Hundreds of Irish writers are set to share millions of euro following a €1.31 billion settlement of a copyright infringement case by artificial intelligence giant Anthropic. The Irish Writers Union said the settlement, which is the first case against tech companies over the training of their large language models, will result in hundreds of authors […]
Continue ReadingA confidential Government report has detailed that Aughinish Alumina has increasingly “struggled” to sell material produced in the Co Limerick plant to European countries, due to concerns about the company’s Russian ownership. Exports of alumina from Aughinish to Russia “have significantly increased since 2020 and at a more pronounced level since 2022”, the unpublished Department […]
Continue ReadingMore than 90,000 people have fled huge wildfires in Spain and France as Madrid declared a national emergency and French authorities ordered the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday spots. Authorities in southwest France ordered the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast to be evacuated “village by […]
Continue ReadingThe deployment of Irish troops abroad will be finally decided upon by the State’s courts, not by the Oireachtas, if the Government does away with the triple lock, Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said. The Government plans to get rid of the triple lock, which requires the approval of the Government and the Dáil as […]
Continue ReadingJust before a temporary levy on global imports was set to expire, the Trump administration issued a fresh wave of tariffs on more than 80 countries late on Thursday, ranging from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent. The new tariffs took effect on Friday morning. It’s Donald Trump’s latest effort to continue imposing global […]
Continue ReadingThe Trump administration on Friday will impose new tariffs of 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent on 60 trading partners, including the European Union, over allegations of lax enforcement of forced labour bans, just as a temporary 10 per cent global tariff expires, senior administration officials said on Thursday. The move is the White […]
Continue ReadingSir, – I have noticed a sharp increase in helicopter traffic over central Dublin, no doubt linked to Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. As they circle overhead, I wonder how this activity fits with our greenhouse gas emissions targets? Perhaps aviation emissions generated in the service of the EU presidency will […]
Continue ReadingAustralia’s social media ban for under-16s introduced in December 2025 may well be seen in time as a watershed moment, similar to Ireland’s 2004 smoking ban. However, just six months after Australian communications minister Anika Wells told 10 platforms – including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat – to restrict access to under-16s, there have been […]
Continue ReadingMichel Barnier may be Ireland’s favourite Frenchman. As the European Union’s chief negotiator during Brexit, he continually resisted British attempts to isolate Ireland and its concerns about the Border and threw the full weight of the EU and all its members behind the Irish government’s position. Patient, resolute, strategic and meticulously prepared, Barnier became a […]
Continue ReadingAughinish Alumina warned Ireland’s EU commissioner Michael McGrath that cutting off its exports to Russia would harm the European economy. The Co Limerick alumina refinery recently lobbied politicians in Brussels and Dublin to push back on calls for EU sanctions to prohibit it from selling key raw material to Russia, documents show. The Irish Times, […]
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