Giving stalling car industry a break on petrol-engine ban could be a mistake
The combustion engine ban, which was approved by the European Parliament and national governments two years ago, is in the sights of the stalling car industry. German chancellor Friedrich Merz is on a mission to strip back EU regulations he views as a burden on European industry. Von der Leyen needs to give something to the car industry, but still hang on to the broad ambition of her legislation. Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right Italian government has lined up beside Germany in opposition to the 2035 ban. Ban or no ban, Europe is up against the clock to produce affordable electric vehicles.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:48 UTC
UK government spends nearly €5m on legal defence of Bloody Sunday’s Soldier F
Supporters of Soldier F leave Belfast Crown Court after he was found not guilty of murder and attempted murder on October 23rd. Photograph: Paul Faith/AFPThe UK government has spent £4.3 million (€4.9 million) so far on the defence of a former British army paratrooper accused of two murders during the events of Bloody Sunday. The UK government has confirmed it has spent £4.3 million so far, adding the sum “may rise marginally” once the final bills are received. “As part of this, Soldier F has received legal and welfare support throughout his legal proceedings at public expense,” he said. “These costs cover the period from when Soldier F was initially charged in March 2019.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:47 UTC
ECB keeps rates unchanged while warning of uncertain impact from tariffs
The ECB has kept interest rates unchanged for the third consecutive month. Photograph: DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty ImagesThe European Central Bank (ECB) has kept interest rates unchanged for a third consecutive meeting as it weighs up the outlook for inflation and the still uncertain fallout from US trade tariffs. After eight straight rate cuts, the bank now appears to have moved into a holding pattern. “The robust labour market, solid private sector balance sheets and the governing council’s past interest rate cuts remain important sources of resilience,” it said. Despite the US tariffs, despite all the various sources of uncertainty, the European economy continues to eke out some growth,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:38 UTC
We’re being conned about climate change, but not in the way Donald Trump says
“Climate change,” he claimed, “is the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and “renewable energy is inflicting expensive energy costs on Europe”. Of course, Trump has never sought to hide his views on global climate. Trump: “The executive director of the UN Environmental Programme predicted that by the year 2000, climate change would cause a global catastrophe. Climate change, if it goes higher or lower, whatever the hell happens, it’s climate change. In the 1970s, the political strategist Frank Luntz suggested conservative politicians and journalists should adopt the term “climate change” as it was more suggestive of a natural phenomenon.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:34 UTC
Data protection rules ‘completely out of control’, Meta tells Government
Europe’s approach to data protection requires a total overhaul, Ms Egan told Mr O’Callaghan in her letter. An effective green light from the Data Protection Commission, which enforces data and privacy laws in Ireland, was a ”welcome step”, she wrote. “This development highlights, again, the urgent need for GDPR reform to ensure balance, coherence and effectiveness in the EU’s data protection framework,” the letter said. Meta has been handed several fines by Ireland’s regulator and the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, for breaching data protection or digital regulations. A Department of Justice spokesman said Ireland supported the commission’s plan to simplify EU data protection laws.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:26 UTC
‘It could make a difference’: Endometriosis researcher exploring how to calm inflammation
I spoke to Jason Bennett, who was researching endometriosis, and I wanted to know more about it. My final-year project looked at the inflammation that arises in endometriosis, to explore ways to decrease it. I was particularly interested to see how vitamin K might affect that. I exposed the cells to vitamin K and measured how the levels of inflammation changed. We are not just looking at vitamin K, we are treating the cells with other bioactive molecules too and seeing how the inflammation levels change.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:22 UTC
Microsoft’s computing capacity crunch persists despite heavy spending
Microsoft is still suffering from a computing capacity crunch despite massive spending on data centres, a scenario that weighed on the company’s closely watched Azure cloud unit. During the first quarter, the company lavished a whopping $34.9 billion (€30 billion) on capital expenditures including leases, which indicates outlays on server farms. Demand for Azure services is “significantly ahead of the capacity we have available,” she said during a call with analysts. Microsoft’s total revenue increased 18 per cent to $77.7 billion in the fiscal first quarter, while profit was $3.72 a share. In the current quarter, Microsoft expects revenue to be between $79.5 billion and $80.6 billion.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:14 UTC
The power of play in the workplace
Thankfully, creative thinking skills can be developed through structured, collaborative play. Oft-cited research on play includes Johan Huizinga’s book Homo Ludens (1938) and Stuart Brown’s Play (2009). That’s one reason why playful learning is so effective in ensuring long-term behavioural change. Give them scientific proof about it before asking them to step into a playful experience or fictional role play situation. His book Playful Learning, written with Nicola Whitton, examines the impact of playful workshops, events, spaces, tools and technologies.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:10 UTC
Microsoft services recover from global cloud outage
Microsoft said its cloud services were recovering from an outage that disrupted its workplace software products and the operations of several companies. At one point on Wednesday afternoon, Microsoft’s Azure cloud status page reported network issues across all of its data centre regions worldwide. The error cascaded to more than a dozen other Azure services, including employee authentication services, cybersecurity tools and databases. Microsoft, which reported financial results hours after the outage began, declined to comment beyond its public status updates. The event dragged on for about 15 hours before the company managed to get all of its services back online.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 16:02 UTC
Kerry man with locked-in syndrome sues over brain scan
Photograph: Getty ImagesA Kerry man who is paralysed from the neck down and has severe locked-in syndrome after a stroke has launched a High Court action over a brain scan carried out at University Hospital Kerry. Mr O’Driscoll’s counsel Liam Reidy SC, instructed by Cantillons Solicitors, told the court mediation had not been successful last week. Mr O’Driscoll, it was claimed, was intubated on arrival and a CT brain and intracranial angiogram scan was later performed. It was noted on January 5th that Mr O’Driscoll in retrospect had a sudden stroke and that he had severe locked-in syndrome. It denied it caused a progression of Mr O’Driscoll’s neurological deficit as a result of which he has locked-in syndrome.
