfect token to mark the occasion. A vintage aerial photo of her friend’s home.Presented by Aideen Finnegan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An Irish citizen has pleaded not guilty in a Hungarian court to the murder of his ex-wife, a Japanese national, and to setting fire to her apartment in an alleged attempt to make her death look like an accident.The price of fuel at the pumps could be as high as €2.30 a litre by December. Pricewatch editor Conor Pope is drilling into why.The DUP and the Orange Order have made complaints to the PSNI about Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s vice president and northern Ireland first minister, Michelle O’Neill. It’s over their presence at a protest in Portadown on Sunday, preventing a contentious Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road.Laura Kennedy is examining the Sally Rooney effect on the Irish female experience. She argues that where once women were taught not to have “notions”; now their thoughts, feelings and perspectives have become an intangible cultural export.Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The standoff between residents of Garvaghy Road, Co. Armagh, and the Orange Order shows no sign of resolution.Ireland is spending less per student across its education system than the average developed country, according to an OECD report.Almost 30,000 people have opted out of the State’s new auto-enrolment pension scheme, but the Government says participation remains far stronger than expected.Heimir Hallgrímsson has told The Irish Times Ireland’s soccer players won’t make a decision on whether to fulfil their second match against Israel on Sunday, until after Thursday’s nations league clash against Austria.Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Permission for an Orange Order march on the Gervaghy Road in Portadown expired at midnight with 35 Orangemen blocked by thousands of nationalist protestors.The Government is facing fresh pressure on the public finances, after a €700 million spending buffer set aside earlier this year was completely used up.More than 328,000 homes are in electricity arrears according to new figures.A controversy over Dublin’s Herzog Park has highlighted a legal gap that could require new legislation.Presented by Andrew McNair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.