After the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal that saw all international troops leaving Afghanistan by May 2021, Britain promised to relocate those Afghans who had aided it in the war effort.

They had to apply to the Ministry of Defence for consideration. But then in 2022 the list was leaked – in an administrative error – making those on it targets for retribution by the Taliban. It’s thought that about 100,000 people were put at risk by the leak when wider family members were included.

A panicked reaction followed in 2023 when the list appeared on Facebook and a series of decisions were made by a small number of senior civil servants that were only revealed to parliament and the British public this week.

First a super-injunction was placed on the media and on anyone with knowledge of the leak leading to a blanket of secrecy.

Then the UK government set up a secret multibillion-pound scheme to bring Afghans to Britain.

The political fallout in the UK is ongoing as Mark Paul, Irish Times London correspondent, explains.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.

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The All-Ireland senior men's hurling final takes place on Sunday.

To mark the occasion, The Irish Times sports department takes over our podcast feed to bring you a conversation between sports writer Malachy Clerkin and columnists (and legends of the game) Nicky English and Joe Canning.

They look at the teams and tactics they expect to see on Sunday, and make some big predictions. Whether you are a die-hard fan, or simply want to jump on the hurling bandwagon before kick-off, we hope you enjoy this conversation.

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Donald Trump once said that he would "probably" release documents relating to the life and crimes of late billionaire and notorious sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. Others in his circle went further, pledging to reveal any information held on Epstein. Such files have long been rumoured to include the names of fellow abusers Epstein conspired with.

Now that his administration has said it will not release the files, many among Trump's MAGA base believe that a sacred promise has been broken.

But was it a promise that should ever have been made? Is there anything to the "Epstein client list" conspiracy theories? And could the controversy cause Trump real harm?

Keith Duggan reports from Washington.

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