Saudi Arabia has spent the last decade trying to reinvent itself — pouring hundreds of billions into futuristic cities, global sports, and infrastructure mega projects.

At the centre of it all is Mohammed bin Salman — MBS — the young, ambitious leader who promised to transform the Kingdom through something called Vision 2030.

But now, some of those biggest, boldest ideas are being scaled back.

So what happened to the Saudi spending spree?

Ciara is joined by Economist and host of Newstalk's Taking Stock, Susan Hayes-Culleton and Dr Rahaf Aldoughli, Lecturer in Middle East and North African Studies at Lancaster University.

Sinn Féin has spent the last number of years positioning itself as the natural leader of Ireland’s left.

But now, that position is being questioned after bruising by-election results and growing tensions with parties like the Social Democrats and Labour,

There are now real questions about where Sinn Féin is going and whether it still owns that space at all.

So, does Sinn Féin need to change tact?

Ciara is joined by Aoife Moore, journalist, and author of The Long Game: Inside Sinn Féin and also by Siobhán Fenton, former Sinn Féin Press adviser

Pope Leo The Fourteenth has called for artificial intelligence to be designed to achieve the common good and welfare of mankind.

His Holiness has finally weighed in on the AI debate, but there’s a lot more to this than meets the eye.

He’s comparing it to nuclear power… warning it could be used for domination, exclusion — even harm — if left unchecked.

So, who is the Pope really calling out?

Ciara is joined by Founder of Get Started with AI and host of Futureproof on Newstalk, Jonathan Mc Crea and Theologian Gina Menzies.

Ireland today feels like it’s in the middle of a conversation about immigration & identity.

We often think ourselves part of the great diaspora making communities amongst ourselves in other nations.

And we think immigration to our island is something relatively new.

But in reality, Ireland’s history with migration is a lot more than the famine and economic crises, it’s previously been a place that welcomed (and sometimes rejected) communities from all across the globe .

Shane Beatty is joined by Kieran Connell, History lecturer in Queen’s University Belfast.

Seventeen years after the financial crash, one of the most powerful institutions created in its aftermath is coming to an end.

NAMA — set up to take toxic property loans off the banks and stabilise the economy — says it returned billions to the State and helped rebuild parts of Dublin.

But critics argue assets were sold too cheaply, developers were shut out, and international funds walked away with huge profits.

So, was NAMA a necessary fix at a moment of crisis, or did it reshape Ireland’s property market in ways we’re still dealing with today?

Ciara is joined by Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post.

Gen Z is having less sex than the generations before them... They’re approaching dating in a completely different way. And increasingly, they’re learning about intimacy not from real-life relationships — but from what they see online.

Arguments, disagreements and fundamental beliefs are being discussed online daily. The latest debate is about whether watching porn in a relationship is acceptable or not.

So, are these arguments arbitrary, or is an issue like porn just more prevalent for younger generations than it was before?

Ciara is joined by Journalist Tessa Ndjonkou and Family Psychotherapist specialising in porn addiction, David Kavanagh

Married At First Sight on Channel 4 has been pulled from streaming after allegations of rape and non-consensual sexual activity during filming.

Police are now urging anyone who may have been affected to come forward, as investigations continue.

Some of the claims are understood to have been raised while filming was ongoing and yet the programme still aired.

So, at this stage, in the twenty-first century – why does reality TV still have so many skeletons in the closet?

Ciara is joined by TV Critic and Broadcaster Scott Bryan and Professor of Film and Feminist Media Studies and Research Lead/Director for the Cambridge School of Creative Industries, Tanya Horeck

Gardaí are warning of a rise in door-to-door scams across Ireland, with bogus traders targeting homes offering cheap repairs and taking payment for unfinished work.

At the same time, online fraud is escalating, with over 200 scam websites identified last year impersonating trusted services like An Post and Revenue Commissioners.

So, how do we spot these bogus traders and what can we do to protect our more vulnerable loved ones when scamming seems to be everywhere?

Josh Crosbie reports on the growing problem, with Pat Lordan, former Detective Chief Superintendent at the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau Financial Intelligence Unit, discussing how these scams operate — and how to avoid them.