Source:The Irish Times
October 30, 2025 15:30 UTC
Three Irish billionaires to share most of €5.9bn deal for UK nursing homes business – The Irish Times
US healthcare property group Welltower has confirmed that it is acquiring the portfolio of the Barchester Healthcare nursing home group, mainly owned by Irish billionaires JP McManus, Dermot Desmond and John Magnier, for £5.2 billion (€5.96 billion). However, the future ownership of the operating company is not yet clear. The Barchester group is essentially made up of two companies owned by common shareholders: the operating company, Barchester Healthcare; and a company that owns the underlying homes, Limecay Ltd. [ Irish owned Barchester Healthcare sees profits jumpOpens in new window ]The value of the deal is much higher than an expected figure north of £4 billion, reported last week. The Irish tycoons invested in Barchester in 1994, a little over a year after the business was set up by British entrepreneur Mike Parsons.
Source:The Irish Times
October 29, 2025 17:35 UTC
Recent ‘political shifts’ endanger Irish ties to Nato, says ex-UK defence chief
Photograph: Max Mumby/Getty ImagesIreland’s relationship with Nato is under threat due to “recent political shifts in Irish leadership”, the former UK military chief has said. Jock Stirrup, a member of the House of Lords, made the comments during a parliamentary debate on the security of undersea cables. Between 2006 and 2010, Mr Stirrup was the UK’s chief of the defence staff and its most senior military officer. The Irish and UK governments are drafting an updated memorandum of understanding relating to defence matters. During a debate on the matter in the House of Lords last month, several members also criticised Ireland’s approach to defence.
Source:The Irish Times
October 29, 2025 17:31 UTC
South Korea mulls $350bn US investment - the price of avoiding Trump’s tariffs
Donald Trump arrives in South Korea on Wednesday for the final leg of an Asian tour that has seen him agree deals on trade and minerals with a succession of states in the region. But his demand for an upfront investment of $350 billion (€300 billion) in the United States in return for a reduction in tariffs on South Korea goods is proving too much for president Lee Jae-myung. Trump and Lee will meet on Wednesday ahead of an Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern coastal city of Gyeongju. But economists have warned that agreeing to Trump’s terms could destabilise the South Korean economy. “I put it out over the internet that I’m coming to South Korea and if he would like to meet, I’m open to it,” he said.
Source:The Irish Times
October 29, 2025 17:31 UTC
Hurricane Melissa path will see it weaken across Atlantic and ‘come fairly close’ to Ireland, Met Éireann says
Photograph: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationStatus yellow rain and wind warnings have been issued for large parts of the country on Thursday. The rain warning comes into effect for Cork and Kerry from 11am and from noon in Galway and Mayo. The yellow wind warning is in place for Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford from 11am until 11pm. Met Éireann has warned of localised flooding, difficult travel conditions and poor visibility where the rain warnings will come into effect. The UK Met Office has also issued a yellow wind warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry from 1pm until 11pm on Thursday.
Source:The Irish Times
October 29, 2025 17:22 UTC
Irish man one of two people killed in explosion at a mine in Australia
Ambrose 'Ambie' McMullen (59), originally from Co Cavan: died in an explosion at a mine in New South Wales, Australia. An Irish man has been killed in an explosion at a mine in Australia. Ambrose “Ambie” McMullen (59), originally from Cootehill, Co Cavan, was one of three people caught up in the blast. A woman in her early 20s was also killed, while another woman of a similar age was injured. Ambie was a lovely man – great fun and craic and we enjoyed manys the night out.
Source:The Irish Times
October 29, 2025 17:14 UTC