Highlights From Newstalk Breakfast

The European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed that 2025 was the third warmest year on record, with global temperatures from the past three years averaging more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial level This is the first time the level of global warming, over a three-year period, has exceeded 1.5C.John Sweeney, Climatologist and Professor Emeritus of Geography at Maynooth University joined Sean Defoe on the show to discuss.

Dublin City Council must adopt a “feminist town planning approach”, as a “gender-neutral approach to city development has consistently failed” the diverse needs of citizens. That is the proposal from Cat O’Driscoll, Social Democrat Councillor for Cabra-Glasnevin who joined Shane Coleman on the show this morning to discuss.

Thousands of patients are being denied the free dental care they are entitled to every year after more than half of dentists across the country have pulled out of the medical card scheme. Irish Dental Association Chief, Fintan Hourihan, joined Sean Defoe on Newstalk Breakfast.

Now, there are two massive stories coming out of the US today, the leaders of Greenland and Denmark are arriving in Washington for a meeting at the White House, and the long-awaited Supreme Court ruling on tariffs is expected to be announced today.  Earlier, Shane Coleman caught up with Terry Sheridan, Senior Director of News at WSHU Public Radio about all of this and began by asking what we can expect from the talks from Greenland and Denmark’s high-stake talks in Washington…

Councillors in North Cork are calling for legislative changes to tackle litter and illegal dumping, after what they describe as unprecedented dumping levels in the area. Fine Gael councillor for Charleville in Cork, Aileen Browne joined Sean Defoe to discuss.

More than half of parents struggle with the practicalities of the school run, with early afternoon collections forcing one in four to reduce their working hours.  That’s according to new research out today. Shane Coleman was joined by Bethan O’Riordan, Psychotherapist who specialises in parenting support to discuss.

Good news on energy as consumers could be in line for a cut in prices this year. Dr Paul Deane, a lecturer on energy at University College Cork joined Shane Coleman on the show to discuss.

Almost one in five workers in Ireland say they won’t be able to afford retirement until age 70, while just four in ten expect to retire before the State Pension age of 66. That’s according to new research from Royal London Ireland.   Barra Roantree, Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College, joined Shane Coleman on the show to discuss.

US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on any country that does business with Iran, ramping up pressure on the country. This comes as Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed 648 people have been killed during protests, including nine minors.   Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University and Haleh Blake, British Iranian Activist both joined Shane Coleman on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

“Cyclists have become a nightmare in Dublin” That’s according to civil court Judge James O’Donohoe. He made the comment as he reduced the damages for a cyclist who suffered a brain injury in a crash with a motorbike from 50,000 euros to 10,000 euros.  Shane Coleman was joined by Gary Marshall, Public Relations Officer for the Dublin Commuter Coalition to discuss.

Manifestations, signs from the universe and connections with a higher power – more and more young people are beginning to believe in “synchronicity” in order to make sense of the world.   Leslie Shoemaker, Counselling Psychologist and Lecturer in TU Dublin, joined us to explain what is means.

Mugshots of convicted criminals will be more routinely released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland under new guidance.    Images of offenders who receive a jail sentence of 12 months or more will now be regularly considered for publication. Christy Galligan, Former Garda Sergeant and peace commissioner, joined Shane Coleman on the show to discuss.

A loophole allowing the conversion of derelict or vacant properties into accommodation for international protection applicants without full planning permission needs to be closed. That’s the view of Fine Gael Senator, Mark Duffy, who joined us on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Jessie Buckley won Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her performance in Hamnet, on a night when the historical drama also won the coveted Best Picture award. But who else were the big winners on the night?  All to chat about with Brian Lloyd, Entertainment Journalist. 

If you're an Instagram user, you may have received an email over the weekend saying “click here to reset your password”, even if you didn't request to do so.  What is going on and should we be concerned? Jess Kelly Newstalk's Technology Correspondent explains all.All with thanks to Renault.

People granted refugee status will have to wait for three years before bringing relatives including spouses and children to Ireland under a planned tightening of family reunification rules. We get reaction to these proposed changes with Nick Henderson, CEO of the Refugee Council.

Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the US, as reports from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency suggest the number of people killed in anti-government protests across Iran has risen dramatically to more than 500 We discuss the situation there with  Dr Siavush Randjbar-Daemi, Senior Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History University of St Andrews in Scotland.

An “aggressive” drive to tighten e-scooter laws will soon begin in light of the growing number of serious injuries being reported, including three fatalities last year. We discussed further with Shane O’Donoghue, Editor of CompleteCar.ie. 

The people of Greenland are hoping for clarity when political leaders of the territory meet with the US and Denmark this week. The US President Donald Trump has ramped up his ambitions of taking over the world’s largest island. Our reporter Josh Crosbie is in Greenland meeting with locals and he sent us this report.

Developers will soon be allowed to build new data centres in Dublin.  According to the Business Post, plans to end the existing four-year ban are set to be approved by Cabinet this week.   Shane debates this with Gavin Lawlor, President of Irish Planning Institute and Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaigner with Friends of the Earth.