When I was young and even more foolish than I am now, myself and a friend hitchhiked around Europe. We had done this kind of thing before, but on this occasion I got it wedged into my head that we should have an adventure. I wanted to cross the Iron Curtain. My friend agreed with […]
Continue ReadingWhen Rachel Harper approached other primary school principals in Greystones, Co Wicklow, three years ago to discuss heightened anxiety levels among older pupils she had no idea she was starting a journey that would bring the world’s media to her door. Those early conversations led to a voluntary ban on smartphones across eight primary schools […]
Continue ReadingSocial networks could in future be treated as publishers if and when they make harmful and illegal content available, the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence has said. Niamh Smyth said she felt “very strongly” that the Irish Government needs to see if it can legislate to treat social networks like publishers. If the proposal […]
Continue ReadingAfter nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations, India and the European Union (EU) have announced the conclusion of a landmark free trade agreement, hailed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the “mother of all deals.” Indian prime minister Narendra Modi hailed the “historic” trade deal with the European Union, which came after nearly […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union and India concluded a free-trade agreement after nearly two decades of negotiations, as both sides seek to deepen economic ties and offset the impact of Washington’s tariff policies. The deal will reduce tariffs on Irish whiskey and certain food exports. “We have concluded the mother of all deals,” European Commission president Ursula […]
Continue ReadingPolicymakers in Brussels and other European capitals are scrambling to calibrate their response to Donald Trump’s latest barrage of tariff threats. Things are expected to move quickly over the next three days. An emergency summit of the EU’s 27 leaders in Brussels on Thursday may not be the last time the heads of government and […]
Continue ReadingIn the last 72 hours, a question has crystallised in European capitals: is US president Donald Trump mad, bad or both? This is neither a frivolous nor a hyperbolic question. Nor, of course, can any clinical answer be offered. But balanced and rational individuals do not write to allied prime ministers as Trump did this […]
Continue ReadingIn the last 72 hours, a question has crystallised in European capitals: is US president Donald Trump mad, bad or both? This is neither a frivolous nor a hyperbolic question. Nor, of course, can any clinical answer be offered. But balanced and rational individuals do not write to allied prime ministers as Trump did this […]
Continue ReadingEuropean leaders are hoping to prevent a trade war breaking out with the United States over Greenland, but are preparing contingency plans to push back on Donald Trump’s “blackmail” attempts, should high-stakes attempts to defuse tensions this week fail. Efforts to engage the White House are being stepped up and several EU leaders are expected […]
Continue ReadingUS president Donald Trump has linked his drive to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought “purely of Peace” as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe. Asked by NBC News in a brief telephone interview on Monday […]
